Texas Longhorns receive confirmation needed from elite five-star recruit that'll have Steve Sarkisian smiling

Richard Wesley is the No. 19 overall recruit in the 2026 class, per Rivals' composite rankings.

The Sierra Canyon (Calif.) prospect initially committed to Oregon – going viral for announcing then immediately jumping into a swimming pool with head coach Dan Lanning.

But, less than a month later he had reopened his recruitment and eventually landed in Texas' Top 5 class.

Wesley recently spoke with Rival’s Adam Gorney on why Texas was the right choice for him.

“I felt the decision was the best of both worlds,” Wesley said. “I get to play in the SEC but I also get to walk out with a good degree. God forbid, football is not forever, so if I do get hurt in the long run I’ll still walk out with something good.

“My goal is to win the natty. I’m hoping to win a state championship in my high school season and I want to win one in my college season so it’s great knowing that my team is going to be very elite when I get there and I’m going to continue the legacy.”

Richard Wesley had himself one hell of a junior season – announcing his name to the rest of the recruiting world.

The 6-foot-5, 250 pound recruit finished the year with 44 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, nine sacks, eight quarterback hurries, and three forced fumbles. His breakout performance was against nationally-ranked Mater Dei (Calif.) – finishing the night with 10 tackles and a sack.

247Sports' Greg Biggins is a huge fan of Richard Wesley's game and potential.

"Wesley was a top five overall prospect in the ’27 class before re-classifying to the ’26 class. A very talented player and the best edge prospect to come out of California since at least Kayvon Thibodeaux from the class of 2019," Biggins said. "Has actually been comped to Thibodeaux in terms of frame and play style but at the same stage in their development, might looks further along from a size, strength and toughness standpoint.

"Shows off natural pass rush ability and can dominate the run game as well. Flashes a quick get-off, uses his hands well and can bend, dip and explode off the corner. Strong at the point of attack and shows off a nice physical edge in his game," Biggins said. "Loves the weight room and has the multi-sport background we like to see in an edge rusher as well. When you combine his size, natural athleticism, motor and work ethic, his ceiling is as high as any player out West."

Wesley is one of three five-stars in Texas' 4th overall recruiting class. American Heritage (Fla.) quarterback Dia Bell and Grayson (Ga.) linebacker Tyler Atkinson round out the talented trio. The group also features 11 four-stars, headlined by Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.) athlete Derrek Cooper.