Crystal ball predictions flood in for Horns to land powerful 3-star IOL

As Steve Sarkisian's recruiting train continues to gain more passengers, yet another highly touted and nationally coveted prospect is trending toward the Texas Longhorns.

This week, three recruiting experts have logged their crystal ball predictions for three-star interior offensive lineman Lucas Rhoa to commit to the Horns over a slew of other powerhouse programs, including the Penn State Nittany Lions, Oregon Ducks, and his home-state UCLA Bruins.

Despite focusing much of his recruiting process on the Nittany Lions and new head coach Matt Campbell, including a whopping seven visits to Penn State, the Horns have emerged as the unequivocal frontrunner to land the IOL.

Greg Biggins, Eric Nahlin, and Adam Gorney all logged expert predictions for Texas to earn a commitment from Rhoa, who is a top-40 offensive lineman in the class of 2027 and the No. 47 overall prospect out of California.

Texas trending to add more depth and size at OL

According to 247Sports, Rhoa already boasts a 305-pound frame, at a towering 6-foot-5. Simply put, the rising high school senior is absolutely massive and would add even more size to the Texas offensive line that has been shaky at times over the last few years.

In layman's terms, Rhoa is exactly the kind of prospect that Sarkisian and his staff should continue to go after, regardless of his star rating.

While he has taken the most visits to Penn State throughout his recruiting process, Rhoa is fresh off his official visit to the 40 Acres, closing out his OV schedule with a trip to see everything that the Longhorns had to offer him.

Lucas Rhoa recruiting visits tracker

• Penn State Nittany Lions: 7 visits (1 official, 6 unofficial)
• Texas Longhorns: 2 visits (1 official, 1 unofficial)
• UCLA Bruins: 2 visits (1 official, 1 unofficial)
• USC Trojans: 2 unofficial visits
• Oregon Ducks: 1 official visit
• Nebraska Cornhuskers: 1 unofficial visit
• Michigan Wolverines: 1 unofficial visit
• Ohio State Buckeyes: 1 unofficial visit
• Florida Gators: 1 unofficial visit

Despite being "just" a three-star prospect, Rhoa has clearly garnered attention from programs across the country, including recent National Champions like the Ohio State Buckeyes (2025) and Michigan Wolverines (2024).

Gabe Brooks, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports, shared that Rhoa excels at playing forward on the run game and showed "sudden power upon engagement." However, he also reported that the IOL lacks an ideal wingspan, but the slight flaw is helped by his broad shoulders.

Rhoa has already logged two seasons of varsity football, appearing in 21 games for Orange Lutheran High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. He has a ton of room for both physical and in-game improvement over the next year and once he finally sets foot on a college campus.

Also read: 5-star IOL Ismael Camara hints at Horns, SMU despite Oregon as projected frontrunner

So far, Sarkisian has added four-star offensive tackle Brian Swanson, three-star interior offensive lineman Keyon Hemphill-Woods, and three-star IOL Jackson Cook to his offensive line depth chart. However, adding yet another promising prospect to the room certainly wouldn't hurt.

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