Early Signing Day was earlier than ever, so which recruits will break out the earliest? We watched Texas A&M's Terry Bussey catch a 40-yard pass and Texas defensive end Colin Simmons chase after the quarterbacks in the renewal of the Lone Star Showdown. Here are the picks for who those freshman phenoms could be next year.

Baylor – WR Taz Williams Jr. (Red Oak HS)

On the morning of Early Signing Day, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda called former Red Oak teammates Taz Williams Jr. and Kamauryn Morgan and thanked them for serving as the leaders of Baylor's 2025 recruiting class, which finished second in the Big 12 per 247Sports. Baylor believes the character Williams displayed during the recruiting process will make an instant impact in the locker room and on the field. Williams, who finished his junior season with 80 receptions for 1,251 yards and 14 TDs before missing nearly his entire senior season, should thrive in Baylor's Air Raid.

Houston – Edge Reshad Sterling (Lutcher HS, Louisiana)

Of the six defensive linemen he signed in the 2025 recruiting class, Willie Fritz has known about Reshad Sterling the longest. 

"I started recruiting him when I was at my former school (Tulane)," Fritz said. "I could tell when he was a sophomore in high school that he was going to be a Power Four football player."

Sterling will play the 'DOG' position for Houston, a stand-up edge rusher who can also drop into coverage. He played both edge and offensive tackle in high school at 6-2, 225, and was also a basketball player. Sterling should provide pressure off the edge for a Houston defense that finished 13th in the Big 12 in sacks. 

North Texas – WR Tyler Brown (Aubrey HS)

The Mean Green got instant contributions from freshman wide receivers Wyatt Young and Miles Coleman in 2024, and Aubrey star Tyler Brown could be the next in line in 2025. Brown is a burner, winning the Texas 4A 200-meter state championship with a 20.72, who starred on both sides of the ball in high school. 

"I really thought we needed to bring in some speed at the outside receiver position and be able to stretch the field a little bit," North Texas head coach Eric Morris said. 

Rice – RB Tyvonn Byars (Lake Creek HS) OR RB D'Andre Hardeman Jr. (North Shore HS)

Newly hired Rice head coach Scott Abell believes his shotgun triple option offense (which finished at the top of the FCS in rushing for four-straight seasons) will bring a new type of #IntellectualBrutality after seeing running backs Tyvonn Byars and D'Andre Hardeman on tape. 

"These two running backs are incredibly talented," Abell said. "I could not have been more excited when I saw their commitment here, even before I arrived."

Byars had over 100 career rushing touchdowns in high school while D'Andre Hardeman Jr. is a Whataburger Super-Team nominee chasing a state championship at North Shore. They'll compete to replace do-it-all running back Dean Conners in 2025. 

Sam Houston – OL Logan Cahill (Prosper HS)

With a new coach imminent and the Transfer Portal opening on December 9, it's impossible to predict every position of need Sam Houston will have entering spring football. But of the four players who play center and left guard, three are seniors. As of now, Prosper interior offensive lineman Logan Cahill has the best chance for early action. Cahill was part of an offensive line with five Division I recruits, and his high school position coach Brian Thompson praised him for asking some of the most intelligent questions of the bunch. He shouldn't have a problem mentally handling a college offense.

SMU – DB La'modrick Spencer (Duncanville HS, Hutchinson CC Kansas)

The last time La'modrick Spencer was playing football in Dallas, he won a state championship at Duncanville. An SMU commit in the Class of 2023, he went the JUCO route for academic reasons, but signed with SMU in this cycle as the 36th-ranked overall JUCO product in the nation. Spencer will get an opportunity to replace graduating nickelback Cale Sanders Jr. 

Texas A&M – Edge Marco Jones (San Ramon Valley HS, California)

Texas A&M is set to lose Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton to the NFL, but head coach Mike Elko reloaded his front seven with Marco Jones. The 6-5, 245-pounder racked up 425 tackles and 53 tackles for-loss in his high school career as an inside linebacker, but will transition to edge rusher for the Aggies. 

"When we got him, we felt like, 'Wow, we just got the best defensive end in the country,'" Elko said.

Jones will also get a look on the Texas A&M baseball team.

Texas – ATH Jonah Williams (Galveston Ball HS)

Despite its status as the deepest team in Texas, the Longhorns have two of the more impactful true freshman in 2024 in wide receiver Ryan Wingo and defensive end Colin Simmons. Jonah Williams could be the next in line, if not simply because he could play any position not on the defensive line. The Dave Campbell's Texas Football Rising Magazine Coverboy is lean and athletic enough to star at safety and has the frame to transition to outside linebacker. His versatility doesn't stop outside the football field; Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle have a plan in place to share Williams between their respective sports in the spring. 

Texas State – CB Cordarian Powell (Royse City HS)

Texas State had to fend off a bevy of late suitors for Cordarian Powell, but head coach GJ Kinne wasn't going to let him walk away, saying, 'That's my guy right there,' in his Signing Day press conference. The 6-1, 165-pounder can play anywhere in the defensive backfield and even returns kicks. That versatility will benefit Texas State, who has three secondary players who are either seniors or redshirt seniors. Powell has the maturity to play early. 

"What I love about him, when you call him and ask what's going on, it's, 'Hey, I'm doing homework. I'm trying to get a 4.0 this semester to end my high school career,'" Kinne said.

Texas Tech – IOL Connor Carty (Prosper HS)

Carty was a late surprise on Early Signing Day, flipping from Texas A&M to the Red Raiders after head coach Joey McGuire's press conference. Swiping a trench player from an SEC school is a flex, but Texas Tech didn't land Carty for bragging rights. The No. 2 ranked guard in the DCTF Hot 100 enters an offensive line room losing both guards, Sterling Porcher and Davion Carter. 

TCU – RB Jon Denman (Palestine HS)

TCU wide receiver Savion Williams moved to a hybrid wildcat quarterback role midseason to boost a lackluster running game. Jon Denman played wildcat quarterback himself at Palestine, but TCU head coach Sonny Dykes doesn't envision his team's leading rusher racking up yards on direct snaps in 2025. Dykes' program is looking for an answer in the running back room, and he said the expectation is for Denman to compete on Day 1. 

"You look around the league and there's five or six elite running backs," Dykes said. "They all have one thing in common; they know how to finish runs. I think Jon does, for sure."

UTEP – RB Elijah McCoy (Midland HS)

Elijah McCoy faced eight-man boxes throughout his senior season in Midland's veer offense, and still managed to set a single-season program record with 2,269 yards rushing. UTEP has two proven backs in Jevon Jackson and Ezell Jolly, but McCoy may be too talented to keep off the field. 

"This young man is going to come in here and give himself a chance to compete early because of his mindset and the focus he has to be an elite player," head coach Scotty Walden said. 

UTSA – CB Armoni Rue (Highland CC, Kansas)

Of the seven starters that closed the year in the backend of UTSA's defense, only one (S Jermarius Lewis) returns. Armoni Rue gets the nod here because of his experience as an all-conference junior college cornerback. He'll get a shot to replace one of two departing corners, Zah Frazier and Syrus Dumas. Frazier led the American Athletic Conference with six interceptions.