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Texas picks up second 2018 OL commitment from Rafiti Ghirmai

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For a couple of months this past spring, Rafiti Ghirmai was one of the most frequently talked about recruits in Texas, as he collected numerous offers from programs around the country.

On Monday, he ensured that his name would continue to be a familiar one to his home state, as he announced his commitment to the Longhorns in a video reveal posted to Twitter. He chose Texas in a close decision that also included Michigan and UCLA.

“Honestly, I love the environment down there,” he said. “It’s like family – everyone knows who I am when I go down there. Coach (Derrick) Warehime is a great coach; he talks to me every day to see how I’m doing, so he really cares about me and my family.

“Coach (Tom) Herman, he did some great things when he was at Houston last year. He beat Oklahoma and that was something that stuck with me – plus the recruiting class is really strong this year.”

Offensive tackle

3 STARS

Texas
Frisco

RR: 5.7

Ht: 6'5.0"

Wt: 285.0

Class: 2018

POSITION

-

NATIONAL

STATE

Commitment status:

verbal

Texas

Really strong indeed. Ghirmai’s commitment made him the eighteenth in Texas’ 2018 class, but only the second offensive lineman along with Seminole, Texas, three-star tackle Reese Moore. Ghirmai said that he’s not quite sure how long it will take him to get on the field or in what capacity, but he’s optimistic he has the chance to get involved early on.

“They haven’t told me that ‘yeah, you’re going to start’ or anything like that,” he said. “They have just been telling me that I am going to have the opportunity to make an impact when I get there. My goal is to start, but I just want to get some playing time.”

Ghirmai said that he’s visited the 40 Acres four times during his recruitment by Texas, and the hospitality that the staff showed him also played a major role in his decision.

“Texas would ask me before my visits what I wanted to see from a school and when I went, they would show me exactly what I was looking for,” he said. “When I went down there, we got to sit down with their academic advisors, and the daily plan for their athletes to achieve what they want was impressive.

“Plus, Texas has a really good alumni program. I think I could see myself staying in Texas if I don’t make it to the NFL after college – or even if I do – I could see myself coming back, because knowing you have a degree from Texas means a lot.”

While his commitment is a welcome addition to what Texas has already been able to build this offseason, it seems as though Ghirmai might be inclined to at least keep a line open with UCLA. He has family in the Los Angeles area, including a cousin that he said he was particularly close to that moved there from Dallas recently.

Even though he commented that the Bruins known more for the success of its basketball program than football, but considering how close the decision came between UCLA and Texas, he expects to take an official visit to each.

“I’m still going to go on my UCLA official visit, regardless,” he said. “They were 50-50 for a long time, but I just made my pick. Wherever I went between those two, I was going to have family close by. By the end, it was probably like 59-percent Texas, 41-percent UCLA, that’s how close it was.”

Meanwhile, Ghirmai is focused on sharpening up his skills this season. With his commitment figured out, he said that he wants to help his Frisco-Wakeland team push further than it did last season, when it advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.

All the while, he’ll still have his sights set on lining up with the Longhorns next year. He said that that the feeling of community around the program already has him anticipating a bright future with one of the most closely-watched teams in college football.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “I love the fan base – I remember at the spring game, it looked like more than three-quarters of the stadium was full just for that game. I always see people hitting me up on Twitter from Longhorn Nation – anytime I post something on there I am hearing from a Texas fan saying Hook 'Em or something.

“Honestly, I can’t wait. I know with the Longhorns is a great place to be, especially with all the new locker rooms and stuff. I just can’t wait to get into Austin.”

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