Texas nets commitment from in-state TE Landen King

Landen King's busy spring yielded the talented Humble (Texas) Atascocita an enormous number of new offers from college football powerhouses both in and out-of-state. Yet as the offers flowed in, a decision became clearer and clearer for King.

On Sunday, King committed to Texas, giving the Longhorns one of the best tight ends from the Lone Star State, a deep group of positions at the position in the 2021 cycle.

In addition to Texas, Texas A&M, Washington, Georgia, Alabama and Auburn were all major players for the Houston-area standout.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound tight end was currently a top-100 prospect in-state and was enjoying a strong start to the spring prior to the CoVid-19 pandemic shut down all activity. He landed an offer from the Longhorns in the midst of a busy spring and made his way to Austin prior to the pandemic shutting down visits.

King is the seventh commitment in Texas' 2021 recruiting class, all of which hail from the home state. Entering Sunday, the Longhorns claimed the No. 14 recruiting class on Rivals.

"Texas was recruiting the hardest out of all the teams. The schools in my top 10 were all great schools and great programs, but I just felt like I was at home at Texas. If I had to compare Texas to everyone else, that meant that Texas was the obvious leader."

"Texas was always calling. They were always talking to my parents and then we were going over film. Coach (Jay) Boulware played a big role. From the first time I met him, I had a feeling that I wanted to play for him and Coach (Tom) Herman."

"I see myself being used all over the field and being in one of the best football environments in America, as well as playing in my home state."

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound King is largely a pass-catching tight end prospect that could be used either inside the slot, outside as a traditional wide receiver and is capable of also seeing action as a traditional in-line tight end. However, his pass-catching skills are the strongest aspect of King's game and his ability to block adds another potent layer to his game when setting the edge or assisting to clear out running paths.

As a junior in 2019, King accounted for 53 receptions for 815 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 15.4 yards per catch.

King thrives at winning in contested-catch situations. He is a strong route runner that can run up and down the seams, stretch the field vertically and win 1-on-1 battles outside the numbers and downfield. He's a major asset in a vertical passing attack like the one Mike Yurcich is installing in Austin, but will give the Texas offense a major asset in the red-zone in short-yardage and jump-ball scenarios. King is also a tough runner after the fact, meaning you can get him the ball in space and allow him to make his way into the end zone.

Furthermore, King possesses the ability to eat up yardage in space and has immense skills with the ball in his hands. He attacks the seams thanks to his speed, which also allows him to separate in the slot and outside the numbers, but also eat up yardage after the catch. King has great ball skills, the ability to catch balls away from his body with a strong catch radius. He also has reliable hands and the ability to hold onto the football and absorb big hits and hold onto the football. He's a true vertical playmaker.

King is a capable blocker and fully willing to contribute as an in-line blocker or stalk block in the run game. He is a plus-blocker, though is not asked to do much in his high school offense at Atascocita, but shows on tape with clutch blocks downfield.