The summer commitment surge is over, and most of the blue chips find their collegiate home, but Texas’ hunt is continuing for its 2027 class. The Longhorns actively enter the flip game. In fact, Steve Sarkisian and his staff’s heavy push could steal five elite prospects from other programs.

“I mean, there’s a handful,” said Justin Wells during his July 14 appearance on Rivals with Josh Newberg when asked about Texas flip targets. “Look at the linebacker position. Pay attention to linebacker because I think Texas is going to try to flip a few kids. They love Joakim Gouda, committed to Georgia, out of the Peach State. They would definitely go back to that well and see it, see what they can pull there.”

The 4-star 2027 LB committed to the Bulldogs on 1st June. Georgia landed him, beating programs like Auburn, Florida, and Texas. However, since committing, he has visited Florida, Texas Longhorns, and Auburn. This means that Sarkisian still has a chance to flip the LB, who has played his high school ball in Georgia.

While his link with Georgia does seem like an obstacle, if you look at the 2026 cycle, DL James Johnson flipped his commitment from Georgia. But if Gouda won’t flip his commitment, Texas has more options in line.

“They love Jhadyn Nelson. That’s the Langham Creek [High School] out of the Houston area linebacker that committed to [Texas] Tech really early in the cycle. They were on him early, and so when that popped up and happened, that was a bad beat because Texas really liked that kid. They’re not going to stop recruiting him. They’re going to stay on that. But that one’s going to be difficult,” added Wells.

“Sean Fox, the Midwest linebacker—they like him as well. And then you’re going to see more and more linebacker names pop up because I think on the big board, that’s what they’re trying to still flip.”

4-star 2027 LB Jhadyn Nelson chose the Red Raiders in March 2026 as his collegiate home. In the process, finalists like Texas, OSU, and Texas A&M left disappointed. But he didn’t shut down his recruitment. So, Sarkisian’s program has continued its attempt to flip his commitment. Texas staff not only visited the talent at his high school, but also hosted him for OV this June.

They are also pushing hard for 4-star LB Sean Fox from Warren Central High School, who committed to Kentucky last month. But Texas won’t stop there. “I think they want to add another running back, and I think Landen Williams-Callis is an outstanding flip. I mean, an outstanding target, a potential target for Texas down the stretch.”

Landen Williams-Callis, a 4-star 2027 RB, is expected to choose the Longhorns as his recruiting winner. But nothing is fixed, as Texas A&M and Houston are firmly in the mix.

Texas recruiting will get a new momentum

Texas won’t finalize its 2027 class just yet because they have a different strategy. The Longhorns will wait until the 2027 high school prospect’s senior season conclusion.

“They always save a spot or two for a late senior evaluation. Those late senior evals, guys wind up, you know, they wind up having really good years the last time in their final season in high school, and Texas goes and looks at these kids. They make evaluations. They bring these kids in for fall visits,” said Justin Wells during his July appearance on Rivals.

There’s one reason behind Texas’ decision not to finalize. “Let me tell you something: week two, when they host Ohio State, that’s going to be a who’s who of recruits across the country who are attending that game. And so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some flip candidates in there. Maybe a Marcus Fakatou out of California. You never know.”

5-star 2027 DL Marcus Fakatou already chose OSU as his college destination. But the recruitment for the 2027 cycle isn’t over yet, so anything can happen until the national signing day.

While the Longhorns have all these players in their sights, they will be hoping to at least get a couple of them, if not all, as that will strengthen their team.