Texas Longhorns Win Major Two Recruiting Battles as SEC Rivalry Builds with Georgia

A potential new rivalry is brewing in the SEC. Not only on the field, but also on the recruiting trail as well. That new potential rivalry is between the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Just ahead of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian taking the podium Tuesday in Atlanta for SEC Media Days, he received good news on the recruiting trail with the commitment of five-star 2026 linebacker Tyler Atkinson. A Loganville, Georgia, native was done to just Texas, Georgia, Oregon, and Clemson, and chose the Longhorns over them all.

That decision came despite the Bulldogs once being viewed as the favorites to land the Grayson High School star linebacker. After all, like Texas, Georgia has a history of producing NFL linebackers, along with being the in-state school that Atkinson had visited dozens of times.

A New SEC Rivalry?

Yet, just like they did last cycle with defensive tackle Justus Terry, the Longhorns went into the state of Georgia and pulled out one of the top prospects.

The 6-2, 210-pound linebacker ranks as the No. 9 prospect nationally, No. 1 player from Georgia, and top linebacker according to the 247Sports Composite. As you would expect of a player with that five-star rating, the Georgia native has been recruited by basically every program. Though, it was Texas that ultimately won out in the end.

Obviously, with Texas' move to the SEC, these recruiting battles will not be coming to an end anytime soon. With Texas joining the conference, it has further opened the door for the Longhorns to recruit the Peach State, while the same can be said of Georgia with the Lone Star State.

While Georgia has missed on Terry and Atkinson, they have also won their share of battles. One of the biggest being four-star defensive back Chace Calicut. Like in Atkinson's case, the home-state team was viewed as the favorite leading up to the decision. However, it ended up being the out-of-state program that won out.

Then, later, came the surprise flip of five-star defensive tackle James "JJ" Johnson. The Miami, Florida, native committed to Georgia a few weeks ago, but his pledge didn't last long before Texas managed to flip it.

It hasn't taken long for the Longhorns to become acquainted with the Bulldogs on the recruiting trail, or the playing field itself. They matched up twice, both on their way to appearances in the College Football Playoff.

Georgia managed to take both of the matchups, winning in Austin and then again in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. However, while they couldn't get past the Bulldogs, it was Texas who ended up advancing further in the playoffs.

The two will meet again at least once this coming season, when Texas travels to Athens to face the Bulldogs inside Sanford Stadium on Nov. 15th.