Joseph Mbatchou, DL
The biggest decommitment from the Longhorns in the 2025 class early this week was the highly touted four-star Loganville (GA) Grayson defensive lineman Joseph Mbatchou.
Less than two weeks after he committed to the Longhorns on Nov. 23, Mbatchou flipped back to the school he had originally given his pledge to this past summer. Mbatchou committed to the Florida Gators and head coach Billy Napier on Dec. 1, after flipping from Texas, bringing the Longhorns down to two defensive line commitments in the 2025 class.
It's not very often in past recruiting cycles that you see a prospect recommit to the first school they were pledged to. But it has become a more notable trend this recruiting cycle for prospects with rapid rises in their recruitment the previous summer before signing day to have some late-cycle flip changes.
The early relationships that Napier and the Gators coaching staff built with Mbatchou on the recruiting trail last offseason ended up influencing his final decision before signing day this week.
247Sports reports that Mbatchou also took a surprise visit unofficially to Gainesville last weekend, before clipping his commitment to the Gators on Sunday.
Port Charlotte (FL) four-star Myron Charles and Folsom (CA) four-star Josiah Sharma are Texas's two remaining defensive line commitments in the 2025 class before signing day. Texas is fending off a run from the Gators on the trail to try and flip Charles' commitment from the Longhorns this week.
Kenny Baker and the Longhorns also have a battle on their hands before signing day to keep Sharma in the class after he took a visit last weekend to see the USC Trojans.