Steve Sarkisian has his first Signing Day miss as 4-star DL flips to UNC

Six months ago, the Texas Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian heard some incredible news: four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland had committed to their program over a plethora of other powerhouse teams.

Then, on National Signing Day, Cleveland delivered some not-as-great news for the Horns: he had flipped his commitment from Texas to the UNC Tar Heels.

Just like that, despite 21 of the 24 commits signing with the Longhorns, Cleveland had decided to take his talents elsewhere, and it was to a North Carolina program that just finished the regular season with an abysmal 4-8 overall record.

Vodney Cleveland is Texas's first loss of NSD

Cleveland wasn't the only future Longhorn who wasn't signing with Texas on Wednesday. Fellow defensive lineman Corey Wells also delayed his recruiting process, despite committing to Sarkisian and the Horns six months earlier.

Don't worry, these two losses (or one loss and one possible loss) do not call for the team to hit the panic button. Sark still signed 21 blue-chip prospects, including five-star quarterback Dia Bell, five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, and many more highly-rated prospects.

While Texas's class of 2025 was the No. 1 group of recruits in the nation, the team's class of 2026 was nearly as impressive. The Horns' group of 2026 prospects ranked seventh in the nation and third in the SEC, only trailing the Alabama Crimson Tide (ranked second) and the Georgia Bulldogs (first)

Also read: Texas football Early Signing Period tracker: Can the Longhorns lock in their top guys?

Yes, the loss of Cleveland definitely left its mark, but it wasn't the end-all, be-all of Texas's incoming class. As NSD unfolded, more and more prospects signed with their future programs, and that included dozens of future stars signing with the Longhorns.