The Best Programs in Texas and the High School Talent Joining Them
Texas high school football produces more talent than any other state in the country. Every year the best programs in the nation flood into the Lone Star State looking for the players that are going to define their rosters. And every year, the Texas-based college programs get first look at the best talent in their own backyard. The 2026 college football season is right around the corner - and the freshman classes joining the top Texas programs this fall are loaded with players that grew up under the Friday night lights right here in this state. Here is your complete preview of the best college football programs in Texas and the high school talent they are bringing in.
TEXAS LONGHORNS - THE SEC STANDARD
Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns are entering the 2026 season as one of the premier programs in the SEC - and the talent they brought in from the state of Texas this offseason is going to play a significant role in what happens in Austin this fall. Texas finished the 2026 recruiting cycle as the nation's seventh-ranked class with 24 signees, which despite being the lowest-ranked class of the Sarkisian era is still a top-10 haul featuring 13 four and five-star players. MaxPreps
The headliner from Texas soil is Jermaine Bishop Jr. out of Willis, Texas. Bishop Jr. is a five-star cornerback who profiles as one of the best overall athletes in the class due to his ability to play offense and defense at a high level. He chose Texas over Texas A&M, Florida, and USC - a massive win for the Longhorns keeping one of the state's elite players in Austin. Coaches believe Bishop has the skillset and potential to contribute right away as a true freshman. MaxPreps + 2
Also joining the Longhorns from Texas high schools are Nicolas Robertson, an interior offensive lineman out of Klein High School in Spring, Texas, and Jett Walker, a running back out of Georgetown High School. Robertson can make an impact in the next couple of seasons and be instrumental in keeping Arch Manning upright. Walker joins elite running back Derrek Cooper in what is a loaded Longhorns backfield heading into 2026. MaxPrepsMaxPreps
The expectation in Austin is a deep SEC run. The talent is there. The coaching is there. And the Texas high school pipeline feeding this program is as strong as it has been in years.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES - MIKE ELKO'S PROGRAM IS RISING
Mike Elko and the Aggies came to National Signing Day with one of the best classes in the country and locked it in. Texas A&M signed 28 high school athletes with a class that ranked ninth nationally according to 247Sports, Rivals, and On3. And the Texas high school players in that class are the ones that have Aggie fans most excited heading into the fall. Sports Illustrated
The biggest Texas name in the class is KJ Edwards out of Carthage - one of the most storied small-school football towns in the entire state. Edwards is a four-year varsity star for Carthage described as the definition of a game-changer at running back. Carthage football produces players who are built for the next level - physical, fast, and ready to compete from day one. Edwards fits that mold perfectly. Sports Illustrated
Also joining the Aggies from Texas high schools are Qui Beck, a linebacker out of Carthage who brings that same East Texas physicality to College Station, and Zaden Krempin, an offensive lineman out of Prosper. Chance Collins, a defensive back from Mansfield, Texas, and KK Johnson, an athlete from Houston, round out the Texas contingent in a class that Elko built to compete in the SEC immediately. Sports Illustrated
Texas A&M also brought in Jayden Warren, a wide receiver from Rosharon, Texas, and Avery Morcho, an offensive lineman from Houston. Kyle Field is going to be loud in 2026. The Aggies have the talent to make noise in the SEC West - and the Texas players in this class are going to be a big part of why. Sports Illustrated
TCU HORNED FROGS - SONNY DYKES AND THE BIG 12 STANDARD
TCU under Sonny Dykes has been one of the most consistent programs in the Big 12 since their 2022 CFP run and the 2026 season is shaping up to be another competitive year in Fort Worth. TCU continues to attract highly regarded Texas prospects despite the changing landscape of college football with NIL and conference realignment reshaping recruiting across the country. Sports Illustrated
The most exciting Texas high school connection for TCU heading into 2026 is what is coming down the pipeline. TCU offered Frisco Lone Star quarterback Trey Wright on January 30 - the same Trey Wright who led the entire country in total yards as a sophomore and is currently the most exciting young quarterback in Texas high school football. That offer tells you everything about where the Horned Frogs see their program going and what kind of player they believe fits their system. Sports Illustrated
