Tausili Akana Makes Surprise Commitment to Texas
Texas continued to land some surprise players on Wednesday as they added a commitment from four-star pass rusher Tausili Akana to its Class of 2023.
His announcement comes the same day that Texas signed the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, quarterback Arch Manning, and hauled in what is expected to be no less than a Top 10 prep class for 2023.
Akana made the announcement live on 247Sports.com.
This wrapped up a hectic recruiting stretch for the 6-foot-3, 210-pound edge rusher from Kahuku, Hawaii. Many expected him to commit to Oklahoma. LSU, Texas A&M, Utah, and Colorado were also among the Power 5 schools trying to lure him to their campus.
He is from Hawaii, but he played his high school football at Sky Ridge in Lehi, Utah. As a senior he had 63 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 12 1/2 sacks, and 19 quarterback hurries.
Akana made four visits in September and October, starting with a visit to Texas on Sept. 10. He also visited LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.
According to 247Sports.com, Akana is the No. 34 prospect in the country and the No. 1 prospect in the state of Hawaii. He’s listed as a linebacker, but he projects as an edge rusher.
Texas is coming off an 8-4 season in 2022, one in which it nearly beat Alabama at home and was in the race to reach the Big 12 Championship Game until the final week of the regular season. Texas is now preparing for the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 against Washington and is doing so without two of its biggest stars — running back Bijan Robinson and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, both of whom have opted out and will head to the NFL Draft in 2023.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
