Five-star EDGE Richard Wesley signs with Texas

The Texas Longhorns have been producing very disruptive defenses over the past few seasons under defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, and one of the key components to that disruption has come from the edge rusher positions. The Texas staff knew they needed to continue to stockpile talent at a premium position in the 2026 recruiting cycle, so they put themselves in pursuit of several blue-chip talents across the country.

Five-star Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon edge Richard Wesley initially committed to the Oregon Ducks in early May, but backed off that commitment shortly after, eventually taking a summer official visit to Austin before making a stunning commitment to the Longhorns in June following his trip.

Later in the summer, Wesley affirmed his commitment to Texas and announced that his recruitment was officially shut down. Wesley held true to his word, as he has now officially put pen to paper and signed with the Longhorns on Early Signing Day.

Landing and keeping Wesley in the class was a huge development this cycle for head caoch Steve Sarkisian and his staff, as they add another fierce pass rusher into a group that has excelled at putting pressure on the quarterback.

Wesley is the No. 6-ranked edge prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, and is the 28th-ranked prospect overall.

Analysis (by Daniel Seahorn):

Wesley is a class of 2027 reclassification that took place earlier in the cycle. Per Greg Biggins of 247Sports, Wesley was considered a top five overall player in the 2027 class before reclassification to 2026. Wesley already possesses very good size and measureables for the position at 6’5, 250 pounds despite being a year young for the class. Already a very productive player and pass rusher after accumulating 18.5 sacks and 27.5 TFLs over the previous two seasons. Possesses a good first step and ball get off that makes him a problem to deal with as a pass rusher. Already shows to be a pretty natural pass rusher with his ability to use his hands and has the burst and ability to run the arc and turn the corner to the quarterback. Shows the awareness to make a play on the football when he gets to the quarterback and even got a hat trick early on in his cut-ups, which is a sack, forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Also shows the ability to be a factor in the run game and is good as squeezing down the LOS. Shows good effort as a backside pursuit defender and has a pretty decent motor. Wesley is a high caliber player that will not take long to assimilate to the college game due to his skillset and physical readiness. I can see him getting snaps early in his career on passing downs to get his feet wet, before translating to a full-time role as he becomes more comfortable. Really good player with a chance to be a multi-year starter at the Power 4 level.

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