Major recruiting news broke on Thursday afternoon as Texas announced that Five-Star Plus+ cornerback commit John Meredith, the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2027 cycle, had reclassified into the 2026 cycle and will join the Longhorns this fall.
With Meredith departing the class of 2027, that led to a slight shift in the Rivals Industry Ranking. Long Beach Poly (Calif.) five-star Donte Wright is now the nation's No. 1 CB in the cycle.
The Miami commit has continued to see his stock rise ahead of a big senior campaign this fall. Last week, he was named the No. 4 overall prospect and top-ranked CB in the new Rivals300. He's now the No. 9 recruit in the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies.
Wright is also the industry ranking's No. 1 player in the state of California. The 6-foot-0.5, 175-pounder has long looked like one of the best athletes in all of high school football.
"I'm not trying to sound arrogant but I do think I deserved this," Wright told Rivals' Greg Biggins after learning about his rise in the new Rivals300. "I know how hard I've worked and this has been my goal since day one.

#cycle #rivals300

The fight game is an unforgiving one.

Per MMA Junkie on Thursday, PFL DC will no longer feature Thad Jean(10-0) vs. ShamilMusaev (18-1-1) in the main attraction. For currentlyundisclosed reasons, Musaev has been forced to withdraw from hiswelterweight championship affair headlining the card at theCareFirst Arena in the U.S. Capitol. In the Russian's stead will beErnestoRodriguez (11-1), who first postedof his change in opponent and vastly elevated stakes on Wednesdaynight—he was expecting to battle AaronMcKenzie—and then fully confirmedthe news shortly after its announcement. Jean did as well shortlythereafter on his InstagramStories.

This is one of numerous cancelations on fight week and earlier, asathletes MagomedUmalatov, JackCartwright, DenisGoltsov, BrunoCappelozza and MandoGutierrez were all booked for this fight card at one time. Dueto a number of largely undeclared reasons—Cappelozza encounteredissues with his visa—all of those combatants and their scheduledpairings have either been canceled or switched around on this cardor to another. For instance, Cappelozza vs. hasbeen **** ped to PFL Charlotte in August. The current PFL DC lineup sees eightmatches remaining, although the promotion has not indicated if anylate-notice fights will be slotted on the billing.

Jean was vying to become the first U.S.-born PFL champion atop thisevent—not including those that won tournaments—and he will stillreceive that honor. "Silverback" comes into this five-rounder withample momentum on his side as the winner of the final PFL tourneyin 2025. There, he knocked out MukhamedBerkhamov, outworked JasonJackson and outperformed LoganStorley in the span of four months to claim a $500,000 checkand chance for PFL gold.

"Starboy" Rodriguez seizes this opportunity having won his PFLdebut in March. Against MasayukiKikuiri, he snagged a majority decision despite dropping whatmany observers felt was a 10-8 third round, completing a bout inwhich all three Sherdog official scorers turned in 28-28 drawtallies. The fighter born in Cuba worked his way up the Tuff-N-Uffladder from 2022 to 2025, culminating in six wins with the LasVegas-based league to reach a major organization.
ThadJean vs. ErnestoRodriguez – welterweight
TysonPedro vs. RafaelXavier – light heavyweight
SullivanCauley vs. RasulMagomedov – light heavyweight
EliezerKubanza vs. Chris Mixan– welterweight
BryceMeredith vs. Michael Cyr– bantamweight
BrandonDavis vs.

#jean #reasons #born

Five-star 2027 cornerback recruit John Meredith is re-classifying and enrolling early at the University of Texas. UT coach Steve Sarkisian announced the 6-foot-2, 190-pound DB will become a 2026 signee and will play this fall when he's ready.
At this end of his opening statement, Sarkisian added, "One addition for us, John Meredith will be an early enrollee for us. He's reclassified. He'll be with the team this fall. He's a great player for us at DB that we couldn't be more excited to have on board this us."
Meredith was the biggest June commitment across college football. The move mainly stems from Meredith being ruled ineligible by the University Interscholastic League after transferring to North Crowley from Euless Trinity. Due to the UIL ruling, Meredith had only a few options. He could have transferred out of state to play football or sit out a year.
Meredith is the highest ranked defensive back commitment in Texas football recruiting history. Which is saying something considering three former Longhorns have won the Thorpe Award as the country's best DB.
When will he be ready? Sark says he will be coached and developed and when he's read to play, he will.

#meredith #fall #ready

A major Texas Longhorns recruit is suiting up to play for them a year early. Five-star cornerback John Meredith is reclassifying from 2027 to 2026, head coach Steve Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days. That means he will be playing for next season's Longhorns.
"I'm more than ready. Looking forward to getting to campus and am ready to compete," Meredith said to Hayes Fawcett of On3. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound corner is ranked as the No. 2 corner and No. 12 prospect in the nation.
Part of this comes from his high school status. He tried transferring from Euless Trinity to North Crowley, but the District 11-6A executive committee ruled him ineligible to play his senior season. The ruling allows him to play a season early.
The Longhorns are expected to start a relatively young secondary after corner Jahdae Barron was drafted in the first round. Sophomores Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips are expected to take big roles in the secondary, and Brad Spencer and Jelani McDonald are the only seniors in the secondary.
It makes all the sense for Meredith, who could have NFL potential, and he gets to train with a Texas staff that just developed Barron. "He provides great length, great speed, tremendous man-to-man ability," Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days. "Very confident, very aggressive. All the attributes you want in a defensive back… It's not a secret why he was a top two or three player in the country in the 2027 class. We'll see how far we can take him."

