Hook ‘em: Todd Beamer’s Malik Agbo commits to Texas Longhorns
Malik Agbo stood in front of a large crowd in the Todd Beamer High School gymnasium, flanked by family members at a table that had featured four logos: Auburn, Miami, Oklahoma and Texas.
He smiled, lifting the box that concealed a burnt orange hat.
“For the next three to four years, I will be attending the University of Texas,” he said, followed by an eruption of cheers and applause from those in attendance.
Agbo went on to sign his National Letter of Intent on opening day of the NCAA’s early football signing period, making it official: the big fella is headed to Austin.
“The family environment, what (head coach Steve Sarkisian) and (offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Kyle Flood) are building there, I believe in,” Agbo told The News Tribune. “It’s something special, for sure.”
It marked the end of a national recruitment that brought the who’s who of college football to the Federal Way school over the past few years. Agbo, a 6-foot-6, 330-pound, size 19-shoe wearing lineman, is considered a four-star prospect by 247sports.com and the No. 7 ranked player in Washington in the 2022 class. He held offers from the four previously mentioned schools, as well as Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, UW, Penn State and others.
For many of the nation’s most top recruits, the recruiting process starts out fun before eventually becoming tiresome. The constant texts, phone calls and tweets from fans are relentless, especially in today’s age of social media and constant connectivity. Still, it gave Agbo a chance to travel to different campuses, meet new people, see different cities and venues, etc.
“At the end, I think it’s kind of bittersweet,” he said. “I kind of grew tired of it and everything like that. At the same time, it’s over, done, I put the pen to paper. Let’s go. I’m officially a Longhorn.”
Todd Beamer has not had a ton of success in football over the course of Agbo’s high school career. The school’s only state tournament appearance came in 2014, when the Titans lost in the first round to Gonzaga Prep But Agbo has never been tempted or swayed to transfer to a contender.
“So many (high) schools were all over him,” Todd Beamer coach Matt Leamer told The News Tribune in August. “He could have gone anywhere. He chose to stay home and be a pillar in that community and for our kids. … He treats everybody the same. You just don’t see that from kids that are getting looked at at that level. “That’s why he’s so big for our school and our community. He tells kids, ‘You can do it here, you can get scholarships playing here.’ He’s that kid.”
Making his college commitment in front of friends and family was special, mostly because of that reason.
“I think it’s really cool, especially for the town of Federal Way,” Agbo said. “Me being from Todd Beamer, really the first Division-I athlete to go somewhere at the collegiate level this big, I think it’s pretty cool, especially for the younger guys to experience something like this and looking up to me, being a good role model.”
Now, he’ll go from playing on a football team that has seen its share of struggles to playing in front of 100,000 fans at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “Playing in front of 100,000 fans, that’s something I’ve always dreamed about doing. Making it one step closer, I love it. It’s awesome.”
SOUTH SOUND SIGNEES
Elsewhere in the South Sound, Tumwater’s star tight end duo signed their NLIs. Ryan Otton followed in his brother Cade’s footsteps and signed with UW, while Austin Terry signed with Boise State. Gig Harbor linebacker/tight end Hudson Cedarland signed with Washington State, while just down the road, Peninsula offensive lineman Hall Schmidt signed with Boise State. Emerald Ridge receiver Denzel Boston signed with UW.
A few highly-recruited South Sound players will wait to sign, possibly until February. Sumner safety Tristan Dunn, an Arizona State commit, didn’t sign on Wednesday. Puyallup lineman Dave Iuli, an Oregon commit, is also waiting, though the Ducks remain the favorite to land the four-star lineman. Lincoln tight end Chance Bogan recently decommitted from UW, then picked up a WSU offer days later. Graham-Kapowsin left tackle Vega Ioane recently decommitted from Washington as well, reopening his recruitment.
Graham-Kapowsin quarterback Joshua Wood, an Eastern Washington commit, also didn’t sign on Wednesday. He’ll have a chance to showcase his talent in a nationally-televised game against Georgia 7A state champion Collins Hill on Saturday in Las Vegas. Could a good performance bring a slew of Power-Five offers his way? We’ll find out. Three of his G-K teammates — linemen twin brothers Curtis and Hunter Hill, as well as receiver Julian Mason — all signed with Idaho State on Wednesday. Lincoln defensive lineman Tuaoa Tauiliili also signed with Idaho State.
