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Texas Recruiting Notes 2026: They Can't Keep Getting Away With This


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Posted

I'm okay losing out on a talented, but needs development, 4-star recruit in June because we can't guarantee starting time his freshman year. We've come a long way.

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Posted

Eric Nahlin: Texas will have another very highly rated class but headwinds need to be navigated

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My main concern coming into the cycle was how the House settlement would affect things. I was able to get some people on the phone recently that added a bit of clarity on the direction of the class and the sport with a focus on economic factors. Before we get to that, a gentle reminder that Texas is very likely headed for another Top 3 class. As far as House, NIL deals are already supposed to go through NIL Go. Here’s Grok for your reading pleasure:

“NIL Go is a clearinghouse system launched by the College Sports Commission, operated by Deloitte, to oversee and regulate Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals in college sports. It requires all third-party NIL deals worth $600 or more to be submitted for review to ensure compliance with fair market value and compensation standards. The system, which began operations on June 11, 2025, aims to standardize and enforce NIL agreements, using tools like a “compensation range” algorithm and, in some cases, subpoena power during arbitration. It addresses issues like backdoor deals by requiring non-institutional payors to attest to self-funding, though discussions about potential loopholes persist.”

That date, June 11, is important. Any contracts executed now have to go through compliance. Accordingly, Texas is already running deals through NIL Go. Is everyone else? Is USC about run Luke Wafle‘s deal through compliance? Probably so, or at least parts of the deal, given how public that recruitment is but I don’t know. As it was relayed to me, the Commission needs to make a big time example out of a couple of schools, which indicates there are a few schools coloring outside the lines. That’s a “no duh” statement but something to remain aware of. Right now there is no fear when it comes to cheating, just business as usual. The whole point of appointing Bryan Seeley was to make sure everything stays on the level. Of course there will be lawsuits against any rules that limit how players earn but that’s a whole other can of worms.

A source thinks this class, or perhaps the next one, is the last hurrah for NIL as we know it. Going forward, the best players and prospects will still get paid but everyone else will be on salary. Under-the-table payments are a legitimate consideration but bag money is nowhere near as expensive as collective generated NIL. Prices will moderate. So, where does Texas sit in this cycle when it comes to economics? Finances are fine, but the same things that were written last July still hold true. Steve Sarkisian and his staff are going to play the long game in order to not bid against themselves. Texas typically knows exactly how much a player is offered from a school and often they don’t think that school will follow through, or the school is offering way too much.

I told a source recently there were similarities to the 2022 and 2025 cycle right now and he replied, somewhat mockingly, “Yes, I heard this last year. Around this time.” I relayed I have zero concerns but have readers I’d like to keep apprised of the situation. The biggest issue he said is the current Texas roster. When combining what he said with another really good source, the roster affects this class in two ways: Some recruits see a loaded position room and don’t want to wait to play, and the coaches see a loaded roster and don’t want to overpay for someone who is going to ride the pine. Running back KJ Edwards is the embodiment of these two points, though I’ll also add the Aggies did a good job of recruiting him. I think this class is headed for a mix of cheaper developmental prospects and more expensive elite players at positions of need or priority. 

 

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Posted

Eric Nahlin: What a successful 2026 Texas recruiting class would look like

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Every cycle, I write that a large number of recruits are fungible. That’s not a knock on those players—if they receive a Texas offer, they’re obviously very talented—it’s a reminder the staff will likely have success finding a replacement if the need arises. That leads to this obvious question from rmannucci: “who would you say are the non-fungible recruits for Texas this cycle, other than Dia and Ojo” No capitalization on the first word and no question mark, but he did use a hyphen. What a maniac. Here’s how I see it this year: There is an analog for every top player in the cycle outside of the two five-stars he mentioned. So, I’ll change this pursuit to describing what a successful recruiting class would look like.

Hold on to Dia Bell

Bell is currently showing why he’s the best QB prospect in the country. He’s killing it in a pure passing setting. Real games involve his legs. Stud.

Land Felix Ojo

The current roster is not loaded with obvious future left tackles beyond Trevor Goosby. Ideally, Nick Brooks plays right tackle while Ojo eventually plays left tackle. Ohio State and Michigan are going hard for him. You can’t take anything for granted in this era of recruiting.

Land one of Trenton Henderson or Richard Wesley

Or flip JaReylan McCoy from Florida. The point is, Texas is in pursuit of some elite edge rushers and needs to land one. These guys are Jacks and not the easiest to find, meaning they’re expensive. Both Henderson and Wesley visit this weekend. Time to make a move. Florida leads for Henderson despite having McCoy and Oregon leads for Wesley despite his recent de-commitment from the Ducks.

Find Colin Simmons‘ successor

Dre Quinn announces today. He’s a great option, but IT is increasingly concerned about Clemson. If the staff misses on Quinn, Texas still has Jake Kreul on the board. In addition, Xavier Griffin sort of applies here. Jamarion Carlton might, too.

Capitalize on Anthony Hill‘s career

Texas needs an impact off-ball linebacker in this class. Johnny Nansen missed his numbers in 2024, but at least he converted the Bo Barnes layup. He needs to find another stud to pair with Barnes long-term. That’s either Braydon Rouse or Tyler Atkinson. Texas has an uphill climb. Xavier Griffin sort of applies here, too.

