Texas, Texas A&M 'in the best position' to land 5-star DL Dominick McKinley

Lafayette (La.) Acadiana defensive lineman Dominick McKinley is expected to be the next five-star prospect to come off the board when he announces his commitment on Sept. 1. Multiple high-end programs continue to make the push to try and land the 6-foot-5, 280-pounder.

McKinley is the No. 22 overall prospect and No. 5 defensive lineman in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the top-ranked player in Louisiana.

Ohio State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas all received official visits in June. LSU welcomed him to Baton Rouge at the end of July. All five schools have been mentioned as potential destinations at some point throughout his recruitment.

On the latest edition of The Inside Scoop, On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman broke down the latest on McKinley and who’s running at the top of the pack with his announcement just a few days away. The lineman has already made up his mind, according to Spiegelman.

“Dominick McKinley told me that he made this decision about a month-plus ago and that going into Sept. 1 he feels even more confident in his decision. Reading the writing on the wall, you’ve heard about two or three or maybe even four teams thrown around,” Spiegelman said.

Longhorns and Aggies are “at the front”

Texas managed to pluck the top-ranked prospect from The Boot last cycle, when No. 1 overall prospect and New Orleans Isidore Newman Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Arch Manning pledged to the Longhorns. Now, Steve Sarkisian and his staff appear to be in good position to add McKinley.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), Texas has a 59.5% chance to land the elite prospect, while LSU and A&M are behind at 17% and 12.6%, respectively. Spiegelman logged a pick in favor of Texas on Aug. 23 with a 65% confidence level, though he still sees the Aggies as close competition.

“At the front, you’ve got Texas and Texas A&M, i’ve updated my RPM and I believe the Longhorns and Aggies are in the best position heading into Friday,” he said.

Texas A&M entered McKinley’s recruitment and has positioned itself well down the stretch. Assistant head coach Elijah Robinson is leading the charge for the Aggies, who are trying to add onto their class, which ranks No. 7 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking.

LSU, Ohio State still creating buzz

The Tigers have the benefit of being the powerhouse in-state program, which appears to be on the rise under Brian Kelly. An out-of-state venture seems more likely for McKinley, but associate head coach Frank Wilson is doing what he can to make things interesting on the Bayou.

“You hear a little bit of buzz about LSU, which has kind of closed the gap with those Texas-based teams over the summer. Of course they had a defensive line coaching change and Frank Wilson has gotten more involved with the home-state Tigers,” Spiegelman said.

Ohio State appears to be the outlier, but like Wilson for LSU, defensive line coach Larry Johnson is keeping the Buckeyes in the high-profile recruitment. OSU already has five five-star commits, including the recent addition of Buford (Ga.) DL Eddrick Houston.

The Buckeyes had the first OV in June. Spiegelman isn’t putting Ryan Day and Co. at the top of the list, but there will be no underestimating Ohio State.

“Then you hear a lot of buzz about Ohio State. His best relationship might be with D-line coach Larry Johnson — who’s got a couple of five-stars already committed in the Buckeyes’ class. If there is a darkhorse in this race, it might be Ohio State, if he is to go out-of-state as we expect.”