Around Texas: A round-up of recruiting news in the Lone Star State
Football is here, but recruiting never stops. It is once again time to take a look around at the latest news, notes and headlines from across the Lone Star state.
Big Gets
S Jonah Williams pledges to the Horns
LB CJ Witten commits to Rice
2026 LB Tieson Ejiawoko is a Red Raider
Headlines
Football is back – High school football is here. The fall camps have come to a close, and the scrimmages have been scrimmaged. Now, it is time for the lights to come on, the stadiums to fill, and the ball to be played. There are some big, big match-ups across the state starting on Thursday at Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, with top-10 teams Austin Westlake and Prosper going toe-to-toe. Recent state champions South Oak Cliff and Galena Park North Shore will undoubtedly be a hard-fought battle down in Houston. There’s East Texas hate, with Carthage and Kilgore fighting it out on Friday night. There’s Bellville vs. Celina in Waco, and Decatur hosting Brock. On Saturday, North Crowley takes on Lancaster at The Star in Frisco. Also this weekend, DeSoto takes on Fairburn (GA) Creekside, and Melissa faces off with Little Rock (AR) Parkview. This paragraph merely scratches the surface, but it is back! There is plenty of action across the state.
Big Visit weekend – Texas A&M hosts Notre Dame with College GameDay in town for a Saturday night contest at what is sure to be a packed Kyle Field to kick off the Mike Elko era in Aggieland. The game is, without a doubt, the most intriguing match-up in Texas and one of the best in the country. As such, over 100 top prospects across four recruiting classes plan to visit College Station this weekend. Other Power 4 match-ups in Texas include Colorado State at Texas, Sam Houston at Rice, Abilene Christian at Texas Tech, UNLV at Houston, Tarleton State at Baylor and Houston Christian at SMU.
New Name to Know
WR Julian Caldwell, Argyle (TX) – 2027
At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, the word is spreading quickly about the explosive playmaker from Argyle. As a freshman, Caldwell posted 22.5 yards per reception and over 1,100 all-purpose yards in nine games on the freshman squad.
Equipped with a 36-inch vertical, he has been a playmaker on offense, defense and special teams over the years, but regardless of where he lines up, Caldwell’s goal remains the same: Find the endzone.
That mentality, combined with his athleticism, is already attracting college attention. Offers have arrived from Arkansas, Colorado State, Ole Miss, San Diego State, SMU, Texas Tech, Tulane and UNLV, and he has received interest from Oklahoma.
In addition to football, Caldwell was also a member of the freshman basketball squad, and he competed in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m, 4x200m, high jump and long jump for Argyle’s varsity track team.
He also takes care of business in the classroom, where he has a 4.0 GPA.
What’s up with the top
Houston Area Top 10
1. CB Devin Sanchez, Galena Park North Shore – Ohio State
2. S Jonah Williams, Galveston Ball – Texas
3. DB Deyjhon Pettaway, Katy Paetow – Texas A&M
4. DL Landon Rink, Cypress-Fair – Texas A&M
5. WR Andrew Marsh, Katy Jordan – Michigan
6. CB Dorian Brew, Conroe – Oregon
7. OL Jonte Newman, Cypress Bridgeland – Texas A&M
8. ATH Nick Townsend, Spring Dekaney – Texas
9. CB Cobey Sellerss, Pearland Shadow Creek – Texas A&M
10. S Kade Phillips, Missouri City Fort Bend Hightower – LSU