Texas Longhorns Beat Out by Florida Gators for 4-Star DL JaReylan McCoy

The Texas Longhorns made the top three list of an elite defensive lineman a couple weeks back, but the Florida Gators won the recruit over on his official visit.

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Vernon Broughton (45) celebrates a quarterback sack in the third quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 10, 2025. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Regardless of how strong of an effort a team makes on the recruiting front, no program can win every battle. 

Four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy reminded the Texas Longhorns of this twice this week, first by cancelling his visit to Austin and then by committing to the Florida Gators on June 14.  

His recruiting process has been somewhat of a rollercoaster, highlighted by multiple commitments and frequently shifting frontrunners. However, one thing seemed to remain clear from the start: McCoy would land somewhere in the SEC.

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Vernon Broughton (45) celebrates after a sack during the third quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The Tupelo, Mississippi native selected the Gators out of a top three list made up of Texas, LSU and Florida. He accumulated offers from almost every SEC program throughout his recruitment process, and he actually pledged his commitment to LSU back in January.

However, he reopened his recruitment less than a month later after visiting Ole Miss. Texas and Florida emerged as top contenders shortly after that, and the Gators ultimately won the recruit over before he even went on his official to Texas. 

He took an official trip to Gainesville from May 30-June 1, and proceeded to forego his official trip to Texas, which was originally scheduled for June 13-14. He instead returned to Florida once more, which is where he decided to announce his final decision.

This marks a big win for Florida this recruiting cycle, as On3 ranks McCoy as the No. 17 defensive lineman in the class of 2026 and the No. 8 overall player in Mississippi for his class.

While losing the recruit hurts for Texas, they recently earned commitments from two four-star defensive linemen in Dylan Berymon and Corey Wells. 

McCoy coul have been a solid addition to the group, but Texas will continue its efforts to replicate the strength of their 2025 recruiting class in his absence.