Texas trending for 4-star EDGE Zina Umeozulu ahead of commitment

With his older brother, Neto Umeozulu, currently on the Longhorns’ roster, some have considered it a foregone conclusion that Zina Umeozulu will play his college football at Texas.

The world won’t have to wait much longer, as the four-star defensive lineman out of Allen (Texas) is set to announce his commitment on Sept. 6. While he hasn’t named a true list of finalists, Umeozulu took official visits to both Texas and Oklahoma in June. And while the Sooners are putting up a good fight, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) points heavily in Texas’ direction.

The Longhorns currently have an 94.5 percent chance of landing his commitment, with On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman and SoonerScoop.com’s Josh McCuistion both logging picks in the Longhorns favor over the weekend.

The 6-foot-4, 221-pounder is the No. 249 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 15 EDGE and the No. 44 recruit in the Lone Star State.

As a sophomore, he was named the Texas District 5-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year at powerhouse program Allen High School. Umeozulu had 46 tackles, four tackles for a loss, six sacks and eight hurries that season. 

As a junior, he recorded 43 tackles, 11 hurries, three fumble recoveries and three sacks in 2022 while consistently drawing double-teams from opposing offensive lines.

Longhorns looking to add another key defensive piece

Following somewhat of a slow start on the recruiting trail this spring, Texas has been on a roll since June 1. Over the past three months, the Longhorns have added a total of 14 commitments. Among them are Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons, the nation’s No. 1 player at his position, as well as top-five running back Jerrick Gibson.

Most of Texas’ recruiting damage has been on the offensive side of the ball, with nine of their 16 current commits slated to play there at the next level. Umeozulu and four-star EDGE Danny Okoye are among Texas’ biggest remaining targets on the defensive side after losing out on five-star DL Dominick McKinley earlier this month.

The ‘Horns will have a tough battle on their hands for the Okoye, one of the nation’s most-wanted pass-rushers.

“Texas continues its pursuit of On3 Industry Ranking 4-star EDGE Danny Okoye,” InsideTexas.com senior recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton wrote earlier this week. “The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder is scheduled to officially visit Oklahoma this weekend. He will follow up with an unofficial visit to Texas September 16 and Tennessee September 30. A return trip to LSU isn’t out of the question. Tennessee felt very confident at the end of June in the race for the No. 159 ranked prospect in the country.”