Son of Texas Legend Throws Longhorns Hat on Ground Before Committing to Notre Dame originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Texas Longhorns fans went into Friday hoping to make three monster splashes on the recruiting trail only to be spurned twice.
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Starting with the positive, the Longhorns were able to secure a commitment from the nation’s No. 2 interior offensive lineman, John Turntine III. According to 247Sports, Turntine ranks as the No. 53 player in the country and the No. 7 player in the State of Texas, giving Texas six top-100 recruits.
As for the not-so-positive, the Longhorns missed out on the No. 1 offensive tackle in the class in Felix Ojo at the last minute, as Texas Tech came swooping in with an offer that will see him earn as much as $5.1 million to be a Red Raider.
While that one stings, it may not hurt as badly as missing out on the son of program legend Jermichael Finley, Kaydon Finley.
The younger Finley even toyed with Texas fans, before eventually revealing he was committing to Notre Dame.
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As seen during his commitment, the Aledo product picked up the Texas hat from the table and nearly put it on before tossing it to the ground. He then picked up Notre Dame’s hat and revealed his pledge to Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish.
It is certainly a massive addition for Notre Dame, which now has the No. 3 class in the country, according to 247Sports.
Finley also marks the second in-state recruit that Notre Dame beat Texas out for, as the Longhorns were also in the mix for four-star running back Javian Osborne for the majority of his recruitment.
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian.Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
If there was a silver lining for Texas when it comes to missing on Finley, it’d have to be the fact that they brought in an elite group of receivers last cycle. They brought in two five-stars in Jaime Ffrench and Kaliq Lockett, while also landing the nation’s No. 1 athlete, Michael Terry III.
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Losing Finley may sting because of his father’s connection to the program, but Texas has put together top classes seemingly every year under Sarkisian, so it’s safe to say they’ll live.
Related: Nation’s No. 1 QB Names College Football Powerhouse He Envisions Himself Playing At
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
