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Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Longhorns land one of the best defensive lineman in the 2026 class
Over the last few days, the Texas Longhorns have had a few wins to celebrate on the recruiting trail. That includes the commitment of one of the top defensive linemen in the entire country, Vodney Cleveland. He has the potential to be a future star and now will be a vital piece of the Longhorns' defense. The Birmingham native picked Texas over Miami, Florida, North Carolina, and Alabama. He was expected to stay in state for his college career, but the Longhorns and defensive line coach Kenny Baker made a pitch he could not turn down. Following his visit to Texas last week, he highlighted how the atmosphere stood out. Advertisement "Texas is definitely different from any atmosphere I've seen, Everyone is together, everybody is on the same page, strong family vibes. That's what you want in a program." As Cleveland begins his college career, he will join a talented 2026 class that continues to improve. In the last month, Texas has added Kenny Baker, Dylan Berryman, and Corey Wells to the mix. That group should continue to make the Longhorns one of the best teams in the SEC. In their newest weapon, the Longhorns are getting a player that makes life difficult for offensive coordinators. He uses his raw strength to beat offensive linemen and get to the quarterback. That will be a very valuable characteristic in the SEC. That is partly why Cleveland was ranked as the No. 141 overall prospect in his class. Advertisement With plenty of talent left on the board, the Longhorns should continue to make headlines. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Four-star DL Vodney Cleveland commits to Texas
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Recruiting roundup. Who committed to Texas? Who did they lose? Who was impressed in June
June was a very busy month for Longhorns recruiting. Texas hosted three weekends of official visits and made strong impressions on several recruiting targets. UT also gained some big commitments, but also lost some highly sought after prospects to recruiting rivals. The biggest pledge Texas received in June was from five-star Richard Wesley. They also got a punter from Prosper and four-star defensive lineman Vondey Cleveland. Advertisement Texas made big strides with big offensive tackle Felix Ojo, even though the five-star struggled at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge. Blue-chip edge Jamarion Carlton also seems to be a Longhorns lean. On the flip side, Texas lost some big recruiting battles to Alabama, Clemson, Texas A&M and Georgia. Here is a recap of a very busy June: June Commitments Elite five-star DE Richard Wesley commits to Texas after decommitting from Oregon in May -- Less than a month after abandoning his commitment to Oregon, five-star defensive end Richard Wesley says he will go to Texas. Longhorns land Vodney Cleveland, one of the best defensive lineman in the 2026 class -- The Longhorns have made a major addition to their 2026 class in Vodney Cleveland. Advertisement Longhorns land commitment from Prosper, TX punter -- Texas adds punter Mikey Bukauskas of Prosper, TX to the 2026 recruiting class as part of a complete overhaul of punting room. Elite WR commit Kohen Brown shuts down recruitment, sticking with Texas -- Four-star wide receiver Kohen Brown has shut down his recruitment and will remain with the Longhorns. Lost Recruiting Battles Four-star defensive tackle James Johnson commits to Georgia -- No. 1 defensive lineman James Johnson has committed to Georgia to play for Kirby Smart and company Four-star running back Amari Latimer skips over Texas visit -- Four-star running back Amari Latimer from Tyrone, Georgia has skipped out on a visit to Austin, TX reports indicated on Thursday. Advertisement Four-star OL Zaden Krempin commits to Aggies over Longhorns -- One of the nation's most coveted offensive lineman for the 2026 class, Prosper OL Zaden Krempin's lengthy recruiting trail will lead to College Station. Texas Longhorns lose five-star recruiting target to Alabama -- The Longhorns thought they were in a good spot with five-star Xavier Griffin. But in the end, the LB committed to Alabama. Dre Quinn, a 2026 4-star edge rusher, commits to Clemson over Texas -- Clemson football and coach Dabo Swinney landed their third defensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class with the commitment of four-star edge rusher Dre Quinn. Impressed by Texas Texas surging with elite edge Jamarion Carlton after recent visit -- Texas had a ton of talented recruits in Austin for visits last weekend. Blue-chip edge Jamarion Carlton was present, and the Longhorns dazzled him. Advertisement Five-star OT recruiting target Felix Ojo gives update on his Longhorns official visit -- One of the biggest recruiting targets for the Texas Longhorns spoke about the dead heat between Texas and Ohio State. Recruiting Predictions Longhorns predicted to land cornerback Samari Matthews -- The Texas Longhorns may not be done adding to their 2026 class. Several new predictions have Texas landing four-star DB Samari Matthews. Texas predicted to land elite in-state LB Kosi Okpala -- Elite in-state linebacker Kosi Okpala has been predicted to the Texas Longhorns. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Recap of commits, visits, predictions for Longhorns June recruiting
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is the Texas Longhorns 2026 recruiting class in danger of falling behind rivals?
