Recruiting top-end talent to leave the state of Georgia is never easy, but Texas has actually had some success in that department in recent years.
In the 2025 recruiting cycle, the Longhorns dipped into the Peach State and landed highly-regarded players like Justus Terry, Zelus Hicks, Nick Brooks and Emaree Winston. In the current 2026 recruiting class, the Texas staff has issued a large number of scholarships to players in the state of Georgia, and on Tuesday afternoon, those efforts paid off with the Longhorns securing one of the program’s biggest commitments in the 2026 cycle.
Five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, out of Loganville (GA) Grayson, announced moments ago on the Pat McAfee show that he has given Texas a verbal commitment. Atkinson chose Texas over a final grouping that consisted of the Longhorns, Georgia, Oregon and Clemson.
Texas surged late to land Atkinson
Texas has always been a team that was high on Atkinson’s list after the talented defender took an unofficial visit to see the program in April of 2024. He would return in the fall to watch Texas host Georgia, but things really began to heat up this summer. Atkinson spent a good portion of his summer break in the Austin area working out with former Longhorn great Derrick Johnson, and he decided this summer to set up a bit of a last-minute official visit to see the Longhorns again on June 20. That visit made a strong impression, including Atkinson getting to hear Texas’ plan on how he could be used within the Texas defensive scheme.
“It was very good, being with Coach (Johnny) Nansen and Coach (Steve Sarkisian), hearing their plan out,” Atkinson said following that visit. “The relationships were there since I’ve been out here (in Austin) for a whole month. So I just got to be here multiple times and talk to the coaches.”
During their meetings, the Texas coaches stressed to Atkinson that they see him being the “quarterback” of the defense and making plays all over the field. With Anthony Hill, who just so happens to train with Atkinson, likely heading to the NFL following the upcoming season, Texas will have a big void in its linebacker room Texas sold Atkinson on the idea of him coming in and being an early contributor.
Connections to past and current Texas greats helped Texas win over Atkinson
The 6-2, 210-pound Atkinson has developed strong connections with both Johnson and Hill during his training sessions in Austin. He said he’s picked up a lot from Johnson to fine tune his game, and he’s learned a lot about the Texas program in his conversations with Hill.
“It’s been great. He’s very intentional, teaching the small details on things and it’s just great training with him and learning from him,” Atkinson said of his training with Johnson. “(Hill) is my boy. We talk and the relationship I have with him and what he can tell me about Texas is good.”
Along with his June 20 official visit to Texas, Atkinson took May/June official visits to his other three finalists. Ohio State was thought to be a real threat in this one for a while, but the Buckeyes began to fall off just as Texas surged.
Ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the country overall in the Rivals Industry Rankings, Atkinson carries a five-star designation in those same rankings. He is the nation’s No. 1-ranked linebacker prospect and the top-ranked player in the state of Georgia. Atkinson becomes Texas’ 19th commitment for the 2026 recruiting class and is Texas’ second linebacker pledge, joining Kosi Okpala.
