It was a big weekend of visitors for the Texas Longhorns, with a handful of top national targets making their way to Austin. Arguably the biggest of the group was 5-star defensive end Richard Wesley, the nation’s No. 8-ranked prospect overall in the 2026 class.
Wesley, who recently reclassified, spent multiple days with the Texas coaching staff before departing on Sunday afternoon. Included in the visit was a chance to watch the Longhorns practice on Saturday, and Wesley said he liked what he saw.
“I really enjoyed my visit. I feel like the coaches showed great hospitality. I like what they’re doing there. They have a blueprint to have a great season this year,” Wesley said. “I enjoyed seeing the D-ends, edges, the d-linemen practice, how intense the practice was, the competition drills with the run game or pass game. I enjoyed seeing how the coaches coached the players. They had high energy throughout practice, but were really detailed. I truly believe if I come there I’d have a great future.”
The 6-5, 250-pound Wesley, out of Chatsworth (CA) Sierra Canyon, is the number-one ranked defensive end prospect in the entire country. He’s talented enough that he has offers from programs all over America, but he also knows there’s always room for improvement.
“They enjoyed my size. They feel like I do have a college-ready body,” Wesley said. “That’s not saying that I’m truly ready, because there’s certain stuff they can coach me up on and can improve on. But they did enjoy having me here.”
New Texas edge coach LaAllan Clark is Wesley’s main point of contact at Texas. Coming from Ohio State, and with what Wesley saw from Clark this weekend, Wesley said he knows that Clark could help him maximize his talent should he eventually decide to play his college ball in Austin.
“He’s a good coach. I have a trainer that I work with and he gives out the same vibe,” Wesley said. “He knows what he’s talking about. If I go there, I know I’m not going there with someone who is new to the game.”
Some West Coast powers like USC and Oregon are heavily involved in Wesley’s recruitment, but the elite defender says proximity will not play a factor in his eventual decision.
“Location doesn’t matter. I’m open to any school that wants me at any area,’ Wesley said. “It’s just if you can perform and develop me, that’s the most important thing.”
Wesley has yet to lock in any official visits and he’s keeping an open mind among all the programs recruiting him. He did say that Texas is likely to get an official visit after enjoying this weekend’s trip to Austin, and the Longhorns sound like they’ll be contenders for Wesley as he works through the recruiting process.
“I like everything about Texas. They just have a great staff there where I trust them that if I do go there, I’ll get developed and be the better player,” Wesley said. “I don’t really have a rank for any school, just know that I really enjoyed it here.”
Wesley is looking to make a late-summer decision.
Me and him, don’t have similar body tapes. They showed me 88 from last year. We have similar play style. They showed me how successful he was here last year.
