Just like that, five-star defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou, who is the No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2027, has narrowed his list of potential teams to just three programs.
In tandem with announcing his final three schools under consideration, Fakatou also announced that he had canceled his final two official visits of the summer: trips to see the Oregon Ducks and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The three schools still in the running to land Fakatou's commitment? That would be the Georgia Bulldogs, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and none other than the Texas Longhorns.
NEWS: Five-Star DL Marcus Fakatou is down to Georgia, Texas, and Ohio State, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 12, 2026
The No. 2 DL in the 2027 class has canceled his remaining official visits to Oregon and Notre Damehttps://t.co/uJVAahVKK3 pic.twitter.com/VjwGxznMRi
A California native, Fakatou clearly doesn't care about staying close to his home state, scratching the Ducks as well as the USC Trojans off his list throughout his recruiting process. Now, with OVs to Georgia, Texas, and Ohio State, it comes down to which program felt more like home.
Texas Longhorns still fighting for 5-star Marcus Fakatou
He most recently visited the Horns, taking his official visits to the final three teams over the last two weeks. With the recency of his trip to the 40 Acres, Texas is hopeful to land the blue-chip defensive lineman over the two other recruiting powerhouses. Fakatou has yet to announce a commitment date, but with just three teams still in the running, many would assume that a decision is coming soon after his official visits.
- Ohio State Buckeyes - May 29
- Georgia Bulldogs - June 1
- Texas Longhorns - June 5
Fakatou is the No. 2 defensive line prospect in the class of 2027 and is the No. 3 prospect out of California, securing himself a place as the No. 31 overall recruit in the recruiting cycle. Because of how highly he was ranked, Fakatou received attention from across the country, including 30 official Division I offers.
According to MaxPreps, Fakatou already amassed 97 total tackles over two years of high school varsity football. He racked up 27 tackles for loss, 14 hurry-ups, 12 sacks, three pass deflections, and two forced fumbles over those two seasons. Simply put, he is a monster off the line of scrimmage and disrupts nearly every play he is on the field for, whether that be a running or passing attempt by his opponents.
At 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, the rising senior is already massive and has another season of high school football still ahead of him. If Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian could land his commitment, it would be a huge addition, quite literally, to the Longhorns' recruiting class.
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Currently, Texas's class of 2027 ranks 10th in the nation, fresh off two commitments from blue-chip prospects JaBarrius Garror and Briceson Thrower. It ranks just fourth in the SEC, but landing Fakatou, especially over Georgia, could do wonders for the class's ranking on the national and conference level.
According to On3 and Rivals, the Buckeyes are the current frontrunners to earn Fakatou's commitment with a 92.5 percent chance to do so. However, the recruiting site also has the Fighting Irish and the Trojans as the second and third favorites, two teams that are no longer in the running to land his commitment.
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