Following official visits and the rapidly coming 2024 season, the Texas Longhorns’ evaluations resulted in two additional defensive tackle offers on Wednesday: to Caleb Bell of Alpharetta, Georgia, and to Joseph Mbatchou of Loganville, Georgia.
Both talents have already committed to another school because the current cycle is so far along. Bell signed to the Arkansas Razorbacks in June, and Mbatchou joined the Florida Gators class at the end of July.
What else about both recruits is noteworthy? Kenny Baker, the defensive line coach for Texas, has strong ties to Georgia. He was born and raised there, attended Gardner-Webb, coached at his alma mater, Mercer, and had regional positions at UT-Chattanooga, Western Kentucky, and the Miami Dolphins. Baker also served as an assistant defensive line coach for one season.
Those connections were a significant component of Baker’s CV because the Longhorns are joining the SEC this season, and this might expand the conference’s recruiting pool for defensive tackles. Regarding Baker’s stint on the Forty Acres, a critical and unresolved question is when or if his Georgia ties begin to pay off for Texas.
Since Florida head coach Billy Napier and Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman both enter this season on the hot seat, Baker may try to push for overall staff stability with Bell and Mbatchou. This leaves open the possibility of flipping one or both later in the cycle if things go badly on the field for either or both programs.
Both Bell and Mbatchou, who are regarded as three-star prospects by most, are not elite players; according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Mbatchou is not among the top 1,200 prospects or the top 130 defensive linemen. However, at least the 6’3, 270-pound Bell and the 6’4.5, 275-pound Mbatchou have good size for their positions and are clearly committed to Power Four programs.
Thus, while Baker’s primary objective is still to trade for better-ranked prospects, like he did when Sharma switched his commitment from Oregon to Texas, the Longhorns desperately need players to fill the position.
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