Naashon Hughes Really Wants To Be A Texas Longhorn

Naashon Hughes doesn't have an offer from Texas. But that didn't stop him from committing to the Longhorns Tuesday morning and spurning the likes of LSU, South Carolina and potentially Oklahoma. Sort of.

Hughes wants to be a Texas Longhorn. He has a brother on the team and loves the school.

But Texas has other linebacker recruits higher on its board, doesn't have a lot of room in this class, and isn't entirely convinced that Hughes will play linebacker (he could play safety or defensive end). So the Longhorns didn't offer Hughes, but did take a commitment from Deoundrei Davis, the top linebacker in the state.

After attending junior day over the weekend and not coming away with an offer, Hughes made it known via his twitter account that he was unhappy. The solution?

A grayshirt:

Despite no official offer yet, Harker Heights OLB/S Naashon Hughes (@NaaNaaB_D1) committed to Texas HC Mack Brown this morning as an ATH.
— KDH Pressbox (@KDHsports) February 28, 2012

The grayshirt guarantees Hughes that he will be able to play at Texas -- just not in 2013. It allows the staff to continue evaluating Hughes as he develops, and if he develops a lot as a senior, there is even the chance the grayshirt becomes a full offer. That Hughes is willing to shut down his recruiting and spurn other major programs for the chance to enroll at Texas in January of 2014 says a lot about his desire to be a Longhorn. It's a win-win.

What is Texas getting in this Harker Heights (Tx.) High School star? An athlete comfortable playing in space. Texas is the land of the spread, and Hughes' team often asks him to split the difference between the end man on the line of scrimmage and the slot receiver, as you can see here: