Texas lands Calvin Anderson, coveted OL graduate transfer from Rice

Sam Cooper
·College football writer
Calvin Anderson was a three-year starter at left tackle for Rice. He will finish his college career at Texas. (Getty Images)
Calvin Anderson was a three-year starter at left tackle for Rice. He will finish his college career at Texas. (Getty Images)

One of the most coveted graduate transfers has made his decision, and he’s staying in the Lone Star State.

Calvin Anderson, a three-year starter at left tackle for Rice, announced Saturday that he will play his final season of college football for Tom Herman at the University of Texas. Anderson chose UT over Michigan, Oklahoma and Auburn.

Anderson, who will eligible immediately, made his decision known in a video that showcases his unique ability to solve a Rubik’s cube:

We’ve written about that in the past:

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Anderson is on track to graduate from Rice in May with a degree in mathematical economic analysis. Once he arrives on campus in Austin (Anderson’s hometown), he could presumably slide in at the left tackle spot vacated by Connor Williams. Texas struggled at the position during the time Williams was sidelined last year with a knee injury and now has an experienced player in Anderson to fill that void with Williams off to the NFL.

Anderson told Sports Illustrated that Texas was the first school to contact him after he announced he would pursue a graduate transfer, but Herb Hand, formerly of Auburn, was the first coach to visit him. When Hand left Auburn for Texas, Anderson was surprised at first, but the UT coaches were quickly able to smooth things out.

“It was all news to me,” Anderson says. “I love Coach Herb. He’s awesome. I think he’s a great guy. The next time I saw him he was in a Texas shirt. But I know this business is a business. When I found out about it on Twitter I asked the UT coaches immediately and they responded and we talked it out. They explained it was what happened and were pretty transparent about it.”

Texas went 7-6 in 2017, Herman’s first season as head coach. The Longhorns, who signed Rivals.com’s No. 4 recruiting class for 2018, open the 2018 season against Maryland on Sept. 1.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!