The John Meredith III saga just took an insane turn.
The nation’s No. 1 cornerback will be reclassifying into the Class of 2026, and immediately join the Texas Longhorns for this season. This is coming from head coach Steve Sarkisian during the 2nd day of SEC media days.
This is not only a major shake up in the recruiting world, but is yet another win for the Longhorns as they’ve had one of the best offseasons in all of college football. They are now the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle and will be adding a five star quarterback, linebacker, edge rusher, athlete (CB, WR), and now cornerback.
But let’s recap how we even got in this situation in the first place.
Roughly a month ago John Meredith was ruled ineligible for his senior season due to the UIL’s transfer rules. Not long after that he announced his commitment to the Longhorns over Texas A&M and Alabama, making him the highest rated non-QB commitment in Texas Longhorns history.
John explored options out of state, as well as potential in-state private schools but came to the conclusion that it would be best to go ahead and forgo his ineligible senior year, and enroll into the University of Texas. He was scheduled to enroll early as a 2027 prospect so in the grand scheme of things this only pushes his timeline up an extra 5-6 months but still provides a great depth piece in an already very talented secondary.
Steve Sarkisian has already come out and said he has no immediate expectations for John to play too many meaningful snaps this season but still remains optimistic on what the young cornerback can bring to the team.
In one of the most anticipated seasons in over a decade for Texas football, the Longhorns are prime for not just a playoff berth, but a legit National title run. They have the quarterback, they have the weapons, they have the defense and now with this 2026 recruiting class, they have the depth to bring a National championship back to Austin, Texas.