Here’s where The Daily Texan will be reporting each member of Texas’ 2019 signing class. Follow along throughout the day for updates on all future Longhorns.
All rankings are from 247Sports’ composite rankings.
9:40 a.m.: Caleb Johnson
Texas will lose Gary Johnson after the Sugar Bowl, but Caleb will arrive just like Gary did: as a junior college transfer. Caleb spent two seasons at Fullerton College in California and is the third ranked junior college outside linebacker in the country. Caleb was originally committed to Iowa State, but decided to trade in the gold and cardinal for burnt orange and white.
9:10 a.m.: De’Gabriel Floyd
The fourth ranked inside linebacker in the country out of Westlake Village, California, joins the Longhorns’ latest class as a four-star recruit after turning down a series of Pac 12 challengers in USC, Arizona and Arizona State. Floyd, who is graded the third highest behind only Tyler Johnson and Jordan Whittington among Texas’ group of newcomers, will make the trip to San Antonio on Jan. 5 for an opportunity to play in the All-American Bowl.
It’s time… pic.twitter.com/cUxhweC6xU
— DeGabriel Floyd (@DSAVAGE_1) December 17, 2018
8:47 a.m.: Marcus Tillman Jr.
This three-star outside linebacker from Orlando, Florida checks as the No. 22 outside linebacker in the country. Tillman originally planned on playing in his home state for the Florida Gators before committing to Texas over programs such as Ohio State and Clemson. With Gary Johnson departing after the Sugar Bowl, Tillman will have a shot at making an impact in his first season.
8:37 a.m.: Marcus Washington
With the signing of Washington on Wednesday morning, Texas locked up its third top-30 receiver in the 2019 cycle. Washington, a 6-foot-2-inch wideout from St. Louis turned down offers from Ohio State, Alabama and others to join the Longhorns. Washington’s official commitment adds depth to a wide receiver group that has a lot of questions swirling amid some impending decisions on the futures of two potential NFL Draft selections.
8:17 a.m.: Jake Smith
The Gatorade National Player of The Year is coming to the 40 Acres. In Smith’s senior year at Notre Dame Preparatory in Scottsdale, Arizona, the wide receiver recorded 64 receptions for 1,100 yards and 39 total touchdowns, and played at six different positions, tacking on 4.5 sacks with 18 tackles. It isn’t clear yet if Collin Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey will return to Texas for their senior seasons, but Smith will bring a show of his own.
Couldn’t wait any longer. Signed and proud to officially be a Texas Longhorn! pic.twitter.com/ejGlnD6bu0
— Jake Smith (@jakesmith27) December 19, 2018
8:15 a.m.: Tyler Johnson
Atop of Texas’ 2019 Early Signing Day commit list stands 6-foot-5-inch, 308-pound offensive lineman Tyler Johnson. The four-star lineman will have the opportunity to work with offensive line coach Herb Hand, who has received nothing short of praise upon arriving at Texas this season. With the departures of Calvin Anderson, Elijah Rodriguez and Patrick Vahe, Johnson could be in the mix right away.
8:14 a.m.: Myron Warren
The 6-foot-3-inch defensive end and No. 21-ranked athlete in the state of Louisiana is heading one state over to play for Tom Herman. Warren’s signing didn’t come as a surprise to anyone as he made his hard commitment last month. It’s tough to anticipate Warren, or any true freshman, will start immediately, but with all three starters on the defensive line heading out next season, Warren is arriving at the right time.
8:13 a.m.: Jacoby Jones
Although he’s just a three-star recruit, Jones joins the Longhorns as the second-best strong-side defensive end in the country after an impressive stint at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. Jones was tied to the Oklahoma Sooners for nearly two months before he officially decommitted on Nov. 13. Eight days later, the JUCO product flipped to Texas and will now serve as an instant contributor on Oscar Giles’ defensive line.
8:12 a.m.: Brayden Liebrock
Liebrock, a 6-foot-5-inch product from Chandler, Arizona, announced his intent to enroll at Texas in 2019, joining Jared Wiley as the second tight end to sign with the Longhorns on Wednesday. The four-star recruit is among Texas’ most coveted in the class, coming in as the fifth-ranked tight end of 2019. With Liebrock and Wiley now planning on calling the 40 Acres home, there’s an abundance of young talent on the team at tight end.
8:10 a.m.: Kennedy Lewis
Lewis’ path to Austin has been a long and winding road. After committing to Big 12 rival TCU in June, the Melissa, Texas, wide receiver decommitted on Oct. 16, and didn’t announce his final decision until Tuesday. Lewis made his Longhorn future official early Wednesday morning. Lewis is one of four receivers headed to Texas, but don’t expect the 6-foot-3-inch wideout to get lost in the depth chart.
