After bringing in the No. 1 recruiting class of 2026, all things were relatively quiet on the 40 Acres for the Texas women's basketball team and head coach Vic Schaefer.
As of Nov. 1, the Longhorns had yet to receive a commitment from the next recruiting cycle, even as other top programs like South Carolina and Iowa began building their next classes.
That all changed this weekend when five-star small forward Qandace Samuels committed to the Texas Longhorns, giving them their first commitment from the cycle and tipping off the class with an absolutely deafening bang.
Hook em’ #comitted pic.twitter.com/jqLRcSdbsY
— Qandace Samuels (@QandaceS) November 11, 2026
Samuels, the No. 2 prospect out of Maryland, is the No. 4 small forward in the class of 2027 and the No. 4 small forward.
She had received offers from across the country, including from other powerhouse women's basketball programs, including the North Carolina Tar Heels and none other than her home-state team, the Maryland Terrapins.
5-star small forward Qandace Samuels was the perfect start to Horns' recruiting class
Samuels' commitment to Texas propelled the Horns' previously unranked recruiting class to the No. 10 class in the country and set Schaefer's recruiting efforts on track to land yet another elite group.
While the South Carolina Gamecocks currently sit atop the national recruiting rankings, with four five-star commitments to their name, Samuels was the perfect start to the Longhorns' next class, especially fresh off the No. 1 class of 2026.
The best news is that Schaefer still has a slew of uncommitted blue-chip prospects to target over the next few months until National Signing Day in mid-April:
- Kaleena Smith, five-star point guard, California
- Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka, five-star small forward, Maryland
- Haylen Ayers, five-star shooting guard, Tennessee
- Sydney Savoury, four-star shooting guard, Michigan
- Nation Williams, four-star power forward, Nevada
- Avery Arije, four-star shooting guard, Ontario
- De'Andra Minor, four-star shooting guard, Oklahoma
Out of the top 15 prospects in the class of 2027, only eight have committed, including Samuels' commitment to Texas. So, the Horns could push heavily to bring in any of the other seven top-15 prospects, including five-star guards like PG Kaleena Smith and SG Haylen Ayers.
Of course, even if the Longhorns don't land a second-straight No. 1 class, Schaefer has built the Texas women's basketball program for years of success both on the recruiting trail and through the transfer portal.
Not to mention that the Horns are already thriving, just a couple of games into the 2026-27 season, as Schaefer pushes Texas to finally advance past the Final Four under his leadership. That push, unsurprisingly, is led by senior forward Madison Booker, someone that a prospect like Samuels has likely looked up to for years.
As the Longhorns continue their success on the court, Schaefer and his staff will continue putting forth a massive effort on the recruiting trail, and with a commitment from a recruit like Samuels, that effort is already paying off.
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