June is an important recruiting month. The Texas Longhorns rolled out the Lamborghinis and hosted three huge official visit weekends. The month was going well as several recruits committed to UT. But some disappointing recruiting battle losses at the end of the month have put the prospects of another top five finish in question. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has certainly developed a great pitch to recruits. "I honestly think this is the best place in the country to come play football at. I firmly believe that, and I think we have the stats, the nuances and the information to back that up. Who's the one school that's gone to back-to-back college football playoffs, back-to-back semifinals? Who's the one school their first year in the SEC that went to the SEC Championship game? Who has the most draft picks in the NFL draft over the last two years? ... Who has last year signed the best class in the country, the year before that a top-three class in the country, the year before that a top-five recruiting class in the country?' -- Texas coach Steve Sarkisian Texas has the history, a proven track-record of player development, a great academic institution and the biggest city in the SEC by far. The pitch persuaded elite five-star defensive end Richard Wesley, who after spending time as an Oregon pledge, said he's fully committed to Texas. Advertisement Texas also landed the No. 2 punting prospect in the country and added four-star Vodney Cleveland, who said, "Texas is definitely different from any atmosphere I've seen. Everyone is together, everybody is on the same page, strong family vibes. That's what you want in a program." That's the good news. The bad news came the final weekend in June. Texas lost five recruiting battles to recruiting rivals. A couple were thought to be Texas locks by recruiting experts across the nation. Five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin committed to Alabama over the weekend. Texas thought it was in the driver's seat for the one-time USC commit. Austin-based recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman thought Texas would land the blue chipper. "It's down to Texas and Alabama with a June 26 commitment on the horizon," Spiegelman said. "No team has come on stronger with the four-star edge than the Longhorns. There's a sense Texas made another step forward with Griffin and his mother back in Austin this weekend." Advertisement One of the Lone Star State's most coveted offensive linemen, four-star Zaden Krempin, picked Texas A&M over the Longhorns. Four-star running back Amari Latimer cancelled his Texas visit at the last minute and committed to Wisconsin. And four-star edge rusher Dre Quinn committed to Clemson over the Horns. It was a bad week. Recency bias has Longhorns fans worried that UT's run of top five classes, including last year's No. 1 recruiting class, could come to an end. Texas has the 16th-ranked class on Rivals/On3, 13th on 247sports and 7th on ESPN. Obviously, Texas has some ground to make up if it wants to repeat the success of the past few years. Advertisement While nobody wants to lose recruiting battles, the future is still bright. Longtime Longhorns guru Geoff Ketchum, the owner/publisher of went deeper into the numbers during his weekly Ketch's 10 Thoughts ($) column. Ketchum points out that if you just look at the top end of the Longhorns' class, UT is in the top three with Georgia and Ohio State. "In quickly assembling a roster that ranks behind only Georgia and Ohio State in consensus super blue chip players (rated as 5 stars or high 4 stars by multiple services) on its roster, the Longhorns are sitting at the important people table at Thanksgiving, while so many of their historical peers are eating at a card table with 7-year olds." -- Geoff Ketchum, OrangeBloods. There could be more good news coming the Longhorns way over the Fourth of July weekend. Mansfield Lake Ridge five-star Felix Ojo and North Crowley's John Turntine III, two of the state's top-ranked recruits, plan to announce their commitments this weekend. Five-star defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright also plans to make his choice on July 5 from among Texas, Clemson, Miami and A&M. Advertisement Analysts believe Turntine will commit to Texas. Ojo has narrowed his decision to Texas and Ohio State. While he struggled at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge, the sixth-ranked recruit in the nation would still be a huge feather in Sark's cap. "I'd really say Texas and Ohio State (lead). Really just the atmosphere. The culture. Not only that. The opportunity to play early. I'd really say those two schools have really been pushing me throughout the recruiting process. Those are ultimately the two schools that are the biggest factor in my recruitment right now. I'd say right now with the race, I'd say it's pretty even. I'd say there's no clear cut leader right now." -- Felix Ojo Assembling each recruiting class is a marathon. Under Sarkisian, Texas has generally assembled a good class early in the cycle and turned it into an elite class late in the year. If that's the case, the Longhorns should be just fine when the national signing periods arrive. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Is the Texas Longhorns 2026 recruiting class in trouble?
