Five-star OT Kelvin Banks commits to Oregon over Texas, Texas A&M

Quite a few prospects have been labeled as “must get” for Texas throughout the 2022 recruiting class. Kelvin Banks was one of them. The five-star offensive tackle is a surefire left tackle and every program in the country was after him.

Cancel the fireworks show because Banks announced his commitment to Oregon on Sunday. LSU, Texas, and Texas A&M were the other three finalists.

After a recruitment that seemed to be an in-state battle between Texas and Texas A&M, Oregon once again swooped in to secure an important commitment. Mario Cristobal is proving himself to be one of the best recruiters in the country.

Banks now joins the class as the Ducks’ highest-rated player. He is the No. 14 prospect on the 247Sports composite and the No. 1 offensive tackle.

Texas is now back to the drawing board, especially at the offensive tackle position.

After missing out on three-star offensive tackle Cameron Williams to Oregon as well, there seemed to be a small meltdown within the fan base. With how important offensive line recruiting is during the 2022 cycle, losing an in-state tackle to a school in the pacific northwest was not ideal.

The Ducks grabbing Banks makes matters worse.

Cole Hutson and Connor Robertson stopped the bleeding in a big way with simultaneous commitments Friday night. The two interior offensive linemen will slot into the center and right guard positions.

With Banks, Oregon now has their left tackle of the future. Maybe even the present. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound five-star would have significantly changed the trajectory of a Texas offensive line that has struggled for over a decade.