Texas Longhorns land commitment from 4-star 2026 cornerback

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns football program are poised for a big 2025 season as they are ranked in the top three of most preseason polls. However, the coaching staff is thinking about the future as well as they continue to build their 2026 recruiting class. The latest addition is a 4-star cornerback from Louisiana, Hayward Howard Jr.

Howard, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound CB from New Orleans, chose Texas over Miami, Florida State, and LSU, his home-state squad, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

National Signing Day for the Class of 2026 is still about a year away, but Howard gives Texas another major commitment to a group headlined by quarterback Dia Bell, the No. 5-ranked signal-caller in the country.

With the future of Texas football looking strong thanks to Hayward Howard Jr. and others, Longhorns Nation turns its attention to the upcoming campaign and, maybe more importantly, on a national scale, the start of the Arch Manning era.

Manning is the most hyped quarterback prospect to take the field in the SEC since his famed uncles made their starting debuts at Tennessee and Ole Miss over two decades ago. And he will do so without a ton of players who helped Steve Sarkisian, Quinn Ewers, and the rest of the 2024 Texas Longhorns football team reach the College Football Playoffs semifinals before falling to the eventual national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

In addition to Manning taking over for Ewers under center, Texas will have to find a way to replace 12 players taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. This list includes the team’s left tackle, Kelvin Banks Jr., two wide receivers in Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond, and a ton of defensive talent such as Jahdae Barron, Alfred Collins, Andrew Mukuba, and Barryn Sorrell.

The good news is, in addition to Manning, Sarkisian has the No. 1 freshman recruiting class in the country coming in this season, according to 247Sports.

Five-star recruits like safety Jonah Williams, defensive tackle Justus Terry, and WR Kaliq Lockett will help fill the void left by the likes of Barron, Golden, and Collins.