Devonaire Clarington to Texas: Longhorns Land 4-Star TE Prospect

After years of terrorizing defenders at the high school level, 4-star tight end prospect Devonaire Clarington has announced his commitment to the Texas Longhorns.

Barrett Sallee of Bleacher Report noted the announcement, which was made on Saturday at the Army All-American game:

Clarington is the No. 4 tight end in the 2015 class, the No. 22 overall prospect out of Florida and the No. 126 overall prospect in the nation, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He weighs in at 6'5.5", 222 pounds, and will very much be a versatile chess piece for his new coaching staff to utilize on every down.

A recent transfer to perennial powerhouse Booker T. Washington, per Ryan Bartow of 247Sports (who notes that Clarington will also spend time at defensive end), Clarington caught 46 passes for 890 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior (subscription required).

Charlie Strong gets a huge lift as he looks to redefine a Texas program that has been uncharacteristically absent from college football relevancy. 

Clarington fits the ever-changing mold of the position quite well, as he lines up at wide receiver on a regular basis and uses quality speed and great length to take advantage of smaller defenders on what have mostly been deep passes to this point in his career.

With scholarship offers from schools such as Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee, the recruiting trail for Clarington was intriguing to say the least. While many figured he would stay local and sign with the Miami Hurricanes, the developing tight end took to Twitter to list his final seven, and it came with a few surprises:

One school he was quick to isolate that caught the attention of the nation? Tennessee:

In his new home, the earliest fans may see Clarington is in red-zone packages thanks to his great length and ability to go up and get the ball at its highest point. Until he can add significant bulk and prove to be an effective blocker, though, he will be relegated to certain packages.

As far as other areas of improvement go, he has work to do as a route-runner and when it comes to diagnosing whether the defense is in a zone or man-to-man approach. This will in turn better allow him to pick and choose spots to sit down and haul in passes while his frame boxes out smaller defenders.

The positives certainly outweigh the negatives, though. ESPN (subscription required) puts this best in its summary of his career trajectory:

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Clarington is very athletic for his height. Will most likely be an in-line tight end with the ability to flex out and create mismatches in the red zone on linebackers and safeties at the next level. A potentially high level power conference prospect that will need to continue to refine his technique and route running ability.

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Any true debate about Clarington's future position is null and void as long as he continues to add plenty of bulk to a frame that seems very functional. .

At this point in his career, the hints of an elite-level tight end in a major conference are certainly present. Clarington is a natural in every sense of the word, and as long as the physical and mental aspects of the game continue to come to him at a steady pace, he will leave a major mark on the program sooner rather later.

Note: All recruiting info courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings unless otherwise stated.