Nation's No. 1 EDGE Makes Critical Recruiting Decision

Nation's No. 1 EDGE Makes Critical Recruiting Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Texas Longhorns secured a commitment from 2027 four-star EDGE rusher Taven Epps back in April, but there's no guarantee he stays committed to the Longhorns until signing day.

With the way college recruiting is now, anything can happen on any given day. A player may commit to one school before flipping to another a few weeks or months later.

The Longhorns are hoping that doesn't happen here, but they will face some stiff competition for Epps. According to Rivals' Adam Gorney, Epps is planning to visit some top programs soon, including the Georgia Bulldogs, North Carolina Tar Heels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and Oklahoma Sooners. He will also visit the Longhorns again.

Epps is one of the top recruits in the 2027 class and is the top EDGE recruit in the country, per ESPN's recruiting rankings. He is the only commit that the Longhorns have in their 2027 class right now, but that will change once they wrap up their 2026 class, which is one of the best in the country.

Texas comes into the 2025 season as the top team in the country after the first Associated Press poll came out on Monday. The program will start the season with a bang in Columbus against Ohio State, which won the national title last season and beat Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Ohio State comes into the season as the third-ranked team in the nation.

College GameDay will also be in Columbus for that game on August 30. Kickoff will be at Noon ET on FOX.

Related: 5-Star Texas QB Commit Dia Bell Names SEC Powerhouse Still Hanging Around in Recruitment

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.