Texas defensive tackle switches commitment from SMU to TU
BY BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
After having been committed to SMU since June, defensive tackle prospect Jesse Brubaker on Tuesday confirmed his switch to the University of Tulsa football program.
SMU hosts TU on Saturday.
“It’s pretty interesting timing, but it didn’t have anything to do with my (decision),” said Brubaker, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior at Wylie (Texas) East High School.
During his official visit to the TU campus last week, he attended the Golden Hurricane’s 23-21, Conference USA West Division title-clinching victory over the University of Central Florida. He says he was recruited primarily by Hurricane safeties coach Jess Loepp.
“This has been on my mind for a long time, actually,” Brubaker said. “It wasn’t just the excitement of the weekend that made me switch. I was at Tulsa during the summer and I really liked it then. I was kind of pressured into committing to SMU early.”
Brubaker, who says a greater commitment to strength training resulted in a 30-pound weight gain since the spring, and his Wylie East team face Whitehouse in a Class 4A Division II playoff game on Friday in Garland. Wylie is located in the northeast corner of the Dallas metropolitan area.
Verbal commitments are not binding. Recruits may sign national letters of intent in February. Brubaker is the 14th player on TU's 2013 commitment list.
Additional out-of-state athletes committed to TU are Donnie White, a defensive end from De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis; Ryan Rubley, a quarterback from Mountain Vista (Colo.) High School and the son of former Tulsa quarterback T.J. Rubley; Jonathan Parker, a running back from Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis; Isaiah Brown, a defensive back from Katy, Texas; Keevan Evans, a wide receiver from Abilene (Texas) High School; and C.J. Gooden, a linebacker from Ashdown, Ark.
Oklahoma recruits on the Hurricane commitment list are Union wide receiver Khalid Kornegay, Union fullback-receiver Chris Hall, Vian offensive lineman Rob Boyd, Norman offensive lineman Zac Uhles, McAlester linebacker Devin Rolan, Sallisaw athlete Ben Oberste and Hooker safety Joe Bean.
