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OL Austin Uke talks contact with new staff, top five and decision timeline

Austin Uke isn't looking to decide until February.
Austin Uke isn't looking to decide until February. (Rob Graham)

Under its previous coaching staff, the Texas Longhorns attempted to make a late run at offensive lineman Austin Uke by extending an offer to the Dallas Parish Episcopal School standout in mid-December. Under new head coach Steve Sarkisian, Texas has let it be known to Uke that he’s still a priority.

The 6-4, 260-pound Uke spoke with Sarkisian over the weekend and was scheduled to speak with new Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood on Sunday evening. Uke said the initial conversation with Sarkisian went well and solidified Texas’ position as one of his favorites.

“I think Texas is still one of my top schools, especially after talking to new staff and them re-offering me,” Uke said. “There’s definitely an opportunity there.

“I talked to coach Sarkisian. It was good. He was basically just saying that Texas thinks of me highly and they’re still pursuing me as part of their 2021 class. They think I’d be a great addition to their team.

“He’s really chill. You would never know he’s a head coach of such a big program. He talks to you like a normal person. Just a really cool guy.”

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Uke had yet to connect with Kyle Flood when Orangebloods talked to him, but he was well aware of Flood’s reputation and successes at Alabama.

“I know coach Flood is a really good O-line coach. He had two O-linemen win best at their position awards. Coach Sarkisian mentioned that to me, then I went and looked it up and saw. His track record is pretty impressive.”

Uke has seen his stock take off in the past couple months and is now holding more than 20 offers. A one-time Holy Cross commitment, Oklahoma was his most recent offer with the Sooners jumping into the mix over the weekend. Uke said he’s pretty much down to five schools as he works towards a decision.

“I’m still considering some, down to five schools. I’m considering Stanford a lot, Texas, as well as Penn State. The others are Northwestern and probably OU,” Uke said.

A three-star prospect, Uke said he probably won’t decide until NSD2 on February 3 to give himself more time to sort through his options, including some possible campus visits.

“Honestly, I’m going to try to visit as many schools as I can. Then it’s going to be the relationships I’ve built with the coaches, and how they see me in the program will be big as well,” Uke said of his future decision.

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