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texas Named Predicted Landing Spot for Elite 2026 Prospect
Texas Named Predicted Landing Spot for Elite 2026 Prospect originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian secured a commitment from four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland over the weekend. Advertisement The Longhorns have another commitment coming from the same position soon. On Sunday, On3's Chad Simmons logged a prediction for Texas to land four-star defensive lineman Kendall Guervil. Guervil is a native of Fort Myers, Florida, and attends Fort Myers High School. He is listed at a whopping 6-foot-4.5, 315 pounds. He also holds offers from the Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Florida State Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes, USC Trojans and others. Guervil was in Austin for an official visit this weekend, as the Longhorns showcased multiple Lamborghinis for the recruits. Texas Longhorns head football coach Steve SarkisianAaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Guervil is the No. 12 defensive lineman and No. 14 Florida prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2026 class. Advertisement The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine tabs Texas as the favorite for the prospect, giving the Longhorns the best chance to land him at 88.6%. The top prospect on campus this weekend was five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson. However, Texas insider Justin Wells believes the Longhorns have a lot of work to do in Atkinson's recruitment. Texas has the No. 12 overall 2026 recruiting class, according to On3 Sports. The class is led by five-star quarterback Dia Bell, four-star athlete Jermaine Bishop Jr., Cleveland and four-star defensive lineman Dylan Berymon. The Longhorns' first season in the SEC was a success, with the team reaching the SEC Championship Game and the 12-team College Football Playoff. Advertisement Texas lost to the Georgia Bulldogs 22-19 in overtime for the conference championship and was the No. 5 seed in the CFP. The Longhorns reached the semifinal of the playoff, losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes 28-14. Texas faces Ohio State in its season opener on August 30 with a Noon ET kickoff on Fox. Related: Texas' First Loss of 2025 College Football Season Predicted This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Five-star EDGE Trenton Henderson Reveals Top Three Schools
Five-star EDGE Trenton Henderson Reveals Top Three Schools originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Texas has received fantastic news on the recruiting trail over the last few days. On Saturday, four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland announced his commitment to the Longhorns. One day later, five-star edge Richard Wesley joined the party. Advertisement The good news continued on Monday and it involves another key defensive line target in the 2026 class. Five-star edge Trenton Henderson revealed the final three schools left in his recruitment and Texas made the cut alongside Florida and LSU. Henderson is ranked the No. 4 edge in the nation and the No. 5 overall prospect in Florida for the 2026 cycle, according to 247Sports. The Pensacola Catholic product compiled 50 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a junior in 2024. With the additions of Cleveland and Wesley over the weekend, Texas' 2026 recruiting class jumped several spots to No. 9 in the country per 247Sports. The Longhorns hired defensive line coach Kenny Baker in 2024 to replace Bo Davis and he's proven to be a fantastic recruiter thus far. Advertisement In February of 2025, Texas hired edge coach LaAllan Clark away from Ohio State. The combination of Baker and Clark on the recruiting trail could work wonders for the Longhorns moving forward. Henderson took an official visit to Texas on June 20 and Florida on June 13. There is currently no commitment date set. Related: Texas Receives Major News on Five-Star EDGE Previously Committed to Oregon This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
