Texas Longhorns Early Contenders for 4-Star Linebacker in 2027 Recruiting Class

As the Texas Longhorns are currently looking to land commitments from some of the top prospects in the 2026 recruiting class, with many of the top recruits having committed in the past few weeks. However, this has not stopped the Longhorns from looking at their next year's recruiting class, finding themselves in the early running for a prospect in the 2027 recruiting class.

Four-star 2027 linebacker Braylon Williams posted on X his top 20 schools as he enters his junior season of high school football. The Longhorns find themselves in the mix alongside other top programs across the country, like the Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Texas A&M Aggies, and Michigan Wolverines, among others.

The Arlington (T.X.) product is currently rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports Composite Rankings and as the No. 21 player at his position, the No. 42 ranked player out of Texas, and the No. 297 player nationally early on in the 2027 class recruiting rankings.

Why Texas Should Be a Standout Destination for Braylon Williams

As of late, Steve Sarkisian, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, and linebackers coach Johnny Nansen have revitalized the linebacker room at Texas. With a recent draftee in Jaylan Ford being taken in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft to the New Orleans Saints, Texas is slowly building a pipeline at the linebacker position now, with Anthony Hill Jr. being primed to be the next Longhorn linebacker drafted. Many analysts see Hill as a potential first-round draft pick in the 2026 NFL draft if the All-American were to declare for the draft after this upcoming season.

Another standout of the Longhorns' coaching development is the development of Trey Moore and Liona Lefau. Moore came to the Longhorns last season after transferring from UTSA, and while in his first year, he finished with 36 tackles and just 6.5 sacks. Moore returned to Texas for his senior year, where not only will he continue growing as a prolific pass rusher, but he will also add the ability to play off-ball linebacker, which could help Moore at the next level.

And Lefau, who in 2023 had just seven tackles, to a breakout season in 2024 where he became a vital piece of the Longhorns defense, with 63 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, two sacks, an interception, and three pass deflections. Texas also has second-year player Ty'Anthony Smith, who could potentially see an increase in his role and production in his sophomore season.

The Longhorns have continued to add to their linebacker room with former Arkansas Razorback Brad Spence transferring in for the upcoming season. Last season with Arkansas, Spence totaled 55 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and one pass deflection. Texas also added one of the touted linebacker prospects to the team in Elijah Barnes, who was the No. 3 linebacker prospect in the 2025 class and No. 60 in the 2025 recruiting class.

While it is still early in the recruitment of Williams, the Longhorns could potentially become one of the programs that stand out for the four-star, and Williams will be an interesting prospect to follow through the recruitment process for Texas.