Coming into his junior season this year, Port Arthur Memorial defensive end Michael Riles was already a highly-sought after prospect, holding offers from programs like Texas, Texas A&M, USC and others. So far this year, in helping Memorial get off to an 8-0 start, Riles says he’s backing up those offers with improved play from his sophomore year.

“Things are going good. My ball get off is very fast, improved from last year,” Riles said. “I’m mainly just focused on just playing, being me.”

On the recruiting front, Riles is keeping things pretty open. He did attend the Texas-Houston game in Houston last weekend and said he liked what he saw from both programs.

“I like the stadium. I like how the (Houston) team just plays as a team. They didn’t give up, down 21-0,” Riles said. “It definitely wasn’t Texas’ best day but they didn’t give up, kept fighting.”

The Longhorns offered Riles in the spring and he was on campus this summer for a quick visit. He stays in regular contact with the UT staff but said he’s still learning about Texas, and most other schools.

“I really don’t know that much about Texas. When I went up there, I liked the stadium, liked the coaches,” Riles said. “They text me pretty often, probably every week.”

Ranked No. 58 on the 2025 Rivals100, the 6-5, 235-pound Riles is taking his recruitment at a slow pace. He hasn’t narrowed his focus yet and says he has no timetable for trimming his list, much less a decision.

“I’m taking it day by day. I haven’t released a top 10 or anything. I’m still debating,” Riles said.