Texas wasn’t expecting John Meredith III this soon. But here he is. The 5-star CB has skipped ahead and will report to Austin this summer. He was ranked as the No. 2 player in the 2027 class before reclassifying, but Steve Sarkisian isn’t letting those stars decide when the freshman gets on the field.

“He provides great length, great speed, tremendous man-to-man ability, very confident, very aggressive, all the attributes you want in a defensive back,” Steve Sarkisian said at SEC Media Day when asked whether John Meredith could help Texas this season. “I told him. I told his mom, Coach Muschamp, Coach Orphey, we don’t have an expectation on him of a timetable.

“We’re going to coach him. We’re going to develop him. When he’s ready, I think he’ll be good enough to play.”

That, he explained, is why the recently turned 18-year-old was viewed as one of the best high school players in America. But talent alone won’t decide when he sees the field.

“How long that takes to get him ready, that’s going to be the race,” Steve Sarkisian added. “That’s the challenge. Week one, week four, week eight. I don’t know. I do know he’s got the right competitive spirit. I do know he’s got the skill set and the ability to be a good player for us. How long it takes, we’ll find out.”

It’s a measured approach for a player arriving with enormous expectations. John Meredith’s path to Austin wasn’t supposed to happen this quickly. The Fort Worth native originally committed to Texas as the gem of its 2027 recruiting class after choosing the Longhorns over programs including Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.

The whole plan changed after the University Interscholastic League ruled him ineligible to play his senior season following his transfer from Euless Trinity to North Crowley. John Meredith appealed. It didn’t work. With no high school season left to play, he skipped the wait and enrolled at Texas instead.

“I’m more than ready,” he said after the decision. “Looking forward to getting to campus and am ready to compete.”

The numbers explain why Steve Sarkisian is high on him. Rivals now ranks John Meredith as the No. 4 CB in the 2026 class and the No. 4 overall prospect in Texas. At 6’2 and 180 pounds, he brings the size and athletic traits that have made him one of the nation’s top DB prospects. Still, earning playing time won’t be easy.

Texas already has rising sophomore Kade Phillips, Rutgers transfer Bo Mascoe and several blue-chip freshmen competing in the secondary. DC Will Muschamp and CBs coach Mark Orphey now face the challenge of helping John Meredith make one of the toughest jumps from high school straight into the SEC. That’s why Steve Sarkisian refused to promise an immediate role, even while admitting the freshman has all the tools.

The Longhorns open the season against Texas State before hosting defending national champion Ohio State on September 12. As Steve Sarkisian said, whether John Meredith is ready by then remains unknown.