Building a powerhouse: Where Texas football stands in the 2026 recruiting class

The Longhorns have been on a recruiting tear over the past two weeks, gaining commitments from three of the top offensive and defensive players in the 2026 class.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Texas v Arizona State
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Texas v Arizona State | Kevin C. Cox/GettyImages

Texas football has been on one of its biggest recruiting hot streaks in quite a while, and though they might be done for a few weeks, it doesn't dismiss their recent dominance in one of the most important aspects of college football.

After the newest bombshell commitments of Derrek Cooper, Tyler Atkinson, and JamesJohnson, they're officially up to 21 total commits for the 2026 cycle.

(Rankings/star rating according to 247sports.com)

ATH

- 5-star Jermaine Bishop

QB

- 5-star Dia Bell

RB

- 4-star Derrek Cooper

WR

- 3-star Chris Stewart

- 3-star Kohen Brown

OT

- 4-star John Turntine III

- 3-star Max Wright

IOL

- 3-star Nicolas Robertson

DE

- 4-star Richard Wesley

DT

- 4-star Vodney Cleveland

- 4-star James Johnson

- 4-star Dylan Berymon

- 4-star Corey Wells

LB

- 5-star Tyler Atkinson

- 3-star Kosi Okpala

CB

- 4-star Samari Matthews

- 3-star Hayward Howard Jr.

S

- 3-star Yaheim Riley

K

- 3-star Jake Collett

P

- 3-star Mike Bukauskas

LS

- 3-star Trott O'Neal

As of right now, there are a handful of other players that Texas has extended offers to and feel good about but are currently uncommitted such as 3-star TE Keawe Browne. The Longhorns seem to be leading the pack, but Browne may not commit until later in the year.

Texas still has a good amount of flexibility in the 2026 class. They're ranked No.5 overall, but they have anywhere between 5-10 fewer commits than the four teams in front of them right now. The Longhorns have done an excellent job targeting and locking down high-quality recruits this offseason.