3 biggest visiting recruits for Texas vs. Mississippi State

No. 1 Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian have an important group of visiting recruits from the 2025 and 2026 classes set to make their way to Austin this weekend for the SEC opener against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Texas football getting ready to host big-time visiting recruits for the SEC opener vs. Mississippi State

Last weekend for the ULM game, Texas had a smaller group of visiting recruits on campus for the gameday visits. Defensive line and edge rusher recruiting will be the primary focuses on the recruiting trail for the visiting prospects for Sarkisian and the Longhorns staff this weekend.

There will be a good mix of Texas commitments in the 2025 and 2026 classes, along with around a half-dozen offers from the current cycle, on campus for the Longhorns-Mississippi State game on Saturday afternoon. Texas has a handful of flip targets from the 2025 class scheduled to be on campus this weekend.

It will also be important to watch the rising 2026 recruits visiting Texas this weekend, along with a good group of 2026 commitments for the Longhorns.

Here's a look at three of the most important visiting recruits for the Longhorns this weekend against Mississippi State in the SEC opener at DKR.

Walter Mathis Jr., DL (LSU commit)

Among the multiple Peach State defensive linemen in the 2025 recruiting class that the Longhorns and DL coach Kenny Baker have offered since early August is a couple of rising prospects visiting Texas for the Mississippi State game this weekend. One of the Georgia native defensive linemen in the 2025 class taking an unofficial visit for the Mississippi State game tomorrow is three-star LSU Tigers commit Walter Mathis Jr.

Baker and the Longhorns staff have been keeping their eye on Mathis's recruitment since the spring evaluation period last offseason. Texas likes the combination of size and athletic upside that Mathis brings to the table as a potential multi-year contributor in the SEC along the interior defensive line.

Mathis is taking his first gameday visit to Texas for the Mississippi State game this weekend. The possibility remains that he and his family will take an official visit to Texas at some point this fall.

The underrated defensive tackle from Savannah (GA) Calvary Baptist Day committed to LSU on Sep. 6, but is keeping his options open in his recruitment this fall.