On Wednesday morning, Colton Vasek found himself seated between an Aggie and a Jayhawk.

Westlake High School football recruits soon to be rivals

After celebrating his signing with the University of Texas, Vasek posed alongside four of his Westlake High teammates for a group photo. Seated to his left was Keaton Kubecka, a Kansas-bound receiver. Seated to Vasek's right was TJ Shanahan, an offensive lineman who is heading to Texas A&M.

Shanahan moved to Texas a few years ago, so perhaps he doesn't know yet about UT's rivalry with seemingly everyone. After the ceremony, he gifted Vasek with a candy lei necklace. Kubecka, however, got the drill. He jokingly made the "Horns Down" signal a time or two.

This signing ceremony, though, was about more than jokes and sweets between future rivals. For Vasek, signing with Texas was the realization of a dream and the continuation of a family legacy for the 6-foot-5, 225-pound edge rusher.

"I've dreamed about this ever since I was a little kid," Vasek said. "Finally it being able to happen, it means everything."

Vasek said he grew up as a Texas fan. Yet in August, he chose Oklahoma as the school he wanted to attend. He flipped that pledge in November.

Now, it isn't uncommon for Oklahoma recruits to become UT pledges and vice versa. In recent years, prospects like Lubbock-Cooper linebacker Kobie McKinzie and Denton Ryan safety Billy Bowman have decided they'd rather be Sooners than Longhorns. Texas flipped 2022 receiver Xavion Brice from OU last winter.

But what made Vasek's situation unique was his last name. His father, Brian, lettered for the Longhorns from 1992-95.

Brian Vasek joked on Wednesday that after his son committed to Oklahoma, "we put him up for adoption, but nobody wanted him so we let him stay with us." The reality was that Dad gave his son enough space to make the decision that he wanted to make.

Colton told his father last month that he was having second thoughts about his original commitment. Soon thereafter, Vasek reported on his social media platforms that he was "COMMITTED!! Staying Home!"

"I really believe in this staff they have at UT right now," Vasek said. "I just want to get them back to the national championship and go win a natty."

Vasek was among the 21 high school standouts who signed with Texas on Wednesday. It was also revealed that Wake Forest defensive back Gavin Holmes and Stanford punter Ryan Sanborn will transfer in. Bergen Catholic (NJ) defensive lineman Sydir Mitchell was the first signee announced by the Longhorns.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian teased that the Longhorns may not be done with recruiting in this class and he later added that Texas could look to add three or four additional transfers. Just before Sarkisian began his press conference at 3 p.m., UT received a commitment from Tausili Akana. The four-star linebacker's older sister, Keonilei, won a national championship with the Texas volleyball team last week.

The Longhorns' 2023 recruiting class is rated third nationally on the 247Sports composite rankings. The newest group of Longhorns was led by prized quarterback Arch Manning, who is one of four five-star recruits bound for Austin.

"You know, every coach gets up and says, 'Man, we signed the best class in the country and whatnot,' but we feel really good about the class we signed," Sarkisian said. "I thought we addressed a lot of the needs that we felt like we had but also kind of addressed the progress of our program."

Vasek is regarded as a four-star edge rusher. He will enroll at Texas in the spring. Vasek signed with Texas one year after former Westlake teammates Connor Robertson and Ethan Burke joined the Longhorns.

When asked Wednesday to describe himself, Vasek said he was a physical player who doesn't quit. His father analyzed that Colton both loves and respects the game of football.

And dad would know.

Brian Vasek is also on the coaching staff at Westlake and has been his son's position coach on the varsity team. Brian Vasek said he sat his son down in the ninth grade and told him that his future would be in the trenches. He then asked Colton if he wanted him to be his father or coach.

"He said, 'What do you mean by that,' and I said, 'Well, if you want me to be your dad then we'll have fun and I'll pat you on the back and everything will be rosy and peachy at all times. If you want me to be your coach there are going to be some hard times and I'm going to grind on you. Either way, I'm fine with it,'" Brian Vasek said. "He said, 'I want you to be my coach.' I think things worked out well for us."

Colton Vasek admitted that it was a little weird that he had to refer to his father as "Coach Vasek" in public. But the relationship has paid off. This season, Vasek registered 71 tackles and a team-high 14 sacks. He took down 10 quarterbacks during his junior year.

Going forward, Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will be among Colton Vasek's coach. That will mark the end of a working relationship between father and son, but Brian Vasek is fine with that.

"I'll tell you what, I am more than happy to give up the coaching title and just be Dad from now on. Somebody else can have him and run with him and see what they do with him."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Westlake Colton Vasek signs to Texas Longhorns football after OU pledge