Position-by-position grades for Texas's 2025 signing class

Defensive back

Jonah Williams, Galveston (TX) Ball 5-Star S

The crown jewel of the Longhorns' insanely talented and deep 2025 defensive back recruiting class is the elite five-star safety from the Houston area, Jonah Williams. It was a massive win on the recruiting trail for the Longhorns in the 2025 class to win Williams' commitment late in the summer.

Williams will be a star for Texas's defense for multiple years as a starting safety, and a tremendous baseball player for Jim Schlossnagle and the Longhorns.

Zelus Hicks, Carrollton (GA) 4-Star S

Blue-chip safety Zelus Hicks reclassified down from 2026 to the 2025 class a couple of months ago after committing to the Longhorns. Hicks is a very talented safety who will probably need a couple of years to develop before he's ready to make an impact on Texas's secondary in live-game action.

Kade Phillips, Missouri City (TX) Fort Bend Hightower 5-Star CB

A huge late-cycle win on the recruiting trail for the Longhorns in the 2025 class was flipping elite Louisiana native defensive back Kade Phillips from LSU. Phillips recommitted to Texas in the 2025 class earlier this week.

Phillips will play at the corner position for Texas's secondary. Adding Phillips in this class earlier this week is one of the biggest reasons why Texas's 2025 DB class gets a grade of an A+.

Graceson Littleton, Tampa (FL) Wiregrass Ranch 4-Star CB

Despite a late reported (per On3's Steve Wiltfong) push on the recruiting trail from the Michigan Wolverines, Texas was able to hang on and sign four-star cornerback Graceson Littleton on Dec. 4. The one-time Clemson Tigers commit gives Texas's secondary a talented corner with decent size and tremendous ball skills.

Caleb Chester, Missouri City (TX) Fort Bend Marshall 3-Star CB

Houston area three-star Caleb Chester is the type of lanky and physical corner that the Longhorns love for their defensive secondary. At 6-foot-2 and with a lengthy wingspan, Chester will be a stallwart for Texas's secondary at corner in man coverage assignments in the SEC.

Once Chester adds some necessary muscle mass to his frame, he'll be ready to compete for a starting job, likely at boundary corner, for the Longhorns' secondary.

Grade: A+

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