Towering 2027 CB recruit is down to 5 schools, and Texas makes the cut

4-star CB prospect Taelyn Mayo from in-state Lewisville High School has officially narrowed down his list of top schools, and the Longhorns were elated to find out that they made the final cut.

The enormous 6'4", 185-pound field corner has been one of the top defensive backs in the state of Texas since his sophomore year. Very few high school cornerbacks can do the things he can due to his sheer size and length, but he also shows quite a few traits that should translate well over to the collegiate level.

One of the most attractive ones is that he absolutely loves to hit and throw his body around against the run. He triggers upfield pretty well, constantly being in an advantageous position to make stops for short gains. Mayo's tackling ability is well-documented on film, as he does an excellent job wrapping up consistently.

He's a very physical player; it's just hard to tell by watching the tape because he's in off-coverage most of the time at the high school level. He's not asked to press as much as you'd like to see as an evaluator, but that's okay because the physicality comes out in other places throughout his game.

Mayo has an unusually smooth backpedal for a prep-level player and does well when flipping his hips to bail and run as well. Being so tall, he has longer strides than most players, so it's easier for him to gain more ground going backwards than you'd typically see. This makes it quite a bit easier for him to keep receivers in front of him for a longer period of time.

Overall, if Texas can manage to get Mayo to commit at some point, he'd give Will Muschamp a potentially elite outside corner to utilize down the road. His short-area quickness, length, and tackling ability could help him see the field as a true freshman wherever he goes.