Recruiting insider names Arch Manning's Texas as potential destination for major 4-star standout

Over the weekend, Texas received a pledge from four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland, boosting its 2026 recruiting class to No. 10 nationally with 15 commitments. Arch Manning's school is also gaining momentum with another top defensive line target.

On Sunday, Chad Simmons of On3 predicted that the Longhorns would land four-star prospect Kendall Guervil in the 2026 class.

Expand Tweet

Guervil is the No. 12 defensive lineman in the 2026 class and the No. 14 recruit in Florida, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. This summer, he took official visits to Florida State (May 30-June 1), Georgia (June 6-8) and Florida (June 13-15), before wrapping up with a visit to Texas last week.

Speaking to Benjamin Wolk of Dawgs247, Guervil expressed high praise for the Longhorns:

"To be honest, it's the city of Austin, Texas. It's great. It's amazing. And the school itself is just amazing, the people around. I feel like Texas is everything I would need down there if I was to go there.

"And just, you know, the people, the atmosphere, the community over there is just great. And all around it's just, I feel like Texas would be an amazing place to be at, especially Austin, Texas."

Guervil has moved up his commitment date to July 2, having initially planned to announce in December.

Texas is gaining the attention of another top DL in the Class of 2026

Four-star defensive lineman James Johnson visited Texas last weekend for an official visit. He had initially planned to visit Syracuse, but later decided to head to Steve Sarkisian's program instead.

It seemingly turned out to be successful, as Johnson raved about Texas' development following the trip.

“They've sent a lot of guys from the d-line to the NFL," Johnson told Horns247. "They're definitely one of the d-line U's.”

As a junior in the 2024 season, James Johnson recorded 60 tackles (29 tackles for loss), five sacks and five quarterback hurries. On3 ranks him as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class.

Johnson is seen as a game-changer on the defensive front and can be a major asset for any big school. His potential addition will be a next-level move for Texas' 2026 class.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

Know More

Texas Longhorns Fan? Check out the latest Texas Longhorns depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by John Maxwell