A top 2026 recruit that visited Texas football this weekend for the first big Junior Day of the offseason 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 trip to Austin on Jan. 20 since Texas offered him last October.
This was an important visit for defensive backs coaches Terry Joseph and Blake Gideon to make a good first impression on Bradford and his camp during his trip to Austin for Junior Day. Head coach Steve Sarkisian also interacted directly with Bradford during his visit on Jan. 20.
Texas football moves up the list for 5-Star 2026 S Blaine Bradford
The early returns from this visit are resoundingly positive, as it sounds like the Longhorns coaches and other support staff knocked this one out of the park with Bradford.
"What made this visit special was hearing from the coaches and seeing that they were really interested in my future."
The elite safety from Louisiana told On3's Sam Spiegelman after the visit this weekend that he had a great experience on the Forty Acres for Junior Day.
No. 1 2026 S Blaine Bradford checking in for his visit to Texas for Junior Day today. pic.twitter.com/BNhmy9KzA9
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) January 21, 2024
Sarkisian and staff did a nice job laying out the plans they had for Bradford's future and how much of a priority he is for their 2026 recruiting class in the secondary. It sounds like Sarkisian, in particular, did a fantastic job of personally connecting with Bradford in their meeting this weekend.
Blaine Bradford, the No. 1 safety in the 2026 class, made his way to Texas for the Longhorns' star-studded junior day. Hearing from Steve Sarkisian and the Texas culture were among the highlights
— Sam Spiegelman (@samspiegs) January 21, 2024
More from Bradford: https://t.co/Tmebg99Iba (On3+) pic.twitter.com/nmiVy8cJWR
Coming out of the visit, Bradford said that he "enjoyed every part of the visit" and that "it went great". Texas's coaches set a good foundation with Bradford to put them in consideration moving forward in this recruitment.
Top blue bloods pursuing Bradford
Most of the nation's premier programs have offered the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2026 class in the 247Sports Composite, including the Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and Florida State Seminoles, among many others.
Bradford has already visited and camped with LSU, Georgia, and Notre Dame.
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