Zelus Hicks Gets Honest About Why He Chose Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns' secondary has some experienced shoes to fill heading into the 2026 season, with safety Michael Taaffe and cornerback Malik Muhammad entering the NFL Draft process.

One of the underclassman players who could play a part in doing so is redshirt freshman safety Zelus Hicks, a four-star commit in the 2025 class out of Atlanta, Ga. Hicks made his sole appearance as a true freshman against Sam Houston on Sept. 20, 2025.

In a Texas & Os video on the Longhorn Network from Feb. 13, Hicks revealed what originally attracted him to the Forty Acres.

Zelus Hicks on Texas: "It Was Just Perfect"

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and team gesture after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Hicks committed to the Texas Longhorns on Sept. 12, 2024, per 247Sports, as a 2026 recruit. Following his commitment, he chose to reclassify to the 2025 class, rated as the No. 17 safety in the 247Sports composite in his new class. Across his recruitment, Hicks received 32 offers, including from his home state schools, Georgia and Georgia Tech, and nine total Southeastern Conference programs.

For Hicks, the Longhorns set themselves apart from the rest of the crowd.

"I liked the trend, how the program was going," Hicks said about Texas. "Coach Sark, great coach. Coach Gideon, which we got back now — really excited about (that). Just the whole staff. I loved Austin. I loved the culture. Just the fans, the fanbase, everything. It was just perfect."

Blake Gideon, the Longhorns' safety coach at the time, served as Hicks' primary recruiter. He left last offseason to become the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, but has returned as the defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach.

Gideon is a former Texas player, from 2008-11, serving as a four-year starter at safety for the Longhorns. His first three years in the Texas defense were spent led by then and, now, new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

Alongside fellow 2025 recruit Jonah Williams and the likes of redshirt sophomore Xavier Filsaime, redshirt junior Derek Williams and junior Jordan Johnson-Rubell, Hicks will look to make his mark in Muschamp and Gideon's safety room, headlined by senior star Jelani McDonald.

In the Longhorn Network episode, Hicks spoke about who has inspired him at the safety position, especially during his transition from wide receiver and running back to the position as he grew up.

"When I was transitioning into safety, my dad showed me Sean Taylor," Hicks said. "Sean Taylor and Ed Reed — both of them guys, that's all you need as a safety ... I like their ambition, their mindset, how they play."

247Sports national analyst Hudson Standish, when evaluating Hicks in August 2024, described him as a "modern boundary safety who can quickly trigger downhill and act as an enforcer against the run or the first-level passing game thanks to his physical stature, football instincts and athleticism."

Hicks stands at 6-2 and 198 pounds, per Texas Athletics, almost identical metrics to McDonald.

Standish also wrote that Hicks has the "potential to develop into a multi-year starter with NFL Draft upside."