Tom Loy (247 Sports) gushes over our 2026 class. Fun read. TL;dr for indolent - Jermaine Bishop - best pound for pound player in the class, better than Travis Hunter at this stage, likes him even more at safety, Malachi Toney is a comp. Dia Bell - developed in to one of the smoothest, most polished passers in all of high school football Loaded class overall - Atkinson, Okpala, Wesley, Matthews, Cooper, Carlton, Johnson Thinks this class will help us win a title in the next four years. Note - several players mentioned as "day one contributors." Nothing on the OL. Tom's Three Thoughts: Texas' 2026 Signing Class (Tom Loy / 247 Sports) Tom's Three Thoughts: Texas' 2026 Signing Class Tom Loy Texas secured the No. 8 recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports. 23 signees from the class of 2026 are set to play for head coach Steve Sarkisian. Five-star two-way athlete Jermaine Bishop and quarterback Dia Bell are the two five-star headliners of the class. The group is also loaded with Top100 prospects like linebackers Tyler Atkinson and Kosi Okpala, and edge rusher Richard Wesley. There are another five Top247 signees headed to town. Here are three thoughts when looking at the entire class. TEXAS LANDED THE BEST POUND FOR POUND FOOTBALL PLAYER IN 2026It's nothing you all haven't heard before, but Willis (Texas) High five-star two-way athlete Jermaine Bishop is special. I know some people want to throw around Travis Hunter as the comp, but I think Bishop is actually a better pure football player on both sides of the ball than even Hunter was at this stage in his career. Both are truly incredible talents, though, so that's surely not a slight at either. Pound for pound, I'm not sure you'll find a better high school prospect in 2026 than Bishop. The 5-11, 155-pounder is incredible with the ball in his hands. Our own Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins compares Bishop to Miami star freshman receiver Malachi Toney and believes he could be an immediate impact guy day one in Austin. I couldn't agree more. Bishop is just a little different than most as a receiver and could be electric in the slot when he arrives in Austin. However, at safety, I think I like Bishop even more on the back end of the defense. He's a difference-maker in the secondary. His ability to roam around, find the football, show his physicality, and put his elite ball skills on display is incredible. His tape is something else. If you're Texas, just get him on the field somewhere as soon as possible and let him make your team better. TEXAS LANDED A DAMN GOOD ONE IN DIA BELLThe Elite 11 MVP himself, Dia Bell, signed with Texas in December. The 6-3, 215-pounder committed to the Longhorns early and never wavered, despite a strong push from a variety of programs. He was loyal to the school, and the program showed that same respect back to him when he suffered a season-ending injury, which cut his senior campaign short. That said, I've seen enough from Bell over the years that I am not questioning how talented he is, not in the slightest. Bell is incredibly gifted. However, this isn't something that came naturally. I've watched him throw it around since he was in the 8th grade. It didn't always look this clean or this natural. Fast forward a couple of years, and he has transformed into one of the smoothest, most polished passers in all of high school football. He's super clean mechanically. It's all a credit to the work he has put in to put himself in that elite, upper-tier category among the nation's best. Bell is a tremendous talent, a terrific leader, and one day he'll be a Texas captain. No doubt in my mind that he's going to have a special career in Austin. THIS CLASS IS LOADED!I could go on and on about just about every player in Texas' 2026 recruiting class. This class is truly loaded in every sense of the word. Top100 linebacker Tyler Atkinson is outstanding and one of the most day-one-ready defenders this cycle. He's smart, he's a student of the game, he's a football guy, and he's physically ready to help right away. What a finish to the high school career for Top100 linebacker Kosi Okpala. Talk about trending up! He's elite. Top100 edge rusher Richard Wesley is another immediate impact guy in this class. At No. 80 overall, don't tell our scouting team, but I think he's one of the most underrated guys in the class. Top247 cornerback Samari Matthews may be my favorite player in Texas' class. I think he's one of the surest things from the group and a future All-American. Early in his career, I thought Derrek Cooper had the athleticism to be a lockdown, shutdown cornerback. He's that gifted on defense. Then you put the ball in his hands and you realize how special he is at running back. Top247 defensive linemen Jamarion Carlton and James Johnson were massive pickups for Texas. Two others that were huge gets and guys that can help you day one. I can't say enough good things about the group Steve Sarkisan, the entire coaching staff, general manager Brandon Harris, chief of staff Jared Blank, director of player personnel John Michael Jones, and so many others did this cycle. It's a special, special group of difference-makers that will get Texas over the hump and, in my opinion, back on top as national champions in the next four years.