Texas makes jump in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings

Texas landed another major in-state commitment on Friday in the form of Dallas Skyline four-star linebacker Elijah Barnes.

The 6-foot-1.5, 215-pounder became the second Lone Star State product to commit to Steve Sarkisian and Co. this month. The addition of Barnes bumped Texas up two spots to No. 7 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

“We’re just going to keep building this relationship,” Barnes told InsideTexas following his latest visit to Texas earlier this month. “Now, it’s gotten better since the first time we met. I knew the first time we met that he was a special guy and that he was going to treat me with a lot of love.”

Barnes is the No. 108 overall prospect and No. 14 LB in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 19 player in Texas.

On April 6, Tyler (Texas) Chapel Hill four-star running back Rickey Stewart Jr. also committed to the Longhorns. The former SMU pledge is a top-20 player at his position. All six of Texas’ commitments in the 2025 cycle are four-stars.

Texas owns No. 3 class in the SEC

The class was kicked off with a bang back in June, as Saraland (Ala.) four-star quarterback K.J. Lacey pledged to the Longhorns. The gunslinger has continued to rise in the On3 Industry Ranking and now checks in as a top-10 player at his position.

“So some of the main things that stood out to me about Texas were how much they value relationships,” Lacey told On3 upon his commitment. “What coach Sark and coach Milwee preached to me was that they don’t just offer quarterbacks because they are talented. They also want to know what type of person you are towards your teammates and peers and see if the leadership role comes to you naturally or not.

Lacey has since been flanked by four others since December. Calhoun (Ga.) four-star tight end Emaree Winston and Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie four-star defensive lineman Brandon Brown committed to UT on back-to-back days.

Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove four-star athlete Lance Jackson pledged in January to add some in-state defensive flair to the pledge list in Austin. Jackson is the top-ranked pledge in the class, checking in at No. 47 overall and No. 3 at the athlete position.

Now, Stewart and Barnes have joined the fold, pushing Texas’ class up to No. 3 in the SEC, behind only LSU and Alabama.