Land at least one of John Turntine, Zaden Krempin, and Malakai Lee

Texas needs more tackles on the roster to develop. The Turntine and A&M threat is real. Don’t sleep on Michigan, either. A&M is also pushing very hard for Krempin. Lee will be at Michigan this weekend. He announces on June 27. Texas is in it after a strong visit. Due to Krempin’s versatility, my hope is they land two from the list.

Four-man defensive tackle class

It would be great if they landed an elite player, obviously, but four good players with easily projectable size and traits would be a very big win. Kenny Baker is already halfway there and is in excellent shape to hit his number this cycle. The current “likely” class will beat the crap out of O-linemen as upperclassmen.

Sign a lead cornerback

The staff might already have one in Jermaine Bishop, and hell, maybe even Hayward Howard, but I want another in the event Bishop ends up at wide receiver. Mark Orphey is in a good position with Samari Matthews and Davon Benjamin.

 

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Posted

I’m just thinking about Edwards. What a dice roll. With Texas’ success in getting RB’s drafted in the nfl, going with Texas is pretty much a guarantee of success, while picking A&M could end up like Larry Johnson or all the other failures they’ve had the last several years. 

Even if they are offering substantially more money, it seems like a poor decision that could really screw up his nfl plans. There is no way I would have done that. He would get enough money from Texas and he’d have much more corporate mil upside potential. And a higher chance of success. He’s making a bad decision. 

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Posted
16 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I’m just thinking about Edwards. What a dice roll. With Texas’ success in getting RB’s drafted in the nfl, going with Texas is pretty much a guarantee of success, while picking A&M could end up like Larry Johnson or all the other failures they’ve had the last several years. 

Even if they are offering substantially more money, it seems like a poor decision that could really screw up his nfl plans. There is no way I would have done that. He would get enough money from Texas and he’d have much more corporate mil upside potential. And a higher chance of success. He’s making a bad decision. 

Yep. Suck for him way more than us. 

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Posted
1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

I’m just thinking about Edwards. What a dice roll. With Texas’ success in getting RB’s drafted in the nfl, going with Texas is pretty much a guarantee of success, while picking A&M could end up like Larry Johnson or all the other failures they’ve had the last several years. 

Even if they are offering substantially more money, it seems like a poor decision that could really screw up his nfl plans. There is no way I would have done that. He would get enough money from Texas and he’d have much more corporate mil upside potential. And a higher chance of success. He’s making a bad decision. 

If a school offers a RB life changing money he should take it. The career of an NFL RB isn’t long anyway plus the injury risk factor  playing a longer college schedule. It’s a no regret move imo. 

Posted
29 minutes ago, DZX158 said:

If a school offers a RB life changing money he should take it. The career of an NFL RB isn’t long anyway plus the injury risk factor  playing a longer college schedule. It’s a no regret move imo. 

There is 0 excuse for choosing to become an Aggy

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Posted

The recruitment of Wafle had been back and forth over the past week, with USC gaining plenty of momentum following his official visit with the Trojans last weekend. Ohio State reportedly upped its NIL offer to Wafle on Wednesday according to On3's Steve Wiltfong, leading to a flurry of predictions that the New Jersey product would land in Columbus from various recruiting networks. 

USC struck back late Wednesday evening. Per Wiltfong, the Trojans offered Wafle a lucrative deal that would pay Wafle between $2.2 to $2.6 million over two years. He announced his commitment to the Trojans on Thursday.

Posted
2 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

I’m just thinking about Edwards. What a dice roll. With Texas’ success in getting RB’s drafted in the nfl, going with Texas is pretty much a guarantee of success, while picking A&M could end up like Larry Johnson or all the other failures they’ve had the last several years. 

Even if they are offering substantially more money, it seems like a poor decision that could really screw up his nfl plans. There is no way I would have done that. He would get enough money from Texas and he’d have much more corporate mil upside potential. And a higher chance of success. He’s making a bad decision. 

The easy answer to this is that the guy who was coaching all of those RBs in the league is no longer coaching the running backs.

Posted (edited)

I’ve been following Texas recruiting for forty years. Which means nothing, because this environment is different from what we’ve seen before and Sark’s recruiting approach is different from any Texas coach we’ve seen before. 
 
For example- Mack Brown used recruiting to get talent into the program, and he was good at it. For Sark, recruiting is just the first step of amassing talent. The next steps- the conditioning, the coaching, the drill work- Brown never had it like this. He is Saban-like in how he recruits guys that have the potential to be NFL guys, and are willing to work to be NFL players. 
 
The funny thing is g about recruiting is how many blue chips miss. Nationwide, about half the five stars (the “sure things”) make the NFL (and at Texas, from about 2009-2020, it was a lot less than half), about 1/4 of the four stars, and so on. Sark is outperforming those percentages. 
 
Some of you know more about what’s going on inside the program. I wonder if the long period between summer and NSD is an evaluation time for Texas? Is Sark using that time to figure out who is serious about doing the work to develop their potential (and is worth setting a market for), and who (like so many blue chips Brown, Strong and Herman signed) just wants to parlay athletic potential into a fun college experience? I think it’s very telling that, unlike Mack’s most talented teams (the “family environment”), and like Saban’s, Sark’s guys leave for the draft as soon as they can (too much work at Texas to do for Anything less than the best pay you can get). The players like it here, but a big part of the sell is that Texas will work you hard, but it’s worth it because Texas will get you to the league. 
 
Texas wants to sign the best, and some blue chips are worth setting a market for, and others aren’t, and I don’t think Sark is in a rush to figure out which are which. 

Edited by statsman
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