The momentum around Landen Williams-Callis has swung hard toward Texas.
Not long ago, the Longhorns and Texas A&M looked locked in a dead heat for the four-star running back, the No. 6 overall prospect in the Lone Star State. Now the projections are piling up for Texas, and the Horns are sitting at a 94 percent chance to land his commitment, according to On3 and Rivals.
That surge has been fueled by recruiting insiders Justin Wells and Sam Spiegelman, both of whom have projected Williams-Callis to end up in burnt orange. The crystal ball action has only intensified the buzz around a player who has become one of the most coveted backs in the 2027 class.
Williams-Callis is ranked as the No. 3 running back in the class of 2027 and the No. 47 overall prospect in the cycle. He has drawn offers from Oregon, LSU and Alabama, but his recruitment quickly narrowed to Texas and Texas A&M.
Texas also has gotten help from inside its own class. Several committed prospects have been pushing Williams-Callis to stay in state and come "home" to the Longhorns.
The latest public signal came after his official visit to Austin over the weekend of June 19, which was his seventh and final official visit of the summer. Before that trip, he had already visited LSU, Indiana, SMU, Oregon, Missouri and Texas A&M.
"HOOK'EM??" Williams-Callis wrote in all caps on X when he posted the content.
That visit appears to have left Texas in a strong position. Steve Wiltfong, the Vice President of National Recruiting for On3 and Rivals, recently said, "Texas Longhorns would be my pick today," when discussing where Williams-Callis might land.
If Williams-Callis does choose Texas, he would join fellow running back Noah Roberts in the Longhorns’ 2027 class. That would give Steve Sarkisian another building block in the backfield and add to a class that already ranks fifth nationally and second in the SEC.
The only SEC team ahead of Texas in those rankings is Texas A&M. A Williams-Callis commitment might not flip that conference race by itself, but it would give the Longhorns another jolt in the national standings.
For now, the edge belongs to Texas, and the gap appears to be widening.
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Even with James gone, Texas is not exactly scrambling to recover. The Longhorns still own a highly regarded 2027 group that remains among the best in the country and near the top of the SEC, which is why this one feels more like a warning sign than a collapse. But losing a blue-chip defender who had been viewed as part of the foundation is the sort of development that keeps a recruiting staff busy long after the headlines fade. [Read more 🡒]
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Spears Jr. picked Texas over Arizona, Kentucky and LSU, a win that matters well beyond one signing. The Longhorns have already put together a strong recruiting class and added transfers, and this is the sort of addition that can change the way a roster looks in the seasons ahead, especially in a league where size and depth are never optional. [Read more 🡒]
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For Longhorn fans, the praise lands with extra weight because it comes from across the Red River rivalry line and arrives after Texas has put together consecutive College Football Playoff trips while also navigating the move to the SEC. McGuire acknowledged how difficult the rebuild has been, which is part of what makes the compliment stand out even more, especially with the two programs still operating in the same heated conference landscape. [Read more 🡒]