Texas Longhorns Miss Out on Elite Five-Star QB to In-State Rival

While the Texas Longhorns were battling on Saturday morning, hosting their first home game in well over a month against the No. 9 Vanderbilt Commodores, action was taking place on the recruiting trail.

Texas got the exact performance that was needed, storming out to an early lead, heading into the fourth quarter with a 20-point lead, and being able to hang on to come away with a 34-31 statement victory and improve to a 7-2 record overall.

However, while the Longhorns were in a hard-fought matchup with the Commodores throughout the afternoon, Texas lost a battle out on the recruiting trail on Saturday.

A couple of hours after the Longhorns secured their victory over the Commodores, one of their top targets for the 2027 recruiting class made his decision. Five-star quarterback Kavian Bryant made his commitment, choosing the Texas Tech Red Raiders over a group of finalists that also included the Longhorns, Florida State Seminoles, Colorado Buffaloes and SMU Mustangs.

Ultimately, the five-star prospect did not decide to go with the Longhorns, instead making the decision to head out to West, Texas, and commit to one of Texas’s former Big 12 rivals in the Red Raiders, after making his choice live on CBS Sports HQ.

Ranked as a five-star prospect by 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, the Palestine, Texas native is one of the top quarterback recruits in the cycle, listed as the No. 2 signal caller in the class of 2027. Taking an outward look, the quarterback is ranked as the fifth-best player out of the Lone Star State and the No. 28 player in the nation for the 2027 recruiting cycle.

In his sophomore year of high school football at Westwood High School, the five-star recruit totaled 2,442 yards, 34 touchdowns, and three interceptions. A dual-threat prospect, Bryant ran for 709 yards and 11 touchdowns as well, averaging more than 12 yards per carry.

Obviously, the Longhorns are led by Arch Manning this year, and as some expect, the first-year starter will be back for one another year as the leader of Steve Sarkisian’s offense.

Already on the roster are second-year quarterback Trey Owens, a former four-star recruit in the 2024 class, and true freshman quarterback KJ Lacey, who was also a four-star prospect part of the Longhorns’ top-ranked 2025 class.

And waiting in the wings is the No. 1 quarterback in the country for the 2026 class in five-star prospect Dia Bell, who’s been a long-time pledge to the Longhorns. He originally committed to Texas in June 2024.

While the Longhorns might be set at the quarterback position for the next few years, missing out on Bryant is undoubtedly a loss for Texas on the recruiting trail, but now Sarkisian and company can direct their attention to other quarterbacks in the 2027 class.