The Next 5-Star Texas Must Land Before July Ends

With fall camp fast approaching, the Texas Longhorns need to make a push for one more five-star recruit before it arrives

Five-star wide receivers Easton Royal and Monshun Sales with wide receivers coach Chris Jackson during an official visit with the Texas Longhorns. | @easton.3k - Instagram

The Texas Longhorns have been red-hot on the recruiting trail, stacking up significant wins before a critical 2026 season begins, with the program looking to win its first national championship in over 20 years.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian is keeping his foot on the gas, looking to add more talent to a recruiting class that has shot up the rankings into the top five, and is looking to finish in the top three at minimum for the 2027 cycle.

To help with that, the Longhorns will be looking to add another five-star and Monshun Sales, one of the top receivers in the country, sits atop the board and will be a critical piece the coaching staff will focus on landing before fall camp arrives.

Why the Longhorns Need to Land Sales

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) makes a catch against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Camping World Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sales is the No. 2-ranked receiver in the 2027 cycle and is the No. 8 prospect in the class, trailing just behind current Longhorns commit Easton Royal. Sales, in his own right, is an instant impact receiver at the next level, as he stands at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds and can contort his body and use his large frame to be an easy target for quarterbacks.

Perhaps more importantly for the Longhorns, the ability to put a receiver alongside Royal, who in his own right is a dominant force on the field, would be a headache for defenses in coverage. Sales has strong hands and a lengthy frame, but can be used all over the field, whether that be as a vertical threat, a physical receiver, or in the slot as well.

While the perfect situation is to land Sales and retain Royal as well, if Royal flips his commitment from one of the programs relentlessly pursuing him, Sales is a perfect replacement to still retain a top receiver. Keeping both, and the intrigue both recruits have talked about with how they could punish defenses together, is the ideal situation, though.

What Are the Longhorns Odds to Land Him?

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian talks with an official during a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the University of Texas Longhorns at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 22, 20222 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Longhorns got in the race late to land Sales, but quickly made up ground after hosting him in the spring during camp. Between the quick work Sarkisian and his staff have done to work their way in, and the prolific rise of the Longhorns in his recruiting rankings, the Indiana Hoosiers, the other main team in the sweepstakes, were caught off guard.

With that said, the Hoosiers and Longhorns are the final two teams, with the Alabama Crimson Tide feeling like less of an option than ever before in his recruitment. For now, it feels like it is 50/50 on which school he picks, but the intrigue of playing alongside Royal, and in Sarkisian's offense, is doing a lot of heavy lifting here that could give the Longhorns an edge.

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