Photo courtesy Nick Stroh
Wakeland High School offensive lineman Connor Stroh committed to Texas on Sunday, choosing the Longhorns over the Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks. Stroh, a 3-star prospect via the 247 Sports Composite Rankings, stands 6’7″ and weighs 345 lbs. He’s precisely the type of prospect that Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach Kyle Flood wants – big, strong and a player with a high ceiling. And he’s exactly the type of human being Head Coach Steve Sarkisian wants on his team.
The Texas pick by Stroh may come as a surprise to many, as his immediate family is comprised of a multitude of Texas A&M graduates. Stroh knew the Longhorns were going to be tough to beat in his recruitment, as he whittled down his final list of schools and scheduled his official visits to those programs. He took his visits, the last of which was Texas this weekend, and the visit reaffirmed his feeling that Steve Sarkisian, Kyle Flood and staff were who he wanted to play football for on Saturdays.
Before he made his commitment public he called all of the programs that were finalists for his services and gave them the news personally. Again, not something a lot of recruits would take the time to do, but that is one indication of the kind of person Stroh is outside of football. His dad Nick said he and his wife let Connor handle the process and decision himself, and did not want to interfere or bias Connor in any manner. Stroh grew up watching Texas A&M play and that would have been the easy pick, but he ultimately liked the energy the coaching staff brings and the feeling of the upward trajectory of the program on the 40 Acres.
Stroh becomes the first offensive line commit in Texas’ 2023 recruiting class and the 10th overall. He follows a strong recruiting week for the Longhorns who received commitments from tight end Will Randle (Isidore Newman – New Orleans, LA), quarterback Arch Manning (Isidore Newman – New Orleans, LA), and linebacker Liona Lefau (Kahuku, HI).