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The steady rise begins: Texas' class jumps to No. 15 in the On3 rankings with the addition of Jermaine Bishop

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•05/14/25•

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Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

April and May recruiting rankings can reveal some information. Having the No. 1 or 2 class seven months from signing day is hard to spin as bad news, but it obviously doesn’t tell the complete story. The opposite is true, too. Just a week ago, Texas was outside the top 20 in On3’s 2026 class rankings behind teams like Florida State, Washington, and Arizona State. The addition of Hayward Howard last week and Jermaine Bishop today has boosted Texas to the No. 15 spot in the On3 rankings, marking the beginning of Texas’ seemingly annual climb into the top of the class rankings ahead of official visit season.

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Texas now has one On3 Industry Ranking five-star in Dia Bell, four four-stars in Bishop, Howard, Chris Stewart, and Max Wright, and two three-stars in Nicolas Robertson and Trott O’Neal.

The Longhorns’ great standing with uncommitted top 100 prospects ahead of official visit season like Felix Ojo, Mark Bowman, John Turntine, Jamarion Carlton, KJ Edwards, Jalen Lott, and Samari Matthews, plus other highly-ranked recruits such as Malakai Lee, Vodney Cleveland, Kaydon Finley, Chace Calicut, Kendall Guervil, Samuel Roseborough, Heze Kent, JaReylan McCoy, and Mason James means the candidate pool for the Longhorns’ 2026 class includes prospects that will help Steve Sarkisian battle for another potential top overall class.

Last year, two different runs helped Texas jump into the top 10, the top five, and then the top spot in the 2025 rankings. In May of 2024, James Simon, Jackson Christian, Devin Coleman, and Jordan Coleman joined the fold. Then, following June official visits, Texas brought in Nick Townsend, Caleb Chester, Jonathan Cunningham, Nick Brooks, Josiah Sharma, Smith Orogbo, Jaime Ffrench, Kaliq Lockett, and Jonah Williams.

The Horns brought in a few more commitments along the way, then ended with a talented flourish that featured Justus Terry, Kade Phillips, and Michael Terry III.

It should go without saying that the highest ranked classes feature top players, namely five-stars. Bell being in the class and locked into his pledge provides Sarkisian and company with one top-32 player in the On3 Industry Ranking. Texas could shoot up the rankings if current five-star prospects like Ojo and Bowman give Texas a verbal pledge. Other top 50 prospects who could earn five-star billing whose high ratings would still weigh heavily in class rankings include Perry-Wright, Turntine, Carlton, Edwards, Derrek Cooper, and James Johnson.

The competition to break the top five will be stiff. USC, even with 28 commits in May, has a class with a higher score according to On3 than Texas’ top-ranked 2025 class. LSU, Oregon, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn, and Ole Miss, teams Texas is recruiting against, all have fewer than 10 pledges in their 2026 classes. However, it’s hard to bet against Sarkisian breaking, at the very worst, the top six. His 2022 class was ranked No. 5. In 2023, the Longhorns signed the No. 3 class. The 2024 Texas signing class was ranked No. 6. 2025, of course, finished No. 1.

Another top class is in the middle stages of being formed for the Longhorns, and their annual rise to the elite is fully underway with the additions of Howard last week and, most notably, Bishop today.

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Top 2026 classes as of May 14

  1. USC (28 commits)
  2. LSU (9 commits)
  3. Ohio State (13 commits)
  4. Notre Dame (15 commits)
  5. Oregon (8 commits)
  6. Georgia (9 commits)
  7. Texas A&M (11 commits)
  8. Miami (Fla.) (10 commits)
  9. Alabama (5 commits)
  10. Clemson (14 commits)
  11. Penn State (17 commits)
  12. Tennessee (7 commits)
  13. Auburn (7 commits)
  14. Ole Miss (8 commits)
  15. Texas (7 commits)
  16. Florida State (9 commits)
  17. Washington (10 commits)
  18. Arizona State (12 commits)
  19. SMU (11 commits)
  20. South Carolina (5 commits)
  21. Maryland (5 commits)
  22. Iowa (9 commits)
  23. Louisville (13 commits)
  24. Syracuse (16 commits)
  25. Kansas (15 commits)

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