3 key 2026 recruits crystal balled to Texas this week

Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian are working on the trail for another No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the nation for the 2026 cycle early this offseason.

Crystal balls rolling in for key in-state Texas football targets in the 2026 entering the spring

With three commitments currently in the fold in the 2026 class, Texas highlights five-star Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage quarterback pledge Dia Bell as the premier pledge for this cycle.

Spring visits and summer officials are right around the corner for the Longhorns, as the recruiting trail starts heating up in the coming weeks and months for the 2026 class.

Which key recruits in the 2026 class is Texas in a good position for entering the spring evaluation period on the trail in early March?

Here are three key targets for the Longhorns in the 2026 class who were crystal-balled to Texas in the past few days before spring visits commence in March.

Toa Katoa, OL

Three-star Euless (TX) Trinity interior offensive lineman Toa Katoa has been a key target on the trail in the trenches for Kyle Flood and the Longhorns since last offseason.

Texas is battling the Tennessee Volunteers on the recruiting trail for one of the strongest "big humans" in the trenches for the 2026 class this offseason.

Katoa will officially visit Texas in mid-June (June 13-15) this summer. He only has official visits set to see Texas and Tennessee this summer. Tennessee gets the final official visit from Katoa this summer in late June (June 20-22).

Since his Junior Day visit to Texas in late January, it's been clear that Katoa is a high priority for Flood and the Longhorns in the 2026 class. Horns247's Will Turboff crystal-balled Katoa to the Longhorns early this week after Katoa's successful Junior Day trip to Austin last month.

Nicolas Robertson, OL

Spring (TX) Klein four-star interior offensive lineman Nicolas Robertson is one of Texas's top in-state priorities that Flood and Co. are targeting for the guard position for the 2026 cycle this offseason. Robertson has been a frequent visitor at Texas in the past couple of years.

Robertson was most recently on campus for Texas's first big Junior Day of the offseason on Jan. 25.

It's a good sign for the Longhorns that Texas is the only official visit that Robertson has on the books for this summer. He could still schedule other official visits to schools he's visited since last offseason, including the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, but it's becoming clear that the Longhorns are one of the leaders in this recruitment going into spring and summer visits.

Jamarion Carlton, EDGE

Texas is battling the Baylor Bears and USC Trojans for one of the top EDGE recruits in the nation for the 2026 cycle, Temple (TX) high-four-star Jamarion Carlton. But the Longhorns appear to be one of the frontrunners in this recruitment for Carlton early this offseason, after multiple successful visits to Austin in the past 18 months.

Carlton, the No. 1 EDGE recruit in Texas in the 2026 class in the 247Sports Composite and On3 Industry Ranking, is a key target on the trail for Pete Kwiatkowski and the Longhorns along the defensive front seven.

Three 247Sports national analysts/recruiting experts now have crystal balls entered, favoring Carlton to commit to the Longhorns.

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