The Longhorns recently offered 4-star UCLA commit Micah Smith a scholarship on October 12th, and they've been trying really hard to get him to flip after the Bruins fired head coach DeShaun Foster in mid-September.
Smith, a 6'5", 325-pound offensive lineman from Vero Beach High School (Vero Beach, FL) is currently the 18th-ranked interior offensive line prospect in the 2026 class. He also holds offers from the likes of Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
As we all know, Texas' offensive line hasn't exactly been the strongest part of the offense, especially on the interior in 2025. Connor Stroh has been decent at times but wildly inconsistent, Neto Umeozulu doesn't seem "ready" to play, and true freshman Nick Brooks was recently bumped inside from offensive tackle to help stop the bleeding. Brooks performed pretty well at left guard against Oklahoma but it's unclear whether or not he'll be a long-term solution there.
I Appreciate Coach Flood coming out to my game to watch me play and offering me a scholarship to the University of Texas. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/pEIBNLcmmy
— Micah Champion Smith (@ChampSmith55) October 12, 2025
Though Smith is technically listed as an offensive guard prospect, his length makes him a legitimate option to play outside as well.
He has an unusually strong and powerful punch for a high school player and consistently knocks defenders back at the point of contact in both zone and power schemes. His lateral movement ability and foot speed makes him a perfect fit for a zone-heavy offense, but he has shown the ability to be effective as a puller at the prep level too.
Longhorns OL coach Kyle Flood has been his main point of contact throughout the recruitment process, and there's a very good chance that Smith is Flood's top priority as of right now. Texas has unfortunately missed out on some other offensive line prospects in the 2026 cycle, and Micah Smith might be one of their last "big" flip targets this season.
Landing Smith would be a huge win for Texas, as he would give the team a potential star at offensive guard, and a player with enough talent to see time as a true freshman as well.
Also read: Another Texas player joins Jerrick Gibson in leaving the program