How did Texas land four-star defensive lineman Justice Finkley?

On3 imageby:Jeremy Johnson09/09/21

JeremyO_Johnson

Texas crept into the recruitment of Trussville (Ala.) senior defensive lineman Justice Finkley in the late stages. It didn’t keep the 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive lineman from committing to the Longhorns over Alabama and Colorado on Thursday evening.

Despite their March 1 offer, it didn’t take Steve Sarkisian and staff long to charm the 190th ranked player in the On3 top 300 for the class of 2022.

Finkley took his official visit on June 25. That was where the tide turned in his recruitment.

“Texas kind of came a little late in the game, but they were quick to impress me, especially on the official visit,” Finkley said. “I checked out their medical facility, which is the medical school that they built about six years ago. That kind of sold me on the education piece of it.”

Finkley knows football will be there. He’s not afraid of competition. The Longhorns have two other edge players committed already in Donaldsonville (Tx.) Ascension Catholic four-star J’Mond Tapp and Texarkana (Tx.) Texas four-star Derrick Brown.

The Longhorns also have a commitment from Marlin (Tx.) four-star defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe, the 69th ranked player in the class of 2022, and Houston (Tx.) North Shore’s Kristopher Ross, the 55th ranked player in the class of 2022.

Both Tapp and Brown are top 200 players in the On3 top 300.

I know I can come there and ball out on the football field,” Finkley said. “They need defensive ends to come in…. I’m going to go there and handle business and do my thing.”

Finkley is the Longhorns’ 21st commit in the class of 2022.

SEC football ahead?

Texas’ move to the SEC was another factor that pushed the Longhorns to the forefront in the recruitment of Finkley.

The story that the Longhorns would leave the Big 12 came down in late July, months after Finkley’s official visit. That news was a bit of a push for Finkley.

“Them moving to the SEC, is a turning point for me,” Finkley said. “It’s an add on… That is just going to attract more southern recruits. It’s going to make the program even better.”

Finkley has taken a liking to first-year head coach Sarkisian’s plan for the program as well.

“The new staff at Texas, I believe in what they’re building over there,” Finkley said. “I like seeing what Sarkisian is about to do with the program.”

Academics a non-negotiable for Justice Finkley

Finkley is heading to Austin with big on-the-field goals. He has his eyes on some deeply academic feats off the field.

Finkley hopes to pursue a career as a neuroplastic surgeon. He’s in the biomedical academy at Hewitt-Trussville. He was hoping to get his EMT license before he left for college, but he won’t be able to because he’s set to enroll in college in January.

Finkley began his passion in the medical field with an eye for forensics. He watched CSI and Bones a lot as a youngster. His interest evolved to educating himself about the human brain.

When Finkley isn’t watching football film, he watched videos demonstrating brain surgeries. He’s found a way to balance his academic pursuits and athletic feats because it was the standard in his household.

“Both of my parents are educators and they both have doctorates in education, so academics is a non-negotiable in my household,” Finkley said. “I don’t have a choice but to balance it. I have to show the same passion I show in football in my academics.”