Texas football made the cut for the top six finalist schools for the No. 1 recruit from Hawaii in the 2026 class in the 247Sports Composite and On3 Industry Ranking, the highly touted four-star Honolulu (HI) Kamehameha Secondary offensive tackle Malakai Lee.
Blue-chip out-of-state OT target Malakai Lee has Texas football in the mix in his latest round of finalist school cuts this offseason
Lee dropped his top six finalist schools in a post on his X account on Feb. 7. His other five finalist schools are the USC Trojans, Michigan Wolverines, BYU Cougars, Georgia Bulldogs, and Alabama Crimson Tide.
Offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood and the Longhorns have made Lee a key out-of-state priority at offensive tackle in the 2026 class. Flood and the Longhorns like Lee's combination of size and power for the offensive tackle position, at 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds.
He told On3 that relationships and player fit are two of the most important factors for his recruitment and his decision-making process this offseason.
"I narrowed down my choices by looking at some of the relationships I’ve built with the coaches and staff and whether I can see myself playing in that program. I realize Hawaii is not easy to travel to and so I am grateful to all the coaches that flew out here to meet with me and my family."Malakai Lee
Lee specifically likes the direction that Texas is trending as a program under head coach Steve Sarkisian and how the offensive line has developed under Flood.
"Texas is an exciting program and the possibility to play for someone like Coach Sark is something that excites me."Malakai Lee
A few weeks ago, Texas co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Johnny Nansen visited Lee in Hawaii. Lee said after the visit from Nansen last month that he "can't wait to get out to Austin soon".
🟠⚪️🤘🏽Big thanks @CoachNansenUT @TexasFootball for making the trip here to meet with my family and I. Can’t wait to get out to Austin soon. @CoachSark @KJJFlood @TexasRecruiting 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽 #HookEm @KSKAthletics @PakalaniBello #IMUA #GoWarriors pic.twitter.com/v8IOqDpiAa
— Malakai Lee (@MalakaiLee2) January 18, 2025
Lee hasn't taken a visit to Austin since the start of last offseason. But Texas was one of the first P4 schools to recruit and offer Lee. Texas offered Lee all the way back in the spring of 2022.