Photo of Gunnar Helm in slot

Gunnar Helm announced his commitment to Texas via social media on Monday, ending the anticipation created by his recent recruiting rounds.

A three-star tight end from Englewood, Colo., Helm chose the Longhorns in light of two dozen scholarship offers. Some of those were from elite programs, like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Penn St. and others.

Helm’s announcement comes about seven weeks after the Longhorns presented him with a formal offer on June 9. From that moment, he was pretty sure he would eventually choose Texas, he told 247Sports. The independent and informal visit he took to Texas last week seemingly put the icing on the cake.

He said a major part of his decision was the Texas coaching staff’s approach to the recruiting journey, per 247Sports. “I was able to talk with coach Tom Herman and coach Jay Boulware the most,” he said. “They definitely made me feel like a priority. Once they offered, they contacted me basically every day and it was great to build that relationship.”

Forming a positive relationship and drawing Helm to the program was vital for Herman and Boulware. They have recently struggled with players committing and then going elsewhere.

Over the past year, the program has received commitments from three other tight ends in the 2021 class in Lake McRae, Juan Davis and Landen King, according to 247Sports. However, McRae decommitted from the Longhorns in February and King retracted his oath in May, opening the door for an open competition between Helm and Davis next summer.

The 247Sports Composite Rankings slot the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Helm in as the No. 27 tight end in the nation and the sixth-best tight end in Colorado. Davis, who is listed as a tight end and a top-50 overall athlete in the class, per 247Sports, could challenge Helm for playing time at Texas.

With the addition of Helm, the Longhorns’ 2021 class has 15 total commitments, meaning the program has room for about 10 more commitments.