Steve Sarