Texas Football: 10 key recruits impressed by UT's Junior Day

Blain Bradford, S

The highest-rated 2026 recruit in the 247Sports Composite who visited Texas for Junior Day this weekend was the elite five-star Baton Rouge (LA) Catholic safety Blaine Bradford. The No. 1 safety recruit in the nation in the 2026 class in the 247Sports Composite and On3 Industry Ranking made his first visit to Texas since the Longhorns offered him last October.

Bradford said after Junior Day concluded on Jan. 20 that he had a "great" visit to Austin and that he "enjoyed every part of the visit". Texas did a great job on this visit, with Sarkisian and Gideon making a positive first impression on Bradford.

Texas definitely inserted itself among the top schools early in Bradford's recruitment. He's also visited/camped with the LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish since last offseason.

Jonte Newman, OT

Texas hosted a pair of touted Cypress (TX) Bridgeland 2025 offensive tackle recruits at Junior Day this weekend. Four-star Jonte Newman already held a Texas offer heading into the Junior Day festivities this weekend. His teammate, three-star Ryan Fodje, received his Texas offer in the midst of his Junior Day visit on Jan. 20.

Newman and Fodje are close and have reportedly talked about playing together at the collegiate level. So, it's significant that the Longhorns and offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood offered Fodje this weekend.

Flood and the Longhorns sold Newman on developing his skills at Texas, if he wants to play in the NFL in the future. He bought into the message and loved what Flood had to say during the Junior Day visit.

Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, and the USC Trojans are some of the top competitiors in this recruitment for Newman early this offseason.