Texas Longhorns land a commitment from 2013 SG DeMarcus Croaker

It was a move that seemed like a long time coming. DeMarcus Croaker, a shooting guard from Orlando (Fla.) Jones, officially committed to the Texas Longhorns. The news was first reported by ESPN's Reggie Rankin.

@recruitingespnSG Demarcus Croaker has committed to Texas! Story and Analysis coming

— Reggie Rankin (@ReggieRankin) March 19, 2013

Croaker and Texas had been closely linked last summer, and a commitment appeared imminent after multiple unofficial visits had been scheduled for Croaker to see Austin. Those visits never materialized, with the public word that Croaker had struggled to meet standardized test score minimums that would have qualified him for admittance to Texas. Instead, Croaker committed to the Murray St. Racers in December.

A few weeks ago, Croaker decommitted from Murray St. and subsequently took an official visit to Texas. In interviews, Croaker mentioned other schools had reached out to him but also stated that he had not planned other official visits and was ready to decide. All signs pointed to Texas.

That expected commitment has become official. Croaker's commitment remains verbal until April, when the regular signing period opens. At that time, Croaker is expected to sign his Letter of Intent.

Croaker is ranked 89th by 247, and 132nd in the 247 Composite. He played on a stacked AAU team, Florida Elite, alongside 5* talents Chris Walker and Kasey Hill, as well as Kansas signee Joel Embiid. His high school program went just 10-17 on the year, though Croaker did miss a handful of games due to a perhaps unfair suspension. He received two technicals in one game for hanging on the rim after a dunk, triggering the suspension.

While he's not that highly ranked by the recruiting services, Blake B. at Burnt Orange Nation is a huge fan and considers him a top 50 prospect in the class:

Croaker is a veritable freak athlete (41-inch vertical) and will be on plenty of highlight reels throughout his tenure at Texas.

He's also a very good ball handler who could easily spend some time at the point if need be. I don't think I'd call him a combo guard, but he can definitely get into the lane and drop dimes when his teammates are open.[...]

He has a sweet stroke, and is the rare three-level scorer nowadays that can score at the rim, from midrange, and from behind the arc. He's probably not a pure shooter quite yet, but his pull-up game is pure butter.

If Croaker can score, he'll find a place in the rotation very quickly. He joins a crowded backcourt that includes freshman DeMarcus Holland and sophomores Sheldon McClellan and Julien Lewis. In that mix, if Croaker gets playing time, he will have earned those minutes the hard way.

Croaker becomes the second--and possibly final--member of the 2013 recruiting class, joining point guard Isaiah Taylor from Houston The Village. The Longhorns are still recruiting 5* power forward Julius Randle, who will announce his decision tomorrow.