One of the nation’s most coveted defensive prospects has narrowed his lengthy list of offers down to five schools.

Austin Westlake’s Colton Vasek, the No. 2 2023 defensive end in Texas, is now only considering Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound soon-to-be senior has raved about his visits to all schools including Oregon, saying it had a home feel and he still has great communication with the coaches from the team. 

"I really love the development aspect of [Oregon]," Vasek said. "Coach [Dan] Lanning and Coach [Tosh] Lupoi have both experienced winning national championships at very high levels and also have a lot of experience coaching the edge position specifically. I also have great relationships with the entire staff in general. I’m constantly in touch with Coach Lanning, Coach Lupoi, and Coach [Matt] Powledge. I feel like they’re not only great coaches, but great people. The area of Oregon was also super cool and I already feel like I have a good connection with a lot of the players."

Vasek also commented on his offer from the Longhorns and how he like the idea of staying home and how much it would mean to him to play for his favorite team growing up. 

"Having the option to stay home is huge," the Austin native said. "I grew up a Texas fan and really enjoyed seeing the way the program has changed throughout the years. I have great relationships with Coach [Pate] Kwiatkowski and Coach [AJ] Milwee. Texas has also developed many players over the years which is something that definitely sticks out."

the No. 9 overall player in Texas also talked about the 'family feel' that both Texas Tech and Clemson showed him on his visits to Lubbock and South Carolina, but included the liking he has for new Sooners head coach Brent Venables.

"Coach Venables is a defensive minded guy who has had experience winning national championships," Vasek said. "I really like the style of defense they run [and] I have great relationships with pretty much the entire staff, Coach [Miguel] Chavis and Coach Venables especially. I also like the aspect of how they are gonna develop you not only as a player but as a person too."

The two-time 6A state champion had a great year for the Chaps last year recording 56 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, one pass breakup, and two forced fumbles. Vasek was also awarded Defensive MVP in Westlake's 40-21 win over Denton Guyer in last year's 6A Division I State Championship game. Vasek recorded four tackles including three sacks in the game to end his junior season.