Despite Friday’s nationwide Fourth of July celebrations, the college football recruiting landscape underwent significant upheavals throughout the course of the holiday weekend.
Texas football’s 2026 recruiting class was in disarray as head coach Steve Sarkisian failed to sign some of the top players in the country.
Here is a summary of the recruits whose choices during the recruiting process ultimately affected the Longhorns.
Felix Ojo lost
Ojo’s dedication to Texas Tech is another factor contributing to the recent surge in discussion over name, image, and likeness in collegiate athletics.
Ojo’s agent and co-founder of Prestige Management, Derrick Shelby, stated that Ojo committed to Texas Tech on Friday after agreeing to a historic seven-figure revenue-share deal with the Red Raiders.
According to Shelby, Ojo will sign a three-year, fully guaranteed contract of $5.1 million with Texas Tech.
According to Sports Illustrated, the No. 1 overall offensive tackle and the second-best recruit in the Lone Star State first made public a list of his top four schools: Florida, Ohio State, Michigan, and Texas.
The Mansfield, Texas native, who stands 6′ 6″ and weighs 275 pounds, would have been the Longhorns’ third five-star recruit of the season.
Bryce Perry-Wright lost
On July 4, Ojo fell to in-state rivals; however, the next day, Perry-Wright selected rival Texas A&M, which further hurt Sarkisian’s recruitment efforts.
The second-best defensive lineman and fifth-best Georgia recruit is five-star Perry-Wright. He picked Texas A&M over Miami, Clemson, and Texas; according to 247Sports Crystal Ball forecasts, the 6-foot-2, 250-pound recruit would end up at Clemson.
According to Andrew Ivins, director of scouting at 247Sports, Perry-Wright is a quick-twitched pocket-pusher with remarkable get-off and body control who has produced negative plays since he was a freshman.
Kaydon Finley lost
Jermichael Finley, a former Longhorn football player and Super Bowl champion, is the father of Kaydon Finley. But Kaydon rejected his father’s alma mater in favor of Notre Dame.
According to Eric Thomas of 247Sports, the Irish made Finley their top receiver target in 2024 and never gave up. Early on, Texas was thought to be in the lead, but after a visit for Junior Day in January 2025, Notre Dame seemed to have passed them in the lead.
The two-time state champion has been a successful receiver for Aledo High School and is rated as a four-star prospect, the 33rd-best receiver, and the 32nd-best athlete in Texas. Kaydon had a breakout junior season, hauling in 81 receptions for 1,432 yards and 21 touchdowns. In his first two seasons, the 6-foot, 200-pound recruit scored 13 touchdowns.
John Turntine III won.
Turntine’s father was a defensive lineman for TCU from 1998 to 2002, so Division I football runs in the family. Turntine’s decision comes two weeks after his official visit to the Forty Acres on June 20. He is currently traveling to Texas.
Turntine, a four-star interior offensive lineman for North Crowley, the current 6A Division I state champion, is from Fort Worth, Texas.
At six feet three and 285 pounds, Turntine ranks seventh overall in the Lone Star State and fourth in his position.
According to Gabe Brooks, a scouting analyst for 247Sports, (Turntine) exhibits remarkable mobility ability in addition to evident strength and unexpected power.
