Five-star running back Landen Williams-Callis is set to make his college decision Saturday night, and Texas is right in the middle of the race.
The Richmond Randle standout will pick from Texas, SMU, Texas A&M, Houston and Missouri after drawing more than 40 scholarship offers from some of the nation’s top programs. His commitment is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
CT on Saturday, Aug. 1.
Williams-Callis has already built a high school résumé that borders on absurd. Before he even became a star at Randle, he had picked up the nickname “Baby Jesus,” and his production has only made the label stick. He led Randle to the school’s first UIL Class 5A Division II state championship during his sophomore season, when he earned Offensive MVP honors in the title game after returning a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown and finishing with more than 100 rushing yards.
He was back at AT&T Stadium the following year and turned in another massive season. As a junior, Williams-Callis rushed for more than 3,500 yards and 59 touchdowns, then set a championship record with a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. South Oak Cliff still won the game, but Williams-Callis added another highlight to a career already packed with them.
Last season, he piled up 4,035 all-purpose yards, a Houston area single-season record in 2025. Now heading into his senior year, he has 7,551 career rushing yards and 133 touchdowns.
That production has made him one of the most coveted recruits in Texas high school football history at the position, and he enters his decision ranked as the No. 3 running back in the country. For Texas, landing him would add another premium back to a program that has recently sent Bijan Robinson, Jaydon Blue, Jonathon Brooks and Roschon Johnson to the NFL.
The Longhorns’ running back lineage runs deeper than that, of course. Earl Campbell, Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams and Jamall Charles all carved out iconic careers in burnt orange before moving on to the league.
Williams-Callis’ announcement will be carried live by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, the publication that made him its first solo high school cover athlete since Cedric Benson in 2000. Asked about that honor, he said, "It's a blessing," Landen told the publication.
"I just put in the work; I deserve it. I've just been staying down, putting my head down and staying humble, because [I] wouldn't be here without God."
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