Defensive back Kevin Vaccaro (Brownwood, Texas/Brownwood) has sent in his letter of intent to Texas.

Vaccaro (5-foot-9, 175 pounds) is the brother of Longhorns safety Kenny Vaccaro and a three-star recruit. He’s rated 65th among cornerbacks by ESPNU.

He has been committed to the Longhorns since Dec. 11, 2011, and chose Texas over an offer from Louisiana Tech, Nevada, Wake Forest and UT-San Antonio.

Vaccaro is one of three cornerbacks in the 2012 recruiting class along with Bryson Echols (DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto) and athlete Orlando Thomas (Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove).

Scouts take: Vaccaro is an explosive, hard hitting corner/safety tweener with good coverage ability in the defensive backfield. Has the physicality to be a strong safety in college but he is undersized in both height and bulk. Will compete on the perimeter as a cover corner but may struggle with not having elite speed and fluidity to be a potential lock down prospect. Is quicker than fast and shows an explosive burst to gain proper positioning.

Importance to class: Vaccaro is one of the biggest projects of this class. Texas coaches took a chance on him in part to do right by his brother, but obviously they see potential. Vaccaro is a tweener who’s got upside, sure, but he’ll have to become a strong technician as a defensive back to make up for his size.

How soon he can make an impact? Again, Vaccaro will need some time to develop and UT coaches will have to find a role for him that fits his skill set. But if he plays with the intensity of his brother, he could carve out an impact role on special teams early on.