It’s not often you see a player de-commit from an SEC powerhouse within 48 hours of a visit, especially when that player is of Texas native. Well, more stranger things have happened before. Despite coming off one of their best recruiting weekends of the year, where they bagged two elite commitments, Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns just lost the only linebacker in their 2027 class in Cade Haug.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound defender had been pledged to UT since early February, but he officially backed out of his commitment right after taking a visit to Austin. It seemed like a dream weekend for Cade Haug when he arrived in Austin on Friday, June 19, for his official visit with the Texas Longhorns. Initially, this trip was supposed to lock things in. On the surface, everything went beautifully.

The 3-star got VIP treatment like a 5-star, posed in the iconic burnt orange uniform for photos, and even had a proper sit-down with their new DC, Will Muschamp. If you were looking at social media over the weekend, you would have bet money that Haug was 100% solid on his commitment to the Longhorns.

But official visits aren’t just about good food and cool photoshoots. That’s where the real business takes place. Turns out the reason he de-committed was a very classic case of NIL money. Haug’s team and the Texas staff had very different ideas about what his NIL valuation should look like.

The Longhorns were upfront about how they view Cade Haug. In their mind, he was “Linebacker 2 or 3” on their future roster. Texas has been spending big to land some five-star recruits lately. And they simply weren’t willing to match the dollar amount Haug’s representatives were asking for.

However, without dragging things out, both sides decided it was best to split up. Even though he’s rated as a three-star recruit, he’s actually quite good. He has 330+ tackles in the last three years. After playing his first three years at Kingwood High School, he’s moving over to Katy High School, a big Texas football powerhouse, for his senior year to prove just how good he is. There’s a pretty good chance he might be upgraded to a 4-star.

Now that he’s back on the market, Haug’s team says his recruitment is “100% open” to anyone. He’s already got plenty of schools calling his phone, with teams like SMU, Houston, Oklahoma State, and Kentucky heavily in the mix.

Going to a major program like Katy High for his senior season means even more big-name schools are probably going to jump into the battle for his signature soon.

As for Texas, head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff aren’t just sitting around crying about it.

Longhorns got eyes on Houston star

Within an hour or so after his de-commitment, the Longhorns had already shifted their focus to a backup plan: Jerrell Bridges.

Bridges is an athletic linebacker from Midlothian High School who is currently committed to the Houston Cougars. In a wild twist of timing, Texas actually hosted Bridges on a visit the exact same weekend Haug was in town. Because that visit went incredibly well, the Longhorns coaching staff already has significant momentum to flip him.

Since Haug was the only linebacker committed to the 2027 class, his exit leaves a temporary hole. Linebackers coach Johnny Nansen and defensive coordinator Will Muschamp are using the upcoming recruiting dead period to re-evaluate their entire regional wishlist and extend new offers to high-profile targets.

They’ll be handing out some brand-new scholarship offers over the next few weeks to see who else wants to join the party in Austin.