On the current roster, TCU used spring practice to evaluate their quarterback situation with Jaden Craig getting first-team reps while coordinator Gordon Sammis installed a physical offensive system. The Frogs finished 2025 with strong momentum and they are carrying it into a 2026 season that has Big 12 title contention written all over it. Waco Robinson quarterback Brice McCurdy - one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 class - committed to TCU during the offseason, giving the Horned Frogs a future franchise signal-caller to build around. Sports Illustrated
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS - BUILDING SOMETHING REAL IN LUBBOCK
Texas Tech has been one of the more interesting programs in the Big 12 over the past two seasons and the 2026 class they put together has Lubbock genuinely excited. Texas Tech signee LaDamion Guyton is one of the freshmen across Texas college football programs identified as having a real shot to make an immediate impact in 2026. MaxPreps
The biggest Texas high school name headed to Texas Tech this fall is Kavian Bryant out of Palestine Westwood - the same Kavian Bryant who is currently representing Texas at the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles as one of the twenty best quarterback prospects in the entire country. Bryant committed to Texas Tech and gives the Red Raiders a dual-threat weapon at quarterback who could reshape their offense for the next three to four years. Bryant is committed to Texas Tech and has already become one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds and one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the 2027 class. MaxPreps
That class has not signed yet but Bryant's commitment signals that Texas Tech is doing something right in their own backyard. In a conference as competitive as the Big 12, having the most electric dual-threat quarterback in the state committed to your program is a very good place to start.
BAYLOR BEARS - DAVE ARANDA BUILDING HIS BEST CLASS
Baylor under Dave Aranda has been quietly building toward something significant and the 2026 recruiting class reflects that progress. The Bears landed the 25th-ranked recruiting class nationally for the 2026 cycle - the highest-rated class of the Aranda tenure. And the Texas high school talent in that class is central to what makes it special. MaxPreps
Quinn Murphy, a quarterback out of Liberty Christian - one of the premier TAPPS programs in the DFW area - is one of the most intriguing Texas high school players joining any Big 12 program this fall. Murphy gives Baylor a Texas-born signal-caller with the arm talent and football IQ to compete for playing time and eventually lead this offense. Liberty Christian has been a program that develops quarterbacks at a high level and Murphy is the latest product of that pipeline now heading to Waco.
Baylor also brings in Texas-based talent at multiple skill positions as Aranda continues to build the Bears into a program that can compete for Big 12 championships on a consistent basis. The 2026 season is the one where Baylor needs to prove that the foundation they have been laying can produce results when the schedule gets difficult.
SMU MUSTANGS - THE ACC NEWCOMER WITH BIG 12 ROOTS
SMU made the jump to the ACC and the Mustangs are embracing the challenge with the kind of confidence that comes from a program that has been winning games and building momentum for several seasons. Texas college football predictions for 2026 have SMU in the ACC title game - a bold call that reflects just how far this program has come under Rhett Lashlee. MaxPreps
SMU has been one of the most consistent programs in the state of Texas at winning games and developing Texas high school talent into college contributors. The DFW pipeline that feeds SMU's roster is one of the strongest in the state for programs below the SEC and Big 12 level, and the Mustangs have used that geographic advantage to build a roster that is ready to compete in their first full ACC season.
The 2026 schedule is going to test everything SMU has built. A new conference. New opponents. Higher stakes than anything they have faced before. The Texas high school players who chose Dallas over other options are going to find out exactly what they signed up for - and if the predictions are right, it might be the most memorable season in Mustang history.
THE BIG PICTURE - TEXAS TALENT IS GOING EVERYWHERE.
The five programs featured here are just the beginning of the story. Texas high school football talent is not staying in state. Freshmen from Texas high schools are expected to make immediate impacts at programs across the country in 2026 - from the SEC to the Big Ten to the ACC. The state produces so much talent that even after Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU, Houston, UTSA, and every other in-state program takes their share, there is still enough left over to stock rosters from coast to coast. MaxPreps
That is what Texas high school football does. It produces talent at a volume and a quality that no other state can match. The players who competed under the Friday night lights this past fall are now walking into college facilities across the country ready to prove they belong. And the players currently playing in spring games and 7-on-7 tournaments across Texas right now are the ones that programs are going to be fighting over for the next two years.
The 2026 college football season starts in August. Texas talent is ready.
Pitch Threads | Texas College Football