DESOTO, Texas -- The top offensive guard at the Dallas Nike Football Training Camp at Eagle Stadium was unquestionably Texas Longhorns' commit Patrick Vahe of Euless (Texas) Trinity.
Is The Opening invitee Patrick Vahe still solid to Texas?
The athletic and mobile offensive guard spoke with SB Nation Recruiting at the Dallas NFTC.
Not only did the 6’3, 280-pounder earn offensive line MVP honors for his work on the day, he also earned a coveted invite to The Opening, the prestigious event held every summer by Nike that features 150 of the top prospects in the country.
In the one-on-one drills, Vahe was virtually unbeatable, even though he is at his best in high school when on the move.
Prior to the event, Vahe took a minute to speak with SB Nation Recruiting about his recruitment.
Vahe has been committed to Texas since July of 2013, and the new coaching staff has reserved space for the consensus four-star prospect and nation’s No. 3 offensive guard, since he fits what new offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Joe Wickline wants from his linemen.
But the decommitments of his cousins Sione and Maea Teuhema from Texas just before National Signing Day ramped up speculation about the future of Vahe, especially since he held an offer from LSU, the ultimate destination of the Teuhema brothers.
However, that trip never happened in the aftermath of the decisions by the Teuhemas and Vahe maintained at the Dallas NFTC that his commitment is “solid.”
Patrick Vahe blocking at the Dallas NFTC -- Student Sports
There’s no visit planned to LSU for the future, either. While Vahe did say that he plans on taking a trip to Notre Dame, he said it wouldn’t be a football-related trip.
“At first, yeah,” Vahe said when asked if he considered opening up his recruitment. “But after meeting with the coaching staff, I realized that Texas is where I want to be.”
The presence of Wickline helped solidify the Horns in the Trinity product’s mind.
“Coach Wickline is a cool dude,” Vahe said. “He’s just like one of us, but he’s the type of coach who can lead you in the right direction. I was very familiar with what he did at Oklahoma State, since I watched some of their games. The offensive line was amazing and I feel like he could do the same thing at UT.”
Wickline also sold Vahe on a vision of what he could become at Texas. Versatility was one thing that the new offensive coordinator liked about the commit from the previous regime, as well as his ability to re-direct without losing power.
New head coach Charlie Strong is known to be a rather serious and intense customer. The first impression of Vahe was that the former Louisville head man wasn’t someone to mess with, even for an offensive linemen who is known as being a tough customer on the football field.
“At first I was scared, but after getting to know him, I realized that he’s just there to help you out,” he said.
Overall, Vahe is a fan of the cohesion that he sees as being a calling card of the staff that Strong assembled in Austin.
“The new staff came together more quickly than the staffs at some schools do and they believe that they can do the same thing with the team -- bring them together and work together to find success.”
