Four-star Texas S commit Zelus Hicks re-classifies to 2025 class

The Georgia product will head to the Forty Acres early.

When Carrollton (Ga.) safety Zelus Hicks committed to the Texas Longhorns as a member of the 2026 recruiting class less than two months, the possibility always loomed that he could end up in Austin earlier than that. On Tuesday, the possibility became a reality with Hicks telling On3 that he is re-classifying to the 2025 recruiting class.

When Hicks committed to Texas over Georgia, Ohio State, and USC, he was ranked as the No. 25 prospect nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, and as the No. 3 safety and the No. 5 player in Georgia. But after re-classifying, he’s dropped in the rankings, down to a consensus four-star rating as the No. 249 player nationally and the No. 23 safety.

But for the Longhorns, the drop in the rankings when compared to older players matters less than the fact that he’s bolstering a 2025 recruiting class that has struggled to land impact players in the secondary, holding only two previous pledges.

One of those pledges, Fort Bend Marshall cornerback Caleb Chester, is the lowest-rated recruit among the 22 current pledges, but the other commitment, from Galveston Ball safety Jonah Williams, is massive — he’s a possible instant-impact contributor ranked No. 6 nationally, making him the highest-rated recruit for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff in this cycle.

Hicks is less likely to make an early impact with the need to mature physically in addition to needing to make up for the lost reps from re-classification, but there’s still plenty to love about his long-term potential for the Longhorns.