Rivals dropped its latest 2026 Top-300 rankings update this week. And one Texas Tech commit did not let the demotion slide without firing back. Felix Ojo fired back at Rivals with a blunt message, making his feelings known.

Ojo’s frustration spilled onto social media when he posted his now-viral response. He wrote, “There isn’t 47 players better than me in this class.” The tweet came after Rivals downgraded him from a five-star to a four-star prospect, dropping him to No. 48 overall in their updated 2026 rankings. It’s a significant fall for someone who was once considered the No. 1 offensive tackle in the entire cycle and ranked as high as No. 5 overall by multiple services earlier this year.

Rivals had previously positioned Ojo much higher before their July reshuffle dropped him to around No. 40. And this latest November update pushed him even further down the board. The downgrade back in July also cost him his five-star status with Rivals. But he still maintains elite rankings with other major services like ESPN, which still has him at No. 20 overall.

The Red Raiders commit has every reason to feel confident in his abilities, even if one recruiting service disagrees. Ojo signed a groundbreaking three-year, fully guaranteed contract worth approximately $5.1 million with Texas Tech. This was one of the largest deals since schools gained the right to directly compensate athletes.

His agent, Derrick Shelby, structured the deal to provide security for Ojo and his family as he develops into what many project to be a first-round NFL draft pick. The Mansfield native has earned invitations to both the Navy All-American Bowl and the Under Armour Next All-America Game, making him potentially the first Texas high school football player to participate in both premier postseason showcases. He’s drawn interest from powerhouse programs including Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, and Florida. But he ultimately chose the Red Raiders on July 4.

While Rivals has Ojo at No. 48, 247Sports continues to rank him as the No. 5 overall prospect in the country. His rapid rate of improvement has scouts believing he possesses one of the highest upside among 2026 offensive tackles. But evaluators note he’ll need to improve his lower body flexibility and can sometimes play high with hip stiffness. 

For Texas Tech, which invested roughly eight percent of its annual revenue-sharing cap on Felix Ojo alone, his tweet probably resonated. They clearly believe there aren’t 47 players better than him, either. Whether Ojo uses this slight as motivation or vindication arrives when he steps on campus remains to be seen. But he’s not lacking confidence as he finishes his senior season at Lake Ridge.

Felix Ojo’s past ranking dropped back in July

The thing about Felix Ojo’s latest slide to No. 48 is that it’s not even the worst hit he’s taken from Rivals this year. The real gut punch came back in July when he dropped all the way down to No. 40 overall. It was a fall that officially stripped him of his precious five-star status. 

That July reshuffle was brutal, knocking him from the No. 1 offensive tackle in the entire 2026 class down to seventh at his position. For a kid who had been universally regarded as one of the elite prospects in the country, seeing that fifth star disappear had to sting.

The drop stemmed directly from what the recruiting service characterized as a “poor” showing at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in Indianapolis back in June. During the one-on-one matchups, he was reportedly beaten twice by some of the top pass rushers in the country. Videos of those reps quickly made the rounds on social media. And in the recruiting world, being what it is, the narrative shifted fast.

Ojo addressed the situation head-on through social media. He made it clear that one bad day at a camp doesn’t define who he is as a player. It’s a fair point, non-padded one-on-ones inherently favor edge rushers who can use pure speed and athleticism without having to deal with the contact. But Rivals’ evaluators apparently weren’t swayed by that argument. Instead, they used the Challenge performance as justification to drop him from the top offensive tackle spot all the way down to seventh at his position.