New Texas Longhorns linebacker coach/co-defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler is looking far and wide for linebacker talent to restock his position group, and this week he reached out to a familiar face and extended a scholarship offer.

Prior to coming to Texas, Hutzler was at South Carolina, and he had identified some top talent while coaching the Gamecocks. One of those prospects was Bryce Steele, and Hutzler has stayed in touch with Steele after he arrived in Austin in January. Over the weekend, Hutzler and Steele spoke and Hutzler offered a scholarship to the University of Texas.

“I’ve been talking to coach Hutzler back when he was at South Carolina. He offered me there,” Steele said. “We’ve had a pretty good relationship for the past year and a half, two years. When he first made the transition to Texas, I reached out to him, congratulated him, wished him nothing but the best. He informed me just because he left South Carolina, that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop recruiting me.”

On Saturday, that continued contact paid off with Steele getting a Texas offer, something he wasn’t necessarily expecting after not being able to play last year.

“It was hard for me to attain this offer because I didn’t play this past season due to some health issues. But I’m healthy now, and I feel like I’m at a higher athletic performance than before the injury,” Steele said.

When the 6-1, 195-pound Steele announced the offer on Twitter on Saturday evening, he labeled Texas as his “dream school.” Now that the Longhorns have officially entered the race, Steele said UT is a school that he’ll strongly consider.

“I’m happy to get the offer. Texas was one of the top schools I want to play at, them and Ohio State,” Steele said. “Just looking on TV, you see top schools growing up, Texas was always a contender. The same with Ohio State. I just modeled my game after players from both schools.”

Steele is officially from North Carolina but goes to a boarding school in Alexandria, VA. He’s been to the Lone Star State before to see a Dallas Cowboys game, and said something about the state just won him over.

“I just fell in love with the state of Texas. I told my parents, I want to live in Texas someday,” Steele said.

Once recruits are able to again take campus visits, Steele said he plans to get to Austin for a decision. He’d like to take official visits this summer, if possible, and said South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas are schools that will likely get visits.