High School

4-star Texas Longhorns commit hurdles defender in dazzling 5-touchdown day

Nation's No. 3 tight end Nick Townsend rushed for 4 TDs, threw for fifth while quarterbacking Dekaney to blowout of Aldine in Week 5 of Texas high school football season

Andy Buhler

Dekaney High School (Texas) 4-star tight end visits Texas Longhorns football.
Dekaney High School (Texas) 4-star tight end visits Texas Longhorns football. / Instagram: @thee5starrrnick

A 4-star Texas Longhorns football tight end commit is turning heads under center early in the 2024 Texas high school football season.

Nick Townsend has been playing quarterback for Houston Dekaney High School for his senior season out of necessity, which has offered a unique glimpse into the 6-foot-3, 210-pound tight end/edge rusher's wide-ranging athleticism.

On Saturday, he rushed for four touchdowns and threw for a fifth in a 55-0 drubbing of Aldine on the road to give Dekaney (1-3) its first win of the season.

An incredibly versatile, big-bodied athlete, Townsend is the nation's No. 3 tight end and No. 20 overall prospect in Texas, according to 247 Sports, and a coveted member of the Longhorns' 2025 class, which ranks in the top 5 nationally.

It's not uncommon for elite athletes to play out-of-position in high school. Townsend is a shining example.

Perhaps his most head-turning highlight came with Dekaney nursing a 27-0 lead in the third quarter.

He took a shotgun snap, rolled left, beat the defensive end around the edge, hurdled another defender, split two more and beat another down the sideline for a 13-yard touchdown run.

One of the top tight ends in Texas, Townsend committed to Texas in June over Alabama and Texas A&M after a dominant junior high school season.

He caught 18 passes for 431 yards and seven touchdowns at tight end and accrued 52 solo tackles, eight sacks and three fumble recoveries as an edge rusher for Dekaney in 2023.

A full replay of Townsend's dominant day is available for replay on the NFHS Network. Dekaney is back in action on Friday against Westfield at home at 7 p.m.

More Texas high school football Week 5:

SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before.

For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

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Andy Buhler
ANDY BUHLER

Andy Buhler is a Portland, Oregon-based sportswriter with more than nine years of experience covering high school sports across the country. He's covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason, served on state tournament seeding committees and launched the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a journalism degree from Gonzaga.

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