The Texas Longhorns head coach, Steve Sarkisian, might have gotten a big moral boost. After all, he now dons the ‘Recruiting King’ crown when it comes to the 2025 class. As per On3’s list, Texas sits at the top with 25 recruits. However, Sarkisian’s luck did not favor him well when it came to the 2026 class. The Longhorns are yet to catch up the momentum and now sit at No.14 with 18 recruits. 

While in June, Sarkisian went on full throttle mode, July had a slow start. But ‘taking things easy’ is not in the head coach’s syllabus. He dived into the race, and now his July haul looks good. July 11, Friday, came with more good news for Sarkisian as Texas received the commitment from its third recruit of the month. And that’s none other than 4-star cornerback Samari Matthews.   

Inside Texas confirmed the news. “SAMARI MATTHEWS PICKS TEXAS! 2026 4-star CB Samari Matthews has committed to the Longhorns!” Ranked as the No. 9 cornerback, the No. 70 overall prospect, and the No. 6 player in North Carolina with a 93.97 rating, suitors kept buzzing around Matthews. And what helped Sarkisian’s Texas to reach the finish line, beating others? Turns out that it would not have been possible for Sarkisian alone to woo Matthews. The tweet revealed, “Mark Orphey was instrumental in securing a commitment from Matthews, who chose Texas over South Carolina, FSU, and Miami.”

Their recruitment drive for Matthews accelerated ever since Texas hired Mark Orphey. At the end, Pete Kwiatkowski‘s defense gained a high-quality defender. Plus, with Sarkisian appointing Orphey, Matthews knew how the onboarding process to the Longhorns would be easy. After all, the cornerback has known the coach from his time at Rutgers. Matthews shared, “I was always interested in Texas from the beginning, just based on the track record of development of guys, getting them to the NFL. Coach Duane Akina, who started DBU, was back. And Coach Orphey, I had a strong relationship with him even when he coached at Rutgers.” Things picked up the momentum when Sarkisian hosted Matthews for the first time in April.

And that Austin trip ticked all the boxes in the 4-star’s checklist. Coaching? Check. The vibe during practice? 100%. The development plan? Highly ambitious. It was everything he hoped for. Sarkisian gave Matthews the unsaid assurance that in the Longhorns camp, he can grow both as a player and as a person. After his first trip to Austin, he took trips to Miami and Florida State, which left no stone unturned to woo him.

However, the seal of clarity came after visiting Texas for the official visit. “I wanted to see where the freshmen were living, revisit the facilities — especially the training center. I was just looking for a sense of environment again, to feel that genuine support from the staff, and ultimately, if it felt like home.” So, are brighter days finally here for the Longhorns?

Steve Sarkisian’s gear shift on the 2026 recruiting track

Nine recruiting losses in the first week of July. Yes, that’s what Sarkisian has been fighting with. Three huge official visit weekends gave UT high hopes for an announcement period that would have taken the Texas class to the top ten. But poor Sarkisian. Some of the costly losses were losing the 5-star offensive lineman target, Felix Ojo, to in-state rivals, the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Sarkisian counted highly on their former tight end Jermichael Finley’s son, WR Kaydon Finley. There, too, he received heartbreak as the 4-star docked his wagon in Notre Dame. 

But gradually things started to turn in the Longhorns’ favor. On July 3, 4-star defender Kosi Okpala committed to Sarkisian’s Texas. A highly prized recruit out of Mayde Creek (Katy) High School, Okpala had suitors from every power conference, including eight SEC schools. The final fight to woo him was between the Baylor Bears, Miami Hurricanes, Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Longhorns. It has indeed been a big win for Sarkisian as Okpala comes off as a highly productive defender who has racked up 121 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, and seven sacks in his two years as a starter for the Rams.

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas got blessed with yet another surprise. The Longhorns got the boost to put together one of the elite offensive line groups in the country with the addition of consensus four-star guard John Turntine III. The elite lineman out of Fort Worth North Crowley is a championship-level cornerstone. He is the No. 3 interior offensive lineman and the No. 3 player in the state of Texas. Bottom line? Sarkisian’s No. 14 class packs more punch than you think.