Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian walks through the Texas team parade before a football game against UTEP. Gaby Velasquez / El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns Battling to Flip Michigan State Spartans Four-Star Commit

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Ylver Deleon-Rios | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 12:00 PM ET

While the Texas Longhorns' full focus is on the 2025 season and their impending rivalry matchup against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners, in one of the biggest rivalry matchups in all of college football in the Red River Rivalry from the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.

The Longhorns will look to right their wrongs from a week ago, which saw Texas pick up its second loss of the season in its conference opener in an ugly showing on the road against the Florida Gators. And restore the confidence in the Longhorns' postseason hopes, which have waned slightly after last weekend's loss.

However, as the Longhorns undoubtedly devote their time and effort to the season, that has not stopped Texas from working along on the recruiting trail. As Rivals' Greg Smith reported on Thursday that the Longhorns are looking to flip Michigan State commit four-star linebacker Braylon Hodge.

Who's Battling to Flip Braylon Hodge's Commitment

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The linebacker committed to the Spartans over the summer, committing to Michigan State on June 1. Listed as a four-star prospect by 247Sports' Composite Rankings, Hodge has flown under the radar in terms of national recognition, ranked as the No. 274 prospect in the 2026 class. However, Hodge is highly regarded at his position and out of his home state, listed as the No. 18 linebacker in the class and the No. 1 player out of the state of Colorado.

Texas's chase for Hodge has been steady as Smith reported that the four-star prospect recently took an unofficial visit with the Longhorns and will soon be headed back to Austin for his official visit.

However, the Longhorns are not the only ones battling to make their case for the linebacker, as two Big Ten teams are also working to flip Hodge from his pledge to the Spartans, as Michigan recently had Hodge in for an official visit, and Oregon will also have its chance to have Hodge in for an official visit.

What Could a Flip Mean for the Longhorns' 2026 Recruiting Class?

While not much has happened for the Longhorns on the recruiting trail, their last commit came back in July as five-star Derrek Cooper running back, committed to Texas. The Longhorns still have one of the top classes in the country with the 2026 recruiting class currently ranked as the No. 5 class in the nation and the second in the SEC by On3's Industry Comparison.

At the linebacker position, the Longhorns currently have two commitments in five-star Tyler Atkinson and four-star Kosi Okpala, both of whom committed to Texas over the summer. A flip from Hodge could give the Longhorns three highly rated linebacker prospects in the 2026 cycle.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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