Yet another massive piece is off the board in Texas' stacked 2021 class.

Four-star New Caney (Texas) outside linebacker Derrick Harris committed to Texas over in-state rival Texas A&M on Saturday, becoming the latest highly touted rising junior to commit to the Longhorns in what has turned out to be a stellar summer.

Harris is the seventh addition to Texas' 2021 class, which entirely dominated by in-state talent. He's the fifth prospect ranked as a four-star or better and the sixth player to commit since July. The first member of the class made his decision in June.

Harris saw his recruitment take off during spring football as coaches across the country flocked to the Houston area to see the talented up-and-coming outside linebacker.

After a breakout sophomore campaign in which he accrued 83 tackles, including 21.5 for loss, to go along with 4.5 sacks, six pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble, the offers began to roll in. SMU, Tulsa and Miami made their moves during the Spring Evaluation Period. Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando was a regular visitor at New Caney throughout the spring, keeping a close eye on the 2021 outside linebacker.

Harris camped at Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas in June and each of the in-state schools offered. First was Baylor, then Texas A&M and on June 15, the Longhorns followed suit. After a month of weighing the offers from the Longhorns and Aggies, Harris admitted that he preferred to play in Texas and had already narrowed it list of top schools down to Texas and Texas A&M.

After the Dead Period came to a close last month, Harris wasted zero time getting back up to Austin. This time, he brought both of his parents along for the ride. Harris sat down with Coach Tom Herman and Orlando to ask questions and confirm his role in the defense down the line, leading to his decision this weekend.

"I always wanted to go to Texas ever since 2006 when they won the national championship. Just seeing what Coach (Tom) Herman and Coach (Todd) Orlando are doing with the program just gave me extra reason to want to go there. The biggest reason why I wanted to commit was because I wanted to get my recruitment and over with before my season started."

"The decision wasn't tough because in the back of my head, I knew I was going to go to Texas, but I wanted to give every school a chance to wow me. Texas separated themselves just because of the education and the opportunities that they have there."

"Coach Orlando did the best job recruiting me and what stood out the most for me was how he wanted to use me in the defense. I was happy because it felt like home for me and I really felt like I was wanted there."

"The last visit I had to Texas really helped me to seal the deal because in talking to Coach Orlando and Coach (Corby) Meekins helped me realize that Texas was the best fit for me."

"The selling point was just how happy my parents were with the school and how they knew that Texas was big for me and for them seeing how great a school it was."

Going into his junior season at New Caney High School, Harris is a high-upside outside linebacker that can be a major asset for Texas' ability to generate a pass rush. Harris is long (6-foot-2, 214 pounds) with a 77-inch wingspan and 32.2-inch arms. That length is critical in getting to opposing quarterbacks, but also disrupting passing lanes out in coverage.

Harris is an explosive edge-rusher that thrives out of a two-point stance. He bends extremely well and uses his long reach to close at the point of attack. Used on a ton of designed blitzes to slow down quarterbacks and the running game, Harris routinely penetrates the backfield with ease and takes good angles to the ball. In pursuit, he often extends his arms to cloud passers' judgment effectively.

Harris is a solid run defender that can make a ton of plays behind the line of scrimmage with his long reach. One area he could shore up is his ability to break down and tackle ball-carriers. He has a tendency to deliver big-time pop if he anticipates a play in his direction.

Harris is also an asset in pass coverage. He uses his arms to break up pass attempts to the middle of the field against bigger pass-catchers like tight ends and is agile enough to cover in the flats and the red-zone.