5-Star OT Kelvin Banks Jr. Commits to Texas After Decommitting from Oregon

Kelvin Banks Jr. is going to play offensive tackle at Texas, he announced Saturday. 

“I felt like there was no place better to be, it’s my dream school, and the place itself is beautiful,” Banks told On3Sports' Hayes Fawcett. “Also, the people and the coaching staff.”

Banks originally committed to Oregon in July, but he opened his recruiting back up after Mario Cristobal left the program to take the head coaching job at the University of Miami. 

That decision was welcome news for several programs hoping to land the Summer Creek High School standout, who is a 5-star prospect, the No. 2 OT and 15th-best player overall in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

The 6'5", 300-pound Banks' player comparison from 247Sports' Gabe Brooks is Austin Jackson of the Miami Dolphins:

"Big-bodied, big-framed lineman with potential for position versatility at tackle or guard. Good height and length and wears mass fairly well. Owns a wingspan in the 6-10 range. Shows enough functional athleticism to pull across the formation and lead the way to the perimeter. Flashes some punch when arriving at the second level. Size and strength manifest in drive-blocking ability."

The foundation of a good offense starts in the trenches. Banks has the type of size and athleticism to be an impact player as soon as he steps on campus. His ability to play either tackle or guard will give his new team an option to best maximize his skill set in 2022. 

The Longhorns have been lurking as a landing spot for Banks even before he announced he was decommitting from Oregon. 

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports wrote in October that Texas was a team to watch if he decided to flip his commitment: 

"While Banks hasn’t done anything to suggest that he’s wavering on his commitment to the Ducks, the Longhorns are gunning for a flip and there’s some smoke out there that Banks hasn’t completely shut the door on the folks in Austin."

There turned out to be fire to that smoke, as head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff picked up a huge win for their 2022 class. 

Sarkisian is still trying to build the roster in his image heading into his second season as Longhorns head coach. Landing a blue-chip recruit like Banks is a huge step forward for a program that wants to improve on a disappointing 5-7 record.