8:01 a.m.: T’Vondre Sweat
This 6-foot-4-inch, 265-pound defensive end out of Huntsville, Texas, turned down several offers from programs such as Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas A&M for the opportunity to play in Austin. The term “underrated” is often used to describe this three-star defensive lineman, but Sweat will have more than enough opportunities to prove himself under Todd Orlando and Oscar Giles.
7:36 a.m.: Peter Mpagi
The Longhorns offered Mpagi a scholarship back in June and it only took two days for the 6-foot-4-inch, 224-pound defensive end to make up his mind, committing to Texas just two days later. The weak-side end from Richmond, Texas, has plenty of speed off the edge to pressure quarterbacks and bring down runners in the backfield.
7:33 a.m.: David Gbenda
Gbenda signed as the first of two talented inside linebackers in Texas’ 2019 class, with the Katy, Texas, native coming in as a four-star recruit. Gbenda fielded offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Houston and others before committing to the Longhorns earlier this fall. Gbenda’s signing, paired with the commitment of De’Gabriel Floyd, makes for a successful Early Signing Day in Austin on the linebacker front.
7:29 a.m.: Tyler Owens
Owens is the second safety joining the Longhorns during the early signing period. As the 16th-ranked safety in the nation, Owens helps add to Texas’ depth at defensive back after adding Chris Adimora, Kenyatta Watson II and Marques Caldwell earlier Wednesday morning. Despite the departures of three starters in the secondary this offseason, it appears defensive coordinator Todd Orlando will have plenty of talent to work with heading into the Longhorns’ 2019 campaign.
7:28 a.m.: Jared Wiley
The 6-foot-6-inch, 225-pound Wiley possesses the frame and skillset capable of replacing the production of fifth-year senior Andrew Beck. The Temple, Texas, standout turned down offers from Houston, Missouri, SMU and Texas State to join the Longhorns after signing his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. Texas enters 2019 with no senior tight ends on the roster and the potential for a number of players to take over the reps usually owned by Beck.
7:27 a.m.: Roschon Johnson
Johnson is perhaps best known for his 2017 playoff game at Port Neches-Groves, in which he accounted for 598 total yards and 10 touchdowns in a 72-69 win over Crosby. The four-star quarterback now hopes to bring those video game-like numbers to Texas after signing with the in-state Longhorns on Wednesday. Johnson, who ranks as the fourth-best dual threat quarterback in the 2019 class, fills in alongside redshirt freshmen Cameron Rising and Casey Thompson as the next in line among a now-crowded quarterback room. With the addition of Roschon Johnson, the Longhorns now have plenty of depth at quarterback after missing the mark at the position for much of the last decade.
Patiently waiting… pic.twitter.com/8diWsxs1MS
— Shug (@RoschonJ) December 16, 2018
7:24 a.m.: Chris Adimora
The 17th-ranked safety in the 2019 class turned down the likes of Boise State, Alabama and Arizona State before signing with the Longhorns on Wednesday. The four-star recruit is one of two safeties signing with Texas on Early Signing Day, giving the Longhorns another packed class of defensive backs after the additions of Caden Sterns, B.J. Foster and Anthony Cook in last year’s third-ranked recruiting class.
7:13 a.m.: Marques Caldwell
Texas added its second cornerback of the signing period as Caldwell put pen to paper early Wednesday morning. Caldwell joins Kenyatta Watson II as the two corners in the class and one of the four defensive backs to join the Longhorns. The 6-foot-1-inch, 171-pound player from Alvin, Texas, is a three-star recruit and the 62nd ranked cornerback nationally.
7:03 a.m.: Jordan Whittington
The four-star wide receiver out of Cuero, Texas, took a brief break from preparing for the UIL 4A State Championship this week and made his commitment official. The 6-foot-1-inch, 198-pound wideout checks in as the ninth best receiver in the country. Whittington will be in action at AT&T Stadium this Friday at 11 a.m. as the Cuero Cobblers take on Pleasant Grove for the state championship.
6:07 a.m.: Derrian Brown
Brown joins Texas’ newest class as the only running back expected to sign Wednesday. The 5-foot-11-inch, 188-pound runner from Buford, Georgia, comes in as a four-star recruit with the potential to see a solid number of reps after the departures of Tre Watson and Toneil Carter.
6:06 a.m.: Kenyatta Watson II
The Longhorns kicked off the early signing period Wednesday by adding Watson as the first member of their 2019 signing class. A 6-foot-2-inch cornerback hailing from Loganville, Georgia, Watson is one of four defensive backs in Texas’ recruiting class and a four-star player expected to be a part of a talented young secondary on the rise.