#corner #secondary #days

A prized member of Texas' 2027 recruiting class will be joining the Longhorns this summer.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed Thursday at SEC media days that cornerback John Meredith III had reclassified and would be a part of Texas' team in 2026. Meredith, who recently turned 18, was a five-star recruit in the class of 2027 but had been ruled ineligible to play his senior season this fall.
Meredith is now the No. 4 cornerback recruit in the class of 2026, according to Rivals, as well as the No. 4 recruit in the state of Texas. The Fort Worth native has an estimated NIL value of $1.5 million and is one of two top-five in-state recruits joining the team this fall. Defensive lineman Jamarion Carlton, the No. 5 prospect in Texas, had been the Longhorns' best in-state recruit in the class.
Carlton went to North Crowley High School before joining the Longhorns. Meredith transferred from Trinity to North Crowley in the spring, but the University Interscholastic League, the entity that governs high school sports in the state, ruled that Meredith had transferred for athletic reasons.
That decision made Meredith ineligible for the upcoming season. He appealed, but the decision was upheld earlier in July.

#state

TAMPA, Fla. – Steve Sarkisian broke some news Thursday at the SEC's media days when he announced that blue-chip defensive back recruit John Meredith reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026 and will join Texas football for the upcoming football season.
Meredith, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound cornerback, was ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation for 2027, per 247 Sports. He played last season at Trinity High School in the Fort Worth suburbs but tried to transfer to defending state champion North Crowley in the offseason. Earlier this month, the UIL declared Meredith ineligible at North Crowley but said he could play at Trinity.
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This article originally published at Texas football: DB John Meredith reclassifies from 2027 class, joins Longhorns for 2026.

#texas #trinity #class #season

As head coach Steve Sarkisian took the stage in Tampa at SEC Media Days, focus shifted to a massive addition to the 2026 roster as consensus five-star cornerback John Meredith reclassified to the 2026 recruiting class and signed with the Texas Longhorns, the school announced on Thursday.
The decision by the 6'2.5, 187-pounder comes a little more than a month after he committed to Texas over Alabama and Texas A&M, but a more important development happened this month when the UIL denied Meredith's eligibility appeal.
After Meredith's mother got married last fall, they moved in with his stepfather as the talented cornerback switched schools from Euless Trinity to North Crowley, a decision that was ultimately deemed an athletic move by Euless Trinity and upheld by the UIL.
And although initially speculation centered around Meredith spending his senior season at IMG Academy in Florida, he was able to complete enough credits to reclassify and enroll at Texas for the 2026 season.
Previously ranked as the No. 3 player nationally and the No. 1 cornerback, Meredith will step into a deep and talented cornerback room on the Forty Acres coached by Mark Orphey.

#texas #season

The Texas Longhorns are reportedly getting a huge boost to its 2026 roster with the season just a few weeks away.
Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley Five-Star Plus+ cornerback John Meredith, the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2027 cycle, is reclassifying to the 2026 cycle and will enroll early in Austin this fall, Rivals' Hayes Fawcett confirms.
This breaking news story will be updated.

#five

Steve Sarkisian and Co. are pushing to bring another top-five recruiting class to Austin next year.
Texas has had its hands in myriad high-profile recruitments this cycle and it has often times come out with a commitment. That’s been especially true this summer.
The Longhorns landed 11 commitments in June, eight of which were of the blue-chip variety. It has already added two more in July. With 22 total commits in the mix, the class now ranks fifth nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
In what was the biggest recruiting victory of the summer, Texas beat Texas A&M for Five-Star Plus+ cornerback John Meredith, the cycle’s No. 2 overall prospect. He headlines what’s arguably the best defensive back haul in the nation.
Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver Easton Royal, the No. 1 WR overall, has been in the class since the end of November, and while LSU and Florida have tired their hardest to flip him away, he remains in the Texas class coming out of official visit season.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — An injury crisis in Australia's flyhalf ranks has resulted in Declan Meredith being selected to make his test debut for the Wallabies in the Nations Championship test against Six Nations **** list France on Saturday.
Meredith, a 27-year-old playmaker from Cairns in far north Australia who linked up with the Canberra-based Brumbies in 2023, will be the sixth different player to start a rugby test at No. 10 for Australia since July of last year.
Injuries to Carter Gordon, who started in last week's 33-31 loss to Ireland, and Ben Donaldson, who went on as a replacement and missed a late penalty goal that could have won the game, mean Meredith will join Brumbies teammate Ryan Lonergan in yet another halves pairing for the Wallabies.
In the last 12 months, Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh, James O'Connor, Tane Edmed and Gordon have been the starting playmaker for Australia.
Jock Campbell, who started at fullback last week in his first test in four years, will move to the bench as cover for Nos. 10 and 15, with Tom Wright returning at fullback in the only other change to the Wallabies' starting XV.

Yankees' Carlos Lagrange injury is terrible news for two reasons originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Yankees snapped a seven-game losing streak with a Friday night win over the Minnesota Twins, but they got some terrible news after the game.
As Meredith Marakovits of YES reported, Carlos Lagrange has a shoulder injury and is going to miss a lot of time. The Yankees' top prospect, and righty flame-thrower, is expected to miss at least six weeks.
This injury report for the Yankees is obviously terrible, but it's bad not just because of Lagrange being hurt; it's a huge blow to their trade deadline plans.
"Carlos Lagrange has been diagnosed with a capsular sprain of the right shoulder and will not throw for approximately six weeks," Marakovits reports.

There are just four five-star recruits left on the board in the 2027 recruiting class. Two of the four are big Texas Longhorns targets. Steve Sarkisian and the UT recruiting staff are working hard to get wide receiver Monshun Sales and interior offensive lineman Ismael Camara to pick the Horns.
The big names are coming off the board this faster than an NFL Draft. The recruiting calendar is shifting and more prospects are committing during the summer. Teams are wanting to get NIL deals locked in earlier and prospects are seeing the benefit of having the process over before their senior year.
Texas had 12 prospects commit during June, 11 were from the 2027 class. One of those Texas commits was a five-star, John Meredith III, who was named the biggest commitment in the month of June. The nation's No. 2 2027 recruit announced his decision on ESPN's Pat McAfee Show. Meredith picked Texas over rival Texas A&M and Ohio State.
Sark is actively recruiting two of the four super blue chip prospects remaining. Here's a look at where they stand:
Sales has narrowed his list down to five teams: Texas, LSU, Ohio State, Indiana and Alabama. He has vistted all five since April. The Longhorns were the final team Sales took an official visit to, hitting the Forty Acres on June 19. Texas actually got into the recruiting battle over Sales late in the process, offing the five-star in April.

The performance of the offensive line this coming season will dictate much off the success (or lack thereof) the Las Vegas Raiders have in Klint Kubiak's initial season as an NFL head coach.
It's a starting five where the other skill positions on Kubiak's offense relies on them being quality and getting the job done. During the miserable 2025 campaign, the group was lackluster — and that's putting it nicely. And I don't believe I'm going out on a limb when I say: Kubiak's choice of offensive line boss, Rick Dennison, should be a head-and-shoulders better coach than the one who coached the trenches last season.
With over 30 years of experience — included 10 specifically coaching an offensive line or coordinating a run game — Dennison has the task of getting the Silver & Black offensive line back on track. And this includes identifying the starting guards.
Which brings me to another point, that won't be controversial: The arrival of free-agent prize Tyler Linderbaum locks up the center position, meaning the ambiguity at the pivot is crystal clear, now. There shouldn't be any puzzling competition between Jordan Meredith and Jackson Powers-Johnson. Linderbaum is the pivot leaving both Meredith and Powers-Johnson competing for snaps at left and right guard and, perhaps, backup center.
But let's focus on Powers-Johnson — the Raiders second-round pick (44th overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3 and 325-pound Oregon product is listed as a center/guard on the team's official website, but I highly doubt he is or will push Linderbaum from the starting center gig. Thus, one of the guard spots is Powers-Johnson's route to be in the starting lineup.

Texas A&M's recruiting heater in the 2027 cycle continued this weekend, starting with rising three-star wide receiver Damani Warren committing on Friday, while five-star priority wideout Eric McFarland made things official on Sunday afternoon, choosing the Aggies of Florida and Georgia, all but completing Texas A&M's future wide receiver rotation.
With McFarland now in the fold, third-year coach Mike Elko and his staff will veer their collective focus on one of the program's final priority prospects, specifically five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson, who will announce his commitment on Wednesday, July 1, and has since taken official visits with the Aggies, Michigan, and South Carolina, and while the Wolverines reportedly made headway, Texas A&M's, according to Rivals' RPM pick, remains the leader.
After losing out on five-star cornerback John Meredith, who committed to Texas just days after his official visit with the Longhorns, landing Dobson quickly became priority No. 1, and would complete the Aggies' future cornerback room with newly minted five-star cornerback Raylaun Henry, all but shutting down his recruitment.
Compared to John Meredith, who is widely considered the top man coverage cornerback in the country, Dobson's track speed and fluid athleticism are the primary reasons he is close to, or matches Meredith's ability in man coverage, and is above average in zone coverage. Here's a Rivals scouting report from Cody Bellaire.
"Technically refined corner prospect with rare top-end speed and physical build. 6-foot-1, 180-plus pounds with over a 6-foot-5 wingspan. Excellent weight distribution throughout his frame. Can run with anyone on the field. Ran 10.78 in the 100m during his sophomore track season. Explosive and fluid athlete with tremendous change of direction. Very calm footwork and patience in coverage. Does an excellent job locating the football and playing through the receiver’s hands. Needs to continue developing physicality in run support, but is extremely advanced in cover ability."