DONE: Texas football secures first five star, on recruiting summer
On August 7, the Texas Longhorns received a significant boost. Five-star wide receiver Kaliq Lockett, ranked as the No. 2 player at his position by 247Sports, committed to the Longhorns that afternoon. He announced his decision live on the 247Sports YouTube channel, directly informing wide receiver coach Chris Jackson. Lockett, one of the top five players in Texas, became the Longhorns’ first five-star recruit for the 2025 cycle, a milestone that came later than expected.
With Lockett’s commitment, Texas now has seven players in the 2025 class ranked among the top 200 nationally. However, the Longhorns are still not where they want to be. Despite the win with Lockett, the summer has brought Texas its share of disappointing news in recruiting.
In early July, Texas missed out on forming a top-tier wide receiver duo when the No. 1 overall receiver, Dakorien Moore, chose Oregon. The setbacks didn’t end there. On the same day Lockett committed, DJ Sanders, a massive defensive tackle from Bellville, opted for Texas A&M over the Longhorns. Additionally, five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi, a key target for Texas throughout the year, committed to the rival Oklahoma Sooners, even posting a ‘Horns Down’ sign on Instagram. The Longhorns also lost former commit Kade Phillips to LSU earlier this week.
Despite these losses, Texas has made some positive strides this summer. They successfully secured defensive lineman Josiah Sharma and added two of the most sought-after players in Texas, Smith Orogbo and Nick Townsend, to their roster in early July. However, there’s still much work to be done.
The Longhorns are one of only four teams with a top-five recruiting class in the past two years. The other three — Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State — currently rank within the top four of 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings. Texas, sitting at No. 14 for the 2025 class, has fallen short in recruiting so far, but there’s still hope. The Longhorns are known for climbing the rankings later in the year due to strong performances in regular season recruiting visits.
“I think we’re set up,” said Texas football general manager Brandon Harris in an interview with 247Sports last month. “We’ve always done a good job of finishing really, really well. Ultimately, the season has a lot to do with that, and I think we’re poised to have a really good season.”
Of the seven remaining uncommitted five-star players in the 2025 class, Texas is heavily in the mix for three: safety Jonah Williams, wide receiver Jaime Ffrench, and athlete Michael Terry III. They’re also strongly pursuing offensive tackle Nick Brooks, who is deciding between Texas, USC, and Georgia this Friday. Safety and standout baseball player Williams will announce his decision between LSU, Texas A&M, and Oregon on Saturday.
If Texas lands three of these four commitments, they could jump to as high as the No. 5 class in the nation, surpassing four SEC schools and ranking just above Auburn on the 247Sports list. By the end of the week, Texas will know where Brooks and Williams stand, and Ffrench will make his decision a week later. Terry has not yet announced an official date. Texas is known for finishing strong, and securing the majority of these recruits would bring them back into the elite ranks for the 2025 class.