One day prior to the championship showdown between Texas and Georgia in the Southeastern Conference, the Longhorns secured an unexpected win on the recruiting front.
Justus Terry, a defensive lineman hailing from Manchester, Georgia, made the announcement on Friday that he will be departing his home state to join Texas for the upcoming season. Terry, who had also been considering offers from Georgia and Auburn, was recognized as the top uncommitted prospect for the 2025 class in the nation.
With Terry on board, Texas has claimed the top spot in the national recruiting rankings, as reported by the composite rankings from 247Sports.
“We’re extremely excited about this recruiting class,” stated Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian on Thursday, prior to Terry’s announcement. “This group boasts a considerable amount of talent that fits our program’s physical and positional requirements, and they all possess the character that aligns with our culture.”
While there will be another signing period occurring in February, experts at 247Sports predict that Texas will maintain its position at number one since most prospects from the Power Four conferences have finalized their college commitments this week.
The top eleven recruiting classes as of Friday afternoon are dominated by Southeastern Conference schools, with eight making the list and three from the Big Ten.
Alabama is currently in second place, followed by Georgia in third, Oregon in fourth, and Ohio State in fifth. The remainder of the top ten consists of Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Michigan, and Tennessee, with Florida sitting at eleventh.
Outside of the SEC and Big Ten, Notre Dame ranks as the highest-rated recruiting class at number twelve, with Miami following closely at number fourteen.
Terry is ranked as the second-best defensive lineman and the tenth overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. His decision marks Texas’ achievement of securing nine of the top 66 prospects from the same ranking system.
Other notable recruits in this pool include safety Jonah Williams (ranked eighth), wide receivers Kaliq Lockett (twenty-second) and Jamie Ffrench (thirty-second), defensive lineman Lance Jackson (twenty-fifth), all-purpose athlete Michael Terry III (forty-third), cornerbacks Kade Phillips (fifty-fourth) and Graceson Littleton (sixty-fifth), along with linebacker Elijah Barnes (sixty-sixth).
“This class demonstrates a high level of versatility across various positions, featuring a selection of elite players,” Sarkisian remarked. “We take great pride in our recruitment efforts within the high school ranks. By bringing young players into our program early, we immerse them in our culture and strengthen them through our off-season conditioning, allowing for development throughout their careers. This class exemplifies that approach.”
Now that the early signing period has closed, the attention shifts towards roster building through transfers. The transfer portal opens officially on Monday; however, many players have already begun to voice their intentions to transfer on social media this week.
The early signing period was adjusted to occur several weeks earlier this year, enabling high school seniors to finalize their decisions prior to the opening of the transfer portal.
This signing period marked a shift away from the national letters of intent that had been utilized in previous years; athletes are now signing financial aid agreements that may include provisions for name, image, and likeness alongside standard arrangements for tuition and living expenses.