Over the past week, the focus has shifted for Texas football's coaching staff to the recruiting trail to travel to see top targets for the 2026 and 2027 classes. Before the first Junior Day of the offseason on Jan. 25, Texas coaches have been visiting top targets on the trail in and out of the state to continue to build the foundation for high school recruiting in the next two cycles.
Texas football set to kick off visits with the first Junior Day of the 2025 offseason next week
We're going to see the top targets that the Longhorns' coaching staff will focus on for the 2026 class emerge early this offseason. Texas gets to host visitors for some big weekends in Austin in the next few months, including for Junior Day next week and during spring ball in March and April.
Texas holds two commitments in the 2026 recruiting class going into the 2025 offseason, including five-star Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage quarterback Dia Bell and Pearland (TX) Shadow Creek four-star wide receiver Chris Stewart.
If the Longhorns really push to add commitments to build the foundation for the 2027 class and to continue to add for the 2026 cycle, Junior Day could kick off a solid run on the trail for the Longhorns.
Here's a prediction of the Longhorns' first 2026 commitment after the New Year for the 2025 offseason.
Tiki Hola, DL
Four-star Bastrop (TX) defensive lineman Tiki Hola is one of the top early priority targets to watch in the trenches for the Longhorns in the 2026 class on the trail. Hola included Texas among his five finalist schools that he announced earlier this week, also including the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, and SMU Mustangs.
Texas was one of the first P4 schools to offer Hola early in his recruitment back during the 2023 offseason. He told On3 that the relationships he's built with the Texas coaching staff over the past couple of years has played a big role in his recruitment.
"I look at relationships. That’s always what I’ve looked at since my freshman year, since I started my recruiting process. Not only does my relationship with the position coach – who is going to be my coach throughout my four years – matter, but also having a relationship with the head coach is big for me."Tiki Hola
Hola is set to visit Texas for the Junior Day festivities next weekend.
Texas will keep its foot on the gas in this recruitment to try and get Hola to stay home and attend college right around the corner from Bastrop, TX.