Make no mistake, five-star Ismael Camara would be the rug that ties the whole (class) room together. He’s perhaps the most important recruit in the class, save maybe wide receiver Easton Royal. Call them co-equals. Camara takes primacy for the staff, and as such, you should like Texas’ chances to finish the job.
One aspect Camara likes about Texas, among several, is Kyle Flood’s track record for developing offensive line talent. This isn’t really about Camara. We’ve written tomes on him—but Camara signing off on Flood is an important box to check.
It was important with Lucas Rhoa as well. The SoCal native committed to Texas moments ago. I put in an RPM for him late last night after discussing his recruitment with a source out west. When I asked what put Texas over the top, the source texted back: “Kyle Flood.” As the text bubbles percolated, indicating he was going to expand his thoughts, I wondered, was it Flood’s personality? Witty humor? Perhaps a shared hobby? “Proven track record of development.” Ah.
It’s only fair to Flood to compartmentalize your angst toward him. He didn’t cover himself in glory last season, whether it was his reluctance to use the portal or the amount of time it took for him to find his best five, but he’s putting together a very strong 2027 recruiting class. Throw out the rankings—they don’t matter as much. You are not going to stockpile a line of five-stars unless you’re willing to sacrifice elsewhere. What you should do is watch the tape and understand how the whole class fits together, but from a fit and economic standpoint. Do that and you’ll have a great appreciation for Jackson Cook and Keyon Hemphill-Woods.
As has been belabored, “cheap” players paradoxically have more value because they allow latitude to chase elite talent—guys like Camara. Another reason to throw out the rankings: Brian Swanson was treated more like an OT1 than an OT2. Schools, namely SMU, were treating him more like a Top-50 wide receiver than a very good-but-not-highly rated offensive line prospect. Scarcity is real and must be accounted for. The staff understands this and builds its approach around it.
Given those realities, it does make sense, on paper, to cut corners on interior O-line spending. Look at the NFL—tackles are way more expensive. One way to cheat the talent gap between elite OTs and financially prudent iOLs is to find tackles who profile as elite guards if they plateau as average tackles. They’re already pretty expensive, you’re already paying them, so don’t hesitate to move them. In the process, you’ll fix guard and can portal in a right tackle.
This fits the Flood mold well because he selects for pass protection first. That explains the amount of games Hayden Conner started, and it also explains the move of Brandon Baker from right tackle to right guard. These types are not likely to blow defenders off the ball, but they’re going to be athletic in pass pro while possessing tackle length.
Brian Swanson fits here, and so too does Lucas Rhoa. Try them at tackle first and if that doesn’t work, the move is obvious and beneficial to all parties involved.
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