Texas Longhorns Among Finalists for No. 1 QB in 2028 Recruiting Class

The five-star quarterback from IMG Academy will make his recruitment decision official on Nov. 16.

IMG Academy's Jayden Wade looks to pass during the first quarter of a high school football matchup at Mandarin High School. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Wednesday afternoon, the news came out that Jayden Wade, the top quarterback in the 2028 class, had officially set his commitment date for Nov. 16.

Along with the Texas Longhorns, six other schools are trying to land the five-star quarterback including Michigan, Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, Oregon, and Washington.

In 2024, Wade appeared in eight games as a freshman at IMG Academy completing 19 of 28 passes for 362 yards and six touchdowns. The Bradenton, Florida, native also rushed for 217 yards on the ground finding the end zone twice despite his limited action as he spent time behind SMU commit Ty Hawkins.

🚨NEWS🚨 2028 No. 1 QB Jayden Wade will announce his commitment on November 16, @adamgorney reports.

Wade’s finalists are Michigan, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Ohio State, Oregon and Washington.

Read: https://t.co/3ChSHnKbML pic.twitter.com/Oh9ZLz9JUu

— Rivals (@Rivals) November 5, 2025

As of right now, Wade appears to be a quarterback that's trending upward in his sophomore season with his dual-threat ability.

While the quarterback's completion percentage has dipped with more passing attempts, the IMG prospect has created a lot of buzz with his ability to read a defense, especially in the RPO game.

Building on Their Quarterback Legacy

Oct 25, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian reacts after a touchdown during overtime against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

For the Longhorns, getting a commitment from Wade would mark another massive recruiting win under head coach Steve Sarkisian. Since taking over the program in 2021, the head coach has made it clear that Texas will always be contending for the nation's top quarterbacks.

Before moving on to the NFL, Sarkisian turned quarterback Quinn Ewers into one of the most efficient passers in the country. In 2022, Ewers completed only 58.1% of his passes for just over 2,000 passing yards across eight games. In his final year with the Longhorns, Ewers completed over 65% of his passes for 3,472 yards and 31 passing touchdowns, while also leading Texas to a CFP Semifinal appearance.

Now, with sophomore quarterback Arch Manning at the helm, Texas fans may be witnessing Sarkisian's ability to develop quarterbacks in real time. It's safe to say that as the season has gone on, Manning has looked more comfortable each week. The only outlier in Manning's recent performances came in Week 8 against the Kentucky Wildcats, when he completed just 12 of 27 passes for 132 yards.

Texas's move to the SEC has only elevated Sarkisian's ability to recruit highly rated athletes. The head coach's ability to out-recruit other schools could come into play again in Wade's case.

In their update on the IMG prospect's recruitment, On3 Rivals reported that Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, and Oregon were among the teams that have peaked Wade's interest the most during his recruitment.

Even among the frontrunners in the five-star's recruitment, the Georgia Bulldogs seem to be building momentum after hosting Wade for a visit to Athens in September. While nothing is set in stone yet, Wade's commitment on Nov. 16 will be something to monitor across the country and especially within the Big Ten and SEC.