Longhorns flip huge Minnesota TE commit

Texas football pulled off a “flip season” win on the college football recruiting trail. Right before the huge showdown with Georgia too in landing this ex-Minnesota tight end commit.

Charlie Jilek pivoted from the Golden Gophers to the Longhorns, with Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals revealing his new commitment graphic Thursday. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder even shared “Hook ‘Em” to Fawcett in announcing his decision.

Jilek becomes a significant late recruiting win for Steve Sarkisian and his coaching staff. Although one other power conference school was in hot pursuit.

The Portage Central High standout had UCF attempting to keep him. But also dipped out of the Orlando school.

Why Texas won over former Minnesota TE commit

So what elements persuaded Jilek that Austin and the ‘Horns were more for him? He dove into why with Allen Trieu of 247Sports.

“Texas is the right for me,” Jilek began. “They want me as an all down tight end in a pro offense. It’s a tremendous opportunity to be developed and coached by the most talented coaches in the country. The SEC is the highest level of football and a dream come true.”

He’ll have to make a big offensive adjustment once he touches down in the state capitol of the Lonestar State. His high school operates through a Wing-T offense, known more for running the ball. However, Portage Central does flex him out in the slot and as an outside wide receiver when it needs to throw.

Jilek makes up for one notable loss on the trail too. Four-star defender and 2027 talent Taven Epps decommitted back on Sunday. Texas sits at No. 9 overall among 2026 recruiting classes.