OTF Premium Brock Williams’ commitment fulfills Sark’s quest for a five-tool high school tight end

[Jeff Howe]

The commitment of Brock Williams to Texas on Friday gives Steve Sarkisian the most complete tight end prospect he’s recruited during his time on the Forty Acres.

If that sounds out of pocket, consider that Sarkisian inherited Gunnar Helm and Ja’Tavion Sanders from the previous staff, as both signed with the Longhorns a few weeks before Sarkisian was hired. Jeff Banks deserves credit for developing them into productive players who went on to become NFL draft picks, but Helm and Sanders needed time to develop and weren’t ready to contribute the way the staff needed them to from the jump.

That shouldn't be the case with the 6-foot-5-inch, 230-pound Williams. Whereas Helm joined the Longhorns as a raw prospect and Sanders had to learn to play with his hand on the ground, Williams will arrive at Texas as an accomplished receiver who won’t have to learn a new position.

Since Michael Masunas entered the program with one season of eligibility remaining, the Longhorns needed to land a tight end with instant impact potential in the 2027 cycle. Williams could join a room in which Spencer Shannon, Nick Townsend (a tremendous athlete with a ton of potential if he can put it all together) and Emaree Winston make it tough for him to break into the rotation, or he could be in the position Jermaine Bishop and Derrek Cooper found themselves in this spring, as true freshmen who seized opportunities to start working toward a solidified role.

Townsend is as physically gifted as any player at any position in the program. Still, Townsend wasn’t as polished as a tight end coming out of Spring Dekaney as Williams will be after his time at Libertyville (Ill.) is finished and he makes his way to Austin, which means a lot to the Texas offense in 2027 and beyond.

Sarkisian, who has said time and again that the tight end position is the most important part of his offense other than the quarterback, and Banks have done what injuries prevented Mack Brown from doing, and what Charlie Strong and Tom Herman couldn’t quite figure out. The current regime has developed tight ends physically and inserted them into an offensive scheme that highlights the position when the right guy is on the field, which accurately describes how Helm and Sanders were used.

Williams, however, is special because he's not a position conversion or an athletic project. Those types of tight end prospects have had varying levels of success on the Forty Acres for nearly two decades, all while multiple staffs tried to find a five-tool answer from the prep ranks.

Jared Wiley was a high school quarterback who Herman converted to tight end. After transferring to TCU and enjoying a successful two years with the Horned Frogs, the Temple product was picked in the fourth round of the 2024 draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cade Brewer was solid for parts of five seasons with the Longhorns after making the transition from high school wide receiver to college tight end.

Andrew Beck was a converted linebacker who developed into an ideal H-back at the college level, with skills that translated nicely to a career as an NFL fullback.

A junior college gem and ferocious in-line blocker turned NFL draft pick, Geoff Swaim (a seventh-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015) was unearthed by Bryan Harsin.

Devonaire Clarington was likely never making it to campus after signing as a part of Strong’s 2015 class.

Texas couldn’t hang onto future Notre Dame and NFL tight end Durham Smythe when it had the Belton product’s commitment in the 2013 cycle.

Considering those situations, along with sifting through the sea of for naught efforts to turn oversized wide receivers into the next Jermichael Finley, it can be argued that Williams is the best pure tight end prospect out of high school to suit up for the Longhorns since Blaine Irby, who appeared destined for stardom before wrecking his knee early in the 2008 season.

Regardless, after swinging and missing on multiple blue-chip, out-of-state tight ends in recent cycles, Sarkisian and Banks have landed a prospect in Williams who has the potential to be everything they’ve been looking for and appears capable of making an impact sooner rather than later.

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[RKR at DKR]

I approve

[CJ Vogel]

I love the willingness to block. That's one of those things when evaluating tight ends – do they want to block. You can teach technique, you can teach the presnap approach to blocking. But unless you absolutely want to put your head in the chest of someone with 30 pounds on you, it's a tall hill to climb at the next level to become a plus-blocker.

[TexasMDcoach]

Thanks @Jeff Howe for the historical look to give context to this comitment.

[Bunk Moreland]

What is his ceiling? Helm? Sanders? David Thomas?

[GoHorns1]

19 minutes ago, Bunk Moreland said:

What is his ceiling? Helm? Sanders? David Thomas?

David Thomas because of his blocking and pass catching ability.

[GoHorns1]

His twin brother Reid will joining Brock as a PWO safety per Inside Texas Justin Wells.

Edited 11 minutes ago by GoHorns1

[thatdude2]

The finest of burnt orange kool aid