Texas Longhorns Still in Recruitment of 5-Star USC Commit

The Texas Longhorns will not be giving up on the recruitment of Mark Bowman, despite the five-star's commitment to USC Friday.

Texas Longhorns Assistant Coach, Jeff Banks during their first practice of the spring season on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. | Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A big domino fell in the 2026 recruiting class Friday as five-star tight end Mark Bowman announced his commitment to the USC Trojans.

A big win for the Trojans as they add to an already star-studded class that now ranks as the nation's best. Despite it being only June, the Trojans already basically have a full class of commits with 27 pledges. That is 11 more players than they took in their 2025 signing class.

Yet, just because Bowman made the surprise decision to commit before taking his official visits, it doesn't mean this recruitment is over. Quite the opposite. Barring a change in plans, Bowman is still scheduled to take four official visits in the month of June, which includes one to USC.

Steve Sarkisian and Lincoln Riley — Oct 9, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley and Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian take before the game at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

He will be in Austin on June 6th, where the Longhorns will get their chance to impress Bowman. Before his commitment, Texas was thought of as one of the frontrunners to land the five-star tight end alongside Georgia.

That isn't to say the Trojans came out of nowhere. There was a narrative that it was the Longhorns' and Bulldogs' recruitment to lose. But as things turned out, Bowman is now USC's to lose following his late May commitment.

At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Bowman ranks as the No. 14 player in the national rankings by the 247Sports Composite rankings, which also sees him rated as the No. 1 tight end and third-best prospect from California.

As for his scouting report, 247Sports' Greg Biggins has this to say of the five-star prospect:

"He has a chance to finish as the highest-rated tight end to come out of California in at least the last decade," Biggins writes. "He has been drawing Brock Bowers comparisons since his freshman year and after seeing him in action the last two seasons, they look valid."