Texas Longhorns Lose Out On 5-Star Linebacker to SEC Rival

The Texas Longhorns already boast what many analysts call the top recruiting class of the 2024-25 offseason, already landing two 5-star recruits in the class of 2026.

Unfortunately, their attempt at adding a third did not end in success on Sunday afternoon, as 5-star linebacker Xavier Griffin out of Gainesville, GA, instead decided to commit to Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In addition to the Longhorns, Griffin also considered the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Florida State Seminoles as potential schooling options.

Griffin Was Originally Committed to the USC Trojans

After originally announcing his commitment to the University of Southern California, Griffin eventually announced his decommitment from the school and instead took official visits to each of his four finalists over this past month.

Griffin was ranked as the top linebacker as well as the top player in all of Georgia in the 2026 class, the eighth-best player nationally.

Across his past two seasons at Gainesville High School, Griffin tallied 97 total tackles, 21 tackles, and forced three fumbles, with his 2024 season being cut short due to injury and resulting in him only playing eight games, where he still scored 43 tackles, six sacks, and a forced fumble.

Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting for 247Sports, compared Griffin's style of play to that of Jihaad Campbell, a linebacker for the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

"Multi-faceted defender with a top-flight testing profile that should offer both on- and off-ball linebacker as he can rush the passer and stack against the run while also dropping back into coverage," Ivins' report on Griffin reads. "Lanky and lean at this stage but should undergo a major physical transformation in the coming years as he’s on the younger side for the grade and equipped with larger features. Fires out of both a two- and three-point stance in the blink of an eye and will get around obstacles with his slick agility and lateral quickness. Possesses true sideline-to-sideline range and will make stops in pursuit with his gap-closing burst."

Griffin, who stands at 6'4 tall and weighs in at 212 pounds, became the second five-star prospect to commit to Tuscaloosa after Jorden Edmonds, a cornerback who also happens to hail from Georgia.

As for the Burnt Orange, this still leaves them without a linebacker recruit in the 2026 class, although they did recently just add edge rusher Richard Wesley and defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland as commits to further strengthen the defensive front.