Trio of Texas Longhorns Commits Named Rivals Preseason All-Americans

Dia Bell - Quarterback

Texas's top commit of the class, Fort Lauderdale (F.L.) product five-star quarterback Dia Bell, leads the way. The quarterback is the No. 1 player at his position and is touted as the fourth-best player nationally. As a junior, Bell accounted for 2,597 passing yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 561 yards and an additional five touchdowns en route to earning Florida’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024.

Steve Sarkisian currently has a run in recruiting the top quarterback prospects in recent years. Starting with his second year at the helm in 2022, which brought in transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers, who, as a high school prospect, was touted as the No. 1 quarterback and player in the country. The Longhorns' 2023 recruiting class saw Texas once again bring in the top quarterback and player in the class, this time with Arch Manning.

And in the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes, both have had quarterbacks ranked top-20 in the country at the position. With four-star Trey Owens touted as the No. 20 quarterback in the 2024 class and four-star K.J. Lacey ranked as the No. 18 quarterback in the 2025 class.

Tyler Atkinson - Linebacker

Touted as the No. 1 linebacker in the country and the ninth best player in the nation, it's not a surprise to see Tyler Atkinson on Rivals' list of high school preseason All-Americans. The five-star prospect recorded an impressive 166 tackles, 32 going for a loss, and 13 sacks last season as a junior.

The Longhorns have recruited well at the linebacker spot with Anthony Hill Jr. in 2023, who ranked as the second-best linebacker in the 2023 class. And recently bringing in four-star Ty'Anthony Smith with the 2024 recruiting class and four-star Elijah Barnes, who ranked as the No. 3 linebacker in the 2025 class.

Derrek Cooper - Running Back

The third Longhorn commit on Rivals' list is five-star running back Derrek Cooper, who ranks as the No. 2 player at his position and No. 37-ranked player nationally. As a junior last season, Cooper rushed for 905 yards and 13 touchdowns on 124 carries.

The Longhorns have always been known to produce NFL-caliber running backs, but Sarkisian has had five running backs drafted in three years and is currently on a run of having a running back drafted in three straight NFL Drafts. That started in 2023 with Bijan Robinson, who that year was selected No. 8 overall, and Roschon Johnson, who was drafted in the fourth round.

In 2024, the Longhorns had Jonathon Brooks taken in the second round and Keilan Robinson in the fifth round. And in the most recent NFL Draft, Jaydon Blue was selected in the fifth round.