Texas football has been held to a recruiting standard ever since head coach Steve Sarkisian came over in 2021.
Sarkisian has recruited four top-five classes, including a No. 1 ranked class of 2025, according to 247Sports, aside from the 2021 recruiting class, which was mostly assembled by former head coach Tom Herman.
The 2026 recruiting class is ranked 12th in the 247Sports rankings after suffering setbacks in the recruitment process over the weekend. This is a far cry from the top five rankings Sarkisian has had since moving to the Forty Acres.
In order to raise their recruiting class ranking and their 2026 roster, the Longhorns must sign these three recruits.
Atkinson, Tyler
With Tyler Atkinson, the Longhorns want to acquire a third five-star player. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker is ranked third among Georgia’s recruits and second in his position nationwide.
“With his exceptional lateral burst and rare start-stop ability, Atkinson will mirror ball carries and is quick to locate the football with his field awareness,” noted Andrew Ivins, a director of scouting at 247Sports. Given the way he moves and hits, (Atkinson) will probably provide three-down value and might fit into a number of different strategies at the next level.
Texas is up against fierce competition from Georgia to persuade Atkinson to leave his home state, even though he has a state championship and was the first eighth-grader to be invited to the Navy All-American Bowl.
The highly-recruited linebacker is expected to pledge to Georgia, according to Tom Loy, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports. A date for Atkinson’s commitment has not been disclosed.
Lott, Jalen
Jalen Lott, a wide receiver from Frisco, Texas, who can play in the secondary, is the son of former Longhorn players. With a 6-foot, 176-pound physique, he is a four-star athlete who is ranked 61st nationally and seventh in the Lone Star State by 247Sports.
Scouting analyst Gabe Brooks of 247Sports stated that Lott is a very productive receiver who may eventually play on either side of the ball. Because of his quick acceleration and extended stride, which promote top-end speed that is confirmed on the track, Lott excels as a linear athlete.
James Lott, Lott’s father, was a dual football and track and field athlete from 1983 to 1987 and was inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor. Although James began his football career as a defensive back, he was a standout high jumper who became the first Longhorn to win an NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. He went on to win three more championship titles during his career. Fey Lott, Jalen’s mother, played women’s basketball for Texas from 1989 to 1992.
247Sports lists Texas, Oregon, USC, and LSU as the potential contenders based on its cool-to-warm scale, but it does not have any Crystal Ball predictions for where this Lott will commit. On July 8, Lott will make his decision public.
Carlton, Jamarion
Jamarion Carlton is the next potential candidate in Sarkisian’s recruiting class, which aims to produce his sixth four-star defensive lineman.
Carlton is a 6-foot-4-and-a-half, 260-pound recruit from Temple, Texas. According to 247Sports, he is the fourth-best defensive lineman in the Lone Star State and the third-best in his class.
Because of his enormous frame space, Carlton is a physically and athletically talented front-line defender who can play from the edge or bulk to a true defensive lineman, according to Brooks. He is an on-ball defender with a high ceiling who can play a variety of roles and systems.
The four-star is scheduled to make a commitment on July 10 and is expected to be a member of Sarkisian’s 2026 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.
