Texas has nation’s top recruiting class after landing elite defensive lineman from Georgia

One day before Texas and Georgia face off in the Southeastern Conference championship game, the Longhorns earned a surprising victory over the Bulldogs on the recruiting trail.

Justus Terry, a defensive lineman from Manchester, Georgia, announced Friday he would be leaving his home state to play for Texas next year. Terry, who also was considering Georgia and Auburn, had been the nation’s top remaining uncommitted 2025 prospect.

The addition of Terry gives Texas the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports.

“We’re super pumped about this recruiting class,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday, before Terry had announced his decision. “This is a very talented group of players that I think not only fit the physical characteristics of what we’re looking for by position in our program, but I think meet the character and are going to fit nicely into our culture.”

Although there will be an additional signing period in February, 247Sports officials said Texas should maintain its No. 1 standing. The overwhelming majority of Power Four recruits already finalized their college plans this week.

The top 11 classes as of Friday afternoon include eight Southeastern Conference schools and three Big Ten programs.

Alabama is second, with Georgia third, Oregon fourth and Ohio State fifth. Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Michigan and Tennessee round out the top 10. Florida is 11th.

The highest-rated recruiting classes outside the SEC and Big Ten are Notre Dame at No. 12 and Miami at No. 14.

Terry is the nation’s No. 2 defensive lineman and No. 10 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. His decision gives Texas nine of the 247Sports Composite’s top 66 prospects.

Texas’ other recruits rated 66th or better include safety Jonah Williams (No. 8), wide receivers Kaliq Lockett (No. 22) and Jamie Ffrench (No. 32), defensive lineman Lance Jackson (No. 25), all-purpose athlete Michael Terry III (No. 43), cornerbacks Kade Phillips (No. 54) and Graceson Littleton (No. 65), and linebacker Elijah Barnes (No. 66).

“I think it’s a really versatile class with a variety of positions, highlighted by high-level players,” Sarkisian said. “As always, we really pride ourselves on recruiting the high school ranks. We think when we can get players in here young, then immerse them into our culture, into our off-season conditioning program, develop them as we go throughout their career, that’s when we really reap the benefits of having these guys in our program. This class is no different.”

With the early signing period concluding Friday, the focus on college roster construction now turns to transfers. The transfer portal window officially opens Monday, though numerous college players already went to social media this week to announce their intentions to transfer.

The early signing period was moved up a few weeks this year so that high school seniors could get their decisions out of the way before the opening of the transfer portal window.

This marked the first signing period since the demise of the national letters of intent that prospects had sent in the past after signing with their respective schools. Athletes now are signing their names to a financial aid agreement that can include name, image and likeness agreements along with the standard tuition and room and board details.

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