It may take some time, but the Arlington Bowie product has a chance to become a road-grading presence in the middle of the Longhorns line.
Sitting in the football office at Arlington Bowie, massive offensive guard Tope Imade wasn't sure if the small but imposing figure in front of him was really real.
"It's really you, coach," he marveled.
"Unless I'm a ghost, I think it's me," joked Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong.
Imade, whose name is pronounced TOH-pay ih-MAHD-eh, had brought a handful of his friends with him into the office to meet Strong and they all took a picture together.