The Longhorns didn’t waste any time letting Durham Smythe (Belton, Texas/Belton) know how they felt about him by offering him a scholarship on Sunday. But the 6-foot-6, 230-pounder is not in a rush to make a decision.
However, he did come away thoroughly impressed with his trip down to Austin.
“Overall I was really impressed. Coming in to today academics and athletics, the combination, was going to play a big part in my decision. I knew that Texas was top of the line,” he said. “What really caught my attention, and something that I didn’t expect, was the family-like atmosphere and how close the coaches and players seem to each other. It was really comfortable. That really stood out to me.”
Smythe said he toured the campus and the facilities with former teammate and current Longhorns quarterback David Ash.
As for coaches, he spoke with Manny Diaz, his area recruiter, throughout the day. But when it came down to evaluating his position he broke off with tight ends coach Bruce Chambers and the two watched film from last season.
“He showed me a number of plays and how they used their tight ends in different ways,” Smythe said. “He showed me different things, whether it was running and blocking or shifting into a slot.”
After that, Smythe said he spent approximately 30 minutes in Mack Brown’s office where he was presented with the scholarship offer.
“It was really comfortable,” he said. “It wasn’t rushed or pressured. I spoke to him for 30 minutes. It was really comfortable. I didn’t feel nervous around him. It was nice.”
Smythe said the visit “definitely put [Texas] at the top of my list with the other schools that I am interested in.”
But he couldn’t name a favorite right now because he was still evaluating his options.
Those other schools at the top include TCU, Baylor, Stanford and Texas A&M. He had already attended a Baylor junior day on Jan. 29 and attended one at TCU on Saturday. He has trips to Texas A&M and Stanford scheduled for next week and March 2, respectively.
He said he planned on taking the latter two as of now.
“But I will have to talk with my parents about it to be 100 percent sure,” he said. “I don’t want to put too many schools on my plate and get confused in that area.”