Although the 2024-2025 football season has yet to subside, head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns have already been scoping out the next generation of athletes for their dynasty in the making.
The Longhorns secured the No. 1 recruiting class for 2025, with 25 high school players committed as of Dec. 6 following the early signing period, including four five-stars.
But now the focus has begun to shift over to the class of 2026, and Texas looks to add even more depth and strength to eventually turn into NFL-level talent. With two 2026 commits already making their announcement, four-star quarterback Dia Bell and three-star wide receiver Chris Stewart, Sarkisian continues to make strides toward the future success of his program.
On3’s Chad Simmons revealed his predictions for where the top 2026 recruits would call home on Wednesday and discussed Texas as an option for some of the best in the nation.
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Simmons feels the most confident that four-star offensive tackle John Turntine will commit to the Longhorns after visiting the Forty Acres multiple times and building relationships with the football staff. Turntine hails from North Crowley in Fort Worth, making Texas a candidate that’s close to home.
The 305-pound offensive lineman just helped his team win the Texas 6A Division 1 state championship title over none other than Austin Westlake, a former stomping ground for current Longhorn Michael Taaffe, and would certainly make for a promising addition. Other schools in contention for Turntine include SMU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oregon, but On3 rates Texas as having the best chance of recruitment.
“There is real confidence in Austin that Texas feels good about their position with in-state offensive tackle target John Turnstine III,” Simmons said. “He has visited Texas numerous times, and he and his family have really connected with the staff. From Steve Sarkisian to Kyle Flood to recruiting assistants, Turntine has built some strong relationships. The North Crowley star just won a state title and he is expected to take many more visits, but Texas continues to set the pace.”
Another four-star with Texas in his sights is cornerback Davon Benjamin, who listed the Longhorns within his top eight schools on Thursday. Benjamin stands as the No. 4 safety and No. 47 player overall in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. However, Simmons wasn’t positive that Texas would be the one to land Benjamin and predicted the dual-threat athlete to commit to Oregon out of over 30 offers. The Longhorns must compete against football powerhouses such as Georgia, Ohio State, and Miami in order to snag this star recruit.
There’s no doubt that it will be a tight race among all of the best college football programs to formulate a promising 2026 roster, and Texas has a decent head start with the commitment of Bell to help get the ball rolling.
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AUSTIN — Matas Vokietaitis scored 22 points, Tramon Mark added 21, and Texas handed No. 10 Vanderbilt its first loss the season, 80-64 on Wednesday night.
Dailyn Swain had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Longhorns (11-6, 2-2 Southeastern Conference), who have consecutive victories over AP Top 25 teams, having beaten then-No. 13 Alabama on Saturday.
Mark scored 16 points in the second half including consecutive 3-poiners that pushed Texas ahead by nine midway through the half.
Chendall Weaver made a fast-break layup and two free throws to give Texas a 12-point lead with 6:27 left. Then Mark made two free throws to extend the lead to 14 with 5:37 left.
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Mark is averaging 19.8 points in SEC games, hitting 11 of 23 3-point shots. He was 4 for 7 against Vanderbilt.
Duke Miles led Vanderbilit (16-1, 3-1) with 21 points and Tyler Tanner had 17. But Vanderbilt shot just 26.7% from the field in the second half, finishing the game at 36.7%.
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Vanderbilt, a good 3-point shooting team, missed nine of 10 in the second half after making 8 of 15 in the first half.
Texas shot 53%, including 7 for 17 on 3-pointers.
The Longhorns led 42-37 after a fast-paced first half for both teams. Miles made three 3-point baskets and had 14 in the half. Tanner added 10.
The Longhorns shot 55% in the half, scoring 18 points in the paint, thanks to Vokietaitis and Swain, who combined for seven baskets inside. Vokietaitis also made all four of his free throws, finishing with 12 points in the half. Jordan Pope also scored 12.
Up next
Vanderbilt: Hosts No. 19 Florida on Saturday.
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Texas: Hosts Texas A&M on Saturday.
Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
NCAA softball’s future after a record-breaking WCWS
Following Texas’ Women’s College World Series title, The Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson breaks down where NCAA softball goes from here.
Texas Tech softball coach Gerry Glasco doesn’t seem to care for the Red Raiders’ No.1 preseason ranking in the Softball America poll.
“It’s nice to get the attention and nice to get the respect, but it’s rat poison as [Nick] Saban says,” Glasco said. “I’ve never had a team ranked No. 1 in college, so it’s a new thing for me. But it really [means] absolute nothing to me. I just want to work every day, get our team ready.
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“It does mean this time is precious. We’ve got a rare opportunity this year. We’ve got a very unique team with a lot of talent. So it does mean the team’s precious, and we want to really value every opportunity to get better.”
Texas Tech will seek to avenge its 2025 Women’s College World Series loss to the Texas Longhorns. During its first WCWS appearance, the Red Raiders fell 10-4 in Game 3 of the championship series. Their remarkable march to the title series included a 54-14 regular-season record, Big 12 Coach of the Year honors for Glasco and conference regular-season and tournament titles.
The program’s historic run was also led by National Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady. The Stanford transfer played in 61 games for the Red Raiders, starting 56 matchups. She finished her junior season with a 34-7 record, 319 strikeouts, and a 1.11 ERA. As a hitter, she had a .278 batting average, 34 RBI, 30 hits and 11 home runs.
Looking ahead to the Red Raiders’ 2026 schedule, Glasco seems excited for the opportunities his roster has to compete and potentially make a run back to the WCWS.
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“The schedule gives up everything we need,” Galsco said. “We’ve got really challenging games with Texas A&M, Florida State, Nebraska ― and then our conference is going to be tough. It’s going to be a great year.”
The Red Raiders open the 2026 NCAA softball season on Feb. 6 against McNeese State.
North Texas FIFA World Cup organizers say this week will bring the first visible signs of activity.
“Tomorrow is a very big day for us,” organizer Monica Paul said. “The move-in for the International Broadcast Center for the World Cup begins. So, they will start moving in a lot of trucks, a lot of building out will take place.”
“I feel like we’re ready for this,” organizer Dan Hunt said. “I mean, this city has been built for this.”
Thousands of media arriving soon
Organizers say that by mid-May, 3,500 broadcasters, media, and staff are expected to arrive at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
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Transportation planning will involve coordination across multiple cities and agencies, as millions of fans are expected to move across the region once the tournament begins.
“A large stakeholder group has been taking shape to put this transportation plan together,” Paul said. “Our last mobility plan is due to FIFA at the end of March.”
Security effort spans all levels
Safety and security will involve local, state, and federal partners.
“We are working with the White House Task Force for the World Cup,” Paul said. “It was set up specifically to be our federal government liaison with the host cities to address any concerns.”
Organizers say they want to ensure international visitors feel welcome.
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Fan festival to anchor celebrations
For fans without tickets, Fair Park will host the FIFA Fan Festival, a large-scale viewing and entertainment experience during the tournament. The full schedule is expected to be released next month.
“With the good fortune we have here, Dallas Stadium will have nine matches which is over 700,000 tickets,” Hunt said. “Fan fest down in Fair Park should do double that. Almost 1.5 million visitors.”
“What I’m excited about is our Fan Fest is estimated to be free to the public and that excites me because everyone who does not have a ticket can also benefit from the energy of celebrating the World Cup,” organizer Nina Vaca said.
Long‑term goals beyond the tournament
With a projected $2.1 billion economic impact, organizers say the broader goal is to grow the game of soccer in North Texas long after the final match.
