Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian raises the trophy as the Texas Longhorns celebrate their 39-31 double overtime win over the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 1, 2025. Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns Land Commitment From Former Alabama 4-Star

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By JD Andress | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 4:27 PM ET

The Texas Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian have earned another big commitment this month, this time it was one of the top defensive lineman in the entire country.

Vodney Cleveland, a top-five defensive line recruit according to 247Sports, has committed to the Longhorns, per On3's Hayes Fawcett.

Cleveland picked the Longhorns over Miami, Florida, North Carolina, and Alabama, making this a big steal for Texas' defensive line coach Kenny Baker, as Cleveland is ranked as a top-10 recruit in the state of Alabama.

It was believed the six-foot-three, 305 pound defensive lineman would stay in-state, as his uncle played for Auburn but a trip to the Forty Acres last weekend for an official visit changed his mind, telling InsideTexas:

“Texas is definitely different from any atmosphere I’ve seen, Everyone is together, everybody is on the same page, strong family vibes. That’s what you want in a program.”

Vodney had been committed to Alabama since the beginning of his sophomore season, and had recently taken official visits to the other schools on his list before ultimately deciding the Longhorns would be where he wants to go.

Cleveland is the third defensive line commit of the 2026 cycle for Steve Sarkisian and Kenny Baker, joining Dylan Berrymon and Corey Wells. He is the highest-ranked of the three commits for that position group.

The Longhorns' 2026 recruiting class currently sits at number 21 in the country, with more expected additions coming to raise that ranking, more so now after Dia Bell became the first Longhorns recruit to win the Elite 11 Finals MVP.

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

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