Texas Longhorns Make Official Visit List for 4-Star LB

Brayden Rouse, a highly rated LB in the class of 2026, names Texas as one of the schools he will see this summer on an official visit.

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates with linebacker Barryn Sorrell (88) and linebacker Trey Moore (8) after a play during the second 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

Starting with a list of almost 50 programs, high school linebacker and Marietta, GA, native Brayden Rouse has pinpointed four schools that he will take official visits to within the next couple of months.

His list reads as follows: Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas. Each of these programs will have their chances to convince the four-star recruit to represent them in the next chapter of his journey.

At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, ESPN and 247Sports have ranked Rouse as the No. 13 and No. 4 linebacker recruit in the class of 2026, respectively. His abilities as a hybrid linebacker make him a valuable recruit, and he hopes to commit to a team that knows how to play to his strengths and improve upon them.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) makes a catch against Texas Longhorns defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau (3) and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) in the first quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January, 10, 2025. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He has identified Alabama as a program that knows how to develop players like himself, specifically referencing linebacker Jihaad Campbell. 

“I feel like I really fit their scheme,” he said. “They’ve had Jihad in the past draft go out, and he’s kind of a backer that is kind of a hybrid guy. He can do everything. So they’ve resembled me a little bit to him, and kind of compared me a little bit.”

Campbell played at Alabama for three years and got selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of this year’s NFL draft, a positive sign for Rouse.

However, both Tennessee and Michigan have also been hot on the recruiting trail. Tennessee’s “aggressive” recruitment of Rouse has led to multiple visits to Knoxville already, and Michigan coaches have both attended one of his basketball games and had his whole family up for a visit.

As far as Texas goes, Rouse is impressed with both the program’s growth as a whole and what they have done with linebacker Anthony Hill.

“They’ve  [Texas] got great players going to the draft every year,” he said. “Once Coach Sark came in, I mean, it kind of just progressively went up with the production. So I mean, they’re definitely a team that’s on the comeup, and I just like the football they have, and they’re great people.”

The Longhorns’ presence on Rouse’s official visit schedule knocked the Georgia Bulldogs off of it, despite the fact that Georgia’s campus is located just two hours from his hometown. 

With four strong programs left in the running, he hopes to come to a decision by July after taking his official visits.