Texas TE Landen King commits to Auburn

Within a month of pressing reset on his recruitment, Landen King has found a new home.

The highly sought-after three-star tight end from Humble (Texas) Atascocita committed to Auburn on Monday, edging out a big push from both Texas A&M and Georgia for the nation's No. 19-ranked tight end.

King, who committed to Texas in April, backed off that verbal pledge about a month later. Throughout his recruitment, King had his eyes on a slew of SEC teams, including Auburn and first-year offensive coordinator Chad Morris, who recruits the Lone Star State for the Tigers.

King becomes the third Texan to commit to Auburn in recent weeks. The trend began with Rivals250 dual-threat Dematrius Davis Jr. flipping his commitment from Virginia Tech to the Tigers. His Galena Park (Texas) North Shore teammate and four-star guard Jaeden Roberts followed suit. King is the third Houston-area prospect that's now heading to The Plains in this 2021 haul.

King vaults the Tigers' 2021 recruiting class to up to 10 total commitments and three from the Lone Star State. Entering the day, Gus Malzahn's team was sitting 25th nationally in the Rivals team rankings but is sure to ascend with the addition of this pass-catching tight end.

"I believe it was about two weeks ago (when he realized it was Auburn). Ever since I decommitted (from Texas), I was doing nonstop research on the schools I was looking at, and with everything in play and the opportunity at hand, Auburn was the choice."

"It was a pretty tough one (decision), but one of the main reasons is that Coach Morris' offense uses the tight end a lot more than Texas. They already had a plan set out for me as if I was already committed."

"Coach (Gus) Malzahn, Coach Morris, and Coach (Larry) Porter. They all were straightforward and down to Earth. But me and Coach Porter created a special relationship."

"It's about the opportunity. The opportunity of getting my feet wet as a freshman and being developed in the places where I need help at."

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound King is largely a pass-catching tight end prospect that could be used either inside the slot, outside as a traditional wide receiver and is capable of also seeing action as a traditional in-line tight end. However, his pass-catching skills are the strongest aspect of King's game and his ability to block adds another layer to his game when setting the edge or assisting in the running game.

As a junior in 2019, King accounted for 53 receptions for 815 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 15.4 yards per catch. After losing weapons in the Humble (Texas) Atascocita receiving corps, King seems primed for an even more productive senior campaign for the Houston-area high school powerhouse.

King thrives at winning in contested-catch situations. He is a strong route runner that can run up and down the seams, stretch the field vertically and win 1-on-1 battles outside the numbers and downfield. He's a major asset in a vertical passing game and will also but will give the Auburn offense a major asset in the red-zone and in short-yardage and jump-ball scenarios. King is also a tough runner after the catch, which will give Chad Morris added motivation to get him the ball in space and allow him to find a way into the end zone.

Furthermore, King possesses the ability to eat up yardage in space and has immense skills with the ball in his hands. He attacks the seams thanks to his speed, which also allows him to separate in the slot and outside the numbers, but also eat up yardage after the catch. King has great ball skills, the ability to catch balls away from his body with a strong catch radius. He also has reliable hands and the ability to hold onto the football and absorb big hits and hold onto the football. He's a true vertical playmaker.

King is a capable blocker and fully willing to contribute as an in-line blocker or stalk block in the run game. He is a plus-blocker and it shows on tape with clutch blocks downfield. King will continue.to grow in that area as he gets established in a college weight program.