Chris Daniels to Texas: Longhorns Land 4-Star DT Prospect

Chris Daniels will hope the second time is the charm after he committed to the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday, per Jason Howell of Rivals.com.

"All I've got to say is that if you don't want to go to Texas, don't let him get on your couch," Daniels said of Texas head coach Charlie Strong, per Corbett Smith of the Dallas Morning News.

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Daniels is the No. 20 defensive tackle and No. 183 overall in the 2016 recruiting class. The Euless, Texas, native is also the 27th-best player in his state.

Daniels originally committed to Oklahoma but had a change of heart on Jan. 20:

The Longhorns quickly emerged as the favorites to land Daniels once he opened up his recruitment again. Strong wasted little time visiting the 4-star recruit, per Twitter user SuperK_TFB:

Prior to Daniels' commitment, Gerald Wilbon was the best defensive tackle in Texas' incoming 2016 class. A 3-star recruit, he sits 47th among fellow defensive tackles in 247Sports' composite rankings. Adding Daniels undoubtedly strengthens the interior of the Longhorns defensive line for the next few years.

While Daniels is unlikely to play a starring role in his freshman season, his arrival will help address one of the team's biggest issues in 2015. Texas ranked 111th in rushing defense, allowing an average of 219.2 yards a game on the ground. Football Outsiders also placed the Longhorns 116th in stuff rate, which measures a percentage of carries that end at or before the line of scrimmage.

Bleacher Report's Zach Shelton explained how the defensive tackle position has been a problem spot for Texas going back a few years:

"

We're cheating here, but Texas isn't about to get picky about which of its six remaining defensive tackle targets decide to join the program. The way the depth chart looks, the Longhorns will take as many as they can get.

Over the last three recruiting cycles, Poona Ford, Chris Nelson and Jake McMillon, all from the 2014 class, are the only tackles the Horns have been able to add to the roster. Even with Paul Boyette and Alex Norman holding over from 2012, that's created a major depth problem now that Hassan Ridgeway has declared for the draft.

"

Over the last two years, Daniels has recorded 106 tackles, nine tackles for loss and seven sacks, per 247Sports.

The beauty of Daniels is he could fill a variety of needs on the line for Texas. He's listed at 6'3 ½" and 299 pounds, which allows him some wiggle room whether he lines up on the outside or the inside. Once the coaching staff identifies his position, he'll be able to start tailoring his conditioning in order to best fit his role in the defense.

Last October, Daniels told Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles he's more than happy to play wherever his coaches tell him.

"I feel like I can play any position on the line," Daniels said. "I'm trying to get a little more leaned out just so I can get some more of that speed back. If I can go 100 miles an hour, I'm good."

Given both his frame and his position specialty, Daniels will provide more value immediately as a defensive tackle. He's extremely strong, and he can use that along with his quickness off the snap to gain the upper hand on his blocker.

Over time, though, he could undoubtedly become a productive defensive end. That same quickness off the snap can get him around the edge on offensive tackles. Technique will be an immediate issue—one only helped by getting steady repetitions in practice.

In terms of potential, Daniels' ceiling doesn't look to be as high as that of Rashan Gary or Dexter Lawrence, two of the best defensive tackles in the country.

As long as he puts in the time on the practice field, he should become one of the more consistent defensive linemen from this year's recruiting class.