Landen Williams-Callis places drop of doubt in ocean of confidence for Texas recruiting

Over the last week or so, the Texas Longhorns emerged as frontrunners to earn a commitment from four-star running back Landen Williams-Callis. Between expert predictions and official visits, all signs were pointing to the Horns landing Williams-Callis over a slew of other powerhouse teams, most notably the Texas A&M Aggies.

Then, all of a sudden, Williams-Callis took to social media to clear up a bit of the certainty, denying that he had even spoken to one recruiting expert about his current thought process.

"I never talked to you or anybody from Rivals, this is a complete lie," Williams-Callis wrote on X, replying to a story from Rivals' Josh Newberg and Steve Wiltfong.

Newberg and Wiltfong had reported that they believed the Longhorns had a dramatic edge to land the blue-chip running back's commitment, with Wiltfong reportedly having the "latest intel."

It was a massively positive sign for the Horns and head coach Steve Sarkisian on the recruiting trail. Now, the nod in Texas's direction that felt so certain is suddenly in question.

Landen Williams-Callis might not be as set on the Horns as people thought

Wiltfong was one of nearly a half dozen recruiting experts to log predictions that the Longhorns would end up winning the recruiting battle, alongside Sam Spiegelman, Justin Wells, Eric Nahlin, and Charlie Williams.

Those predictions led to Texas earning 94-percent odds of landing Williams-Callis, according to Rivals and On3. Now, it feels like those numbers might be a little more theoretical than based on recruiting expert knowledge.

Williams-Callis is the No. 3 running back in the class of 2027 and the No. 6 prospect out of the Lone Star State. Despite receiving offers from blue-blood programs across the country, it became readily apparent that he had quickly narrowed his list to the in-state powerhouses Texas and Texas A&M.

Also read: Texas commits put pressure on 5-star RB Landen Williams-Callis to stay home

When it comes to his official visits, Williams-Callis has actually taken the most trips to see the Missouri Tigers, making five trips to their campus. However, they are closely followed by the Longhorns with four visits to their name.

Then, the Aggies and the SMU Mustangs have each earned two visits from the highly-coveted running back prospect.

Williams-Callis would be the second four-star running back to commit to Texas out of the class of 2027, joining Noah Roberts in the Longhorns' fifth-ranked recruiting class. Were Williams-Callis to commit to the Horns, it could send Texas climbing the recruiting ranks.

Meanwhile, the Aggies already claim the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation and are the only team ranked ahead of Texas in the SEC standings.

Read more: Longhorns' recruiting ranking ascent made even sweeter by leapfrog over rival Sooners

Ultimately, even with Williams-Callis denying that he had recently spoken to Wiltfong or anyone else at the national recruiting site, there are still a ton of signs pointing to the Longhorns earning his commitment when all is said and done.

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