On Wednesday, the Texas Longhorns had a tremendous start to the early signing period, with 24 players signing on to play for Texas. That group was good enough to slot the Longhorns fifth in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings.

On Friday, the last day of the early signing period, Texas picked up arguably its biggest piece of the 2025 recruiting cycle with 5-star defensive tackle Justus Terry announcing he too would be signing with the Longhorns.

For Texas, it’s quite the recruiting coup in being able to land Terry, who hails from Manchester (GA). Most observers felt the in-state Georgia Bulldogs would win out for the talented defender, but it was the Longhorns who won out in the end.

A one-time USC commitment, Terry had been one of the country’s hottest prospects in recent months. Schools like Texas, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and USC were all in hot pursuit before Friday’s announcement. Texas really began to surge in October when Terry took an official visit to Austin and he came away from that trip saying Texas had improved its position.

“Everything was good. I loved the atmosphere, the city. Everything was good from the players, the coaching staff, the fans – I loved everything,” Terry said following that visit. “They answered a lot of my questions. When I came out (to Austin) I was open-minded and they made a big jump in my recruitment.

Ironically, on that visit, Terry watched Texas lose to the in-state Georgia Bulldogs, but he said that one game wouldn’t impact his decision, and it clearly didn’t.

“A loss doesn’t define you. You take wins and losses in life,” Terry said.

At 6-5 and 275 pounds, Terry checks in at No. 9 on the Rivals100. He’s the nation’s No. 2-ranked defensive tackle prospect and his commitment is a tremendously-important win for the Longhorns, both in terms of natural talent and filling a position of need.