The Longhorns land a big-time prospect in the 2026 class who could end up re-classifying.
The 2026 recruiting class for the Texas Longhorns received a boost on Thursday when consensus five-star Carrollton (Ga.) safety Zelus Hicks pledged to the Horns over the Auburn Tigers, Clemson Tigers, and Ohio State Buckeyes.
BREAKING: Elite 2026 Safety Zelus Hicks has Committed to Texas, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’3 185 S from Carrollton, GA chose the Longhorns over Georgia, USC, & Ohio State
Ranked as a Top 25 Recruit in ‘26
“Just the beginning.”https://t.co/aWFLAuTaIC pic.twitter.com/XQXyWUxWrz
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) September 12, 2024
The 6’2, 190-pounder chose Texas after making two trips to the Forty Acres this year, one in the spring and one in the summer. A national prospect, Hicks holds more than 30 offers, including Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, and Washington.
“Things moved quickly with Texas,” Hicks told On3. “They came out in the spring and offered, they came heavy after me, and after that visit, I felt great about Texas. I liked the school, I meshed with coach Blake Gideon, they just kept applying pressure like no other school and I made my decision.
“They tell me I am No. 1 on their board and they are No. 1 on my board, so it is a perfect match. Me and my dad have been talking about it and I made my decision earlier this week.”
Before transferring to Carrollton, Hicks had an impressive sophomore season at Parkview in the Atlanta metro area, recording 67 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two passes broken up, and two forced fumbles.
Here’s the evaluation of Hicks from 247Sports:
A modern boundary safety who can quickly trigger downhill and act as an enforcer against the run or the first-level passing game thanks to his physical stature, football instincts and athleticism. Verified at 6-foot-2, 186 pounds with a plus wingspan and ideal combine testing data in February of 2024. Highly productive as a sophomore at Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview in Georgia’s AAAAAAA classification before transferring to Peach State power program Carrollton ahead of his junior campaign. Outstanding football IQ is regularly put on display when attacking from depth, operates with a decisive mentality and takes excellent angles. A sure tackler who can bring down slot receivers in open space or play above his weight on bigger receivers or tight ends. Provides significant value relative to his position as a blitzer. Still working on becoming a more consistent man-to-man defender and can get lost at times in the deep third. Should be viewed as a high-upside defensive back who currently projects as a boundary safety but could eventually grow into a bigger-bodied nickel. Potential to develop into a multi-year starter with NFL Draft upside.
Ranked as the No. 25 prospect nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Hicks is the No. 3 safety and the No. 5 player in Georgia. Texas currently holds two other commitments in the 2026 class, five-star quarterback Dia Bell and four-star wide receiver Chris Stewart, but there are reports that Hicks could re-classify to the 2025 class, an appealing possibility for the Longhorns after recently losing the commitment of safety Kade Phillips. Consensus five-star prospect Jonah Williams is the only safety currently pledged to the Horns in the current cycle.
The commitments of Hicks and Williams, along with the flip of Xavier Filsaime from Florida late last year have helped reverse the narrative around Texas safeties coach Blake Gideon, who has served notice that he’s an impact recruiter able to land some of the top players in the nation at his position.