Five-Star TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins To Commit Aug. 16: Texas or Washington

One of the top tight ends in the country, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, will be making his commitment announcement on August 16. Jenkins is ranked as the No. 1 prospect at his position by Rivals and No. 3 on Scout and has been heavily sought-after for months. 

The 5-star recruit made his intentions to commit on August 16 earlier this month and then narrowed his choices down to two schools after a visit to Austin last week. 

"It’s down to Washington and Texas and that’s who I’ll decide between," Seferian-Jenkins said. 

So where will the highly-coveted tight end bring his game to?

Check out the scouting report as well as the breakdown of the situation. And of course, we'll predict Seferian-Jenkins' choice. 

What Seferian-Jenkins Brings To The Table

Seferian-Jenkins presents a near-ideal target to throw to at 6'7" and 245 lbs. Because of his size, strength, and athleticism, he is almost always open and rarely has to beat out his defender for the ball.

His route-running is polished and he does a great job of getting off the line of scrimmage fast, generally embarrassing anyone who tries to jam him.

When he's extending his arms and using his hands to catch the ball at it's highest point, there's no way to stop him from making a play.

Seferian-Jenkins isn't perfect though; he struggles as a blocker and needs to improve a lot in this category or he'll be a liability on running-downs.

You can check out his highlights here.

What Does Washington Offer?

Washington's starting tight end situation in 2010 will come down to a battle between Kavario Middleton and Chris Izbicki, who will both be seniors in 2011. Beyond them there isn't anyone who should pose much of a threat to Seferian-Jenkins. 

He's got the talent to step on the field right from day one and it wouldn't be surprising to see him overtake both Middleton and Izbicki as a true freshman. 

Either way, the starting job is his by 2012. 

The Huskies run a pro-style offense that isn't really the most tight-end friendly, but as the team continues to add better talent there should be a fundamental shift in philosophy to make sure Seferian-Jenkins gets the ball. 

Considering the Huskies are also in the running for 5-star receiver Kasen Williams and already have a commitment from 4-star running back Brendon Bigelow, the offensive class in 2011 could be really special. 

What Does Texas Offer?

Texas will have to redesign their offense now that Colt McCoy's day's are history. Without him, the team plans to focus more on the running game to balance things out, even though they have more talent at receiver. 

For as much talent and potential as Garrett Gilbert appears to have, he isn't ready to take over the offense and run it the way McCoy did. That means the Longhorns will likely lean on their veteran running backs, at least for next season. 

It's hard to predict how that will shift as Gilbert progresses, but right now the system isn't very tight end-friendly. 

With sophomore Barrett Matthews expected to start in 2010, Seferian-Jenkins would have a fight on his hands to get on the field early. 

But as Gilbert develops his game and the offense opens up again Seferian-Jenkins is the type of talent that could thrive. 

Predicting Seferian-Jenkins Decision

Texas stuck to their guns and didn't make an offer to Seferian-Jenkins until he made his visit to Austin earlier this month. 

It was then that coach Mack Brown and his staff formally extended the 5-star tight end an offer and secured their spot in his final two. 

So what did Seferian-Jenkins think of his trip to Texas?

"The best part of the trip was spending time with my mom, Jackson Jeffcoat, Jordan Hicks, and Jordan’s mom. Jordan is from Ohio and he is in a similar situation to what I am in. The honesty of the coaching staff was another highlight," He said.

Honestly most of these decisions are easier to predict. A prospect is usually leaning one way, seems more excited about a particular school, or appears to be a better fit for here or there. 

In Seferian-Jenkins case it's close, really close. This one could go either way, but to avoid a cop-out a decision has to be made. 

He really wanted that Texas offer and talked about it more than once. Now that he has it, the thought here is the Longhorns will get the call on the 16th.