Texas Commitments Breakdown Vol. 8 (8/23/21)

This week of commitments includes a lot of young defensive talent that has already made a mark on the high school football world. Although, this list also includes a junior wide receiver who is already amongst the best in the state. There is a lot of talent that committed this past week, so be sure and take a look at what makes them great. 1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60698" first="Ernest" last="Cooper IV"] (SR-DL) - Martin High School (Arlington, TX) - Stanford</strong> 2020-21 Season: 63 total tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery One of the highest-ranking defensive linemen in the state of Texas, Cooper received multiple offers including from Ohio State, Texas A&amp;M, Alabama and Arizona State but committed to Stanford just today. He visited Stanford on June 18 during a time he was also making visits to Ohio State and Texas A&amp;M. What separates Cooper from most is his tenacity, his strength and his determination to make the play, most notably at stuffing the run at the line. Cooper is an elite defensive lineman and the Cardinals have acquired a great asset. 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="122025" first="Cordale" last="Russell"] (JR-WR) - North Mesquite High School (Mesquite, TX) - SMU</strong> 2020-21 Season: 34 receptions, 569 receiving yards, 6 receiving touchdowns As a junior, Russell is already amongst the highest wide receivers in the state and has already received 12 offers. He committed to SMU on Sunday, Aug. 22, but also received offers from the likes of Arkansas, Illinois State, Kansas and Minnesota. Looking at his tape, Russell is excellent in the short-passing game, able to break tackles and create big plays, but he is also athletic enough to make tough catches in tight coverages, especially in the end zone. Russell has a lot of potential to have an amazing senior season and given he knows where he is going after high school, he will be looking to impress his future coaches even further. 3. <strong>Lukia Rawls (SR-DL) - Klein Cain High School (Houston, TX) - Air Force</strong> 2020-21 Season: 78 total tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 safety Rawls committed to Air Force just today but looking at the tape and stats alone, the Falcons have acquired a big and athletic player. Much like Cooper, Rawls is excellent at stuffing the run and getting into the backfield quickly. He is excellent at timing the snap which allows him to blow through blocks to create disruption regardless of the play. 4. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60788" first="John" last="Mateer"] (SR-QB) - Little Elm High School (Little Elm, TX) - Central Arkansas</strong> 2020-21 Season: 1,593 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions The quarterback from Little Elm has received four offers so far including the school he committed to. He also received offers from Columbia, Houston Baptist and Incarnate Word. In the days of mobile quarterbacks who scramble outside of the pocket, Mateer is great at stepping up into the pocket in order to buy himself more time to make the throw. He is both accurate and confident in his offensive line’s capability of protecting him. Even while under pressure, he is capable of making deep and accurate throws, without leaving the pocket. 5. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="129064" first="Joe" last="Onuwabhagbe"] (SR-DL) - Hebron High School (Carollton, TX) - Dartmouth</strong> Onuwabhagbe has received a total of three offers so far but committed to Dartmouth. His other two offers are from Air Force and Lafayette. The Big Green are getting a fast and powerful lineman that is able to bulldoze through blocks to make the sack or tackle. He is a very difficult lineman to block and the tape shows this.