Nation’s No. 1 LB Makes Major Recruiting Decision on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It’s been an up and down few weeks on the recruiting trail for the Texas Longhorns.
While head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff landed commitments from a few blue-chip prospects, they’ve also lost out on several that at one point trended toward the Longhorns. Fortunately, Texas received promising news on Wednesday regarding the nation’s No. 1 linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class.
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Five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson announced the final four schools left in his recruitment. Georgia, Clemson, Oregon, and Texas made the cut.
Along with being the top player at his position, Atkinson is also ranked the No. 1 overall recruit in Georgia and the No. 9 player nationally for the 2026 cycle, according to 247Sports composite.
In 2024, Atkinson was named the MaxPreps National Junior of the Year. He totaled 166 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 46 quarterback hurries, 13 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble.
“Highly-productive inside linebacker that can emerge as the soul of a defense with his instincts and athleticism,” 247Sports director of scouting said. “Could fit into a variety of different schemes at the next level and will likely offer three-down value given how he moves and strikes.”
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Atkinson took an official visit to Texas on June 20. However, according to On3’s recruiting prediction machine, Georgia is the slight leader in his recruitment with a 32.8% chance of landing him.
Related: Five Longhorns Among PFF’s Top 50 College Football Players in 2025
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
