4-star CB Hayward Howard Jr. commits to Texas

New Orleans Edna Karr four-star cornerback Hayward Howard Jr. has committed to Texas, he announced on Friday via the On3 Recruits YouTube channel.

The 6-foot-2, 165-pounder chose the Longhorns over LSU, Miami and Florida State.

Howard Jr. is the No. 372 overall prospect and No. 35 CB in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 11 player in Louisiana.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas staff have landed their latest big recruiting win out of The Boot, pulling Howard away from in-state LSU and others. The Longhorns offered at the end of January, got him to Austin this spring and have now picked up his pledge.

Howard was originally targeting a commitment on July 23, but his process sped up ahead of his official visit schedule. Texas garnered the momentum and eventually won out for the touted blue-chipper, despite having a change in defensive back coaches along the way.

“What stands out to me about Texas is the way they came on in my recruitment,” Howard previously told On3’s Chad Simmons. “I talked to coach Terry Joseph when he came to my school during the recruiting period. We were fresh off a state championship. He told me what he needed from me and we went over the good things and the bad things from my film. Before he left Texas, he kept in contact and had a relationship with me.” 

“It was good, I liked it, and it was a surprise,” he told Inside Texas after his April visit to The Forty Acres. “They say everything really bigger in Texas. I guess everything really is bigger in Texas. The coaches, coach Orphey, coach Sark, they all stood out.”

Howard plays for one of the most notable high school football programs in Louisiana. Last season, he was a part of an Edna Karr roster that finished with 14 wins and another state title. The Cougars finished the season as the No. 1 team in Louisiana and the No. 33 team nationally, according to the On3 Composite Rankings.

He now becomes the sixth commit in Texas’ 2026 recruiting class. He’s the fourth blue-chipper to enter the fold, joining Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage five-star quarterback Dia Bell, Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek four-star wide receiver Chris Stewart and Melissa (Texas) four-star offensive tackle Max Wright.

The class now ranks inside the top 20 of the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Howard is the second commitment of the month for the Longhorns, following Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian three-star long snapper Trott O’Neal, who pledged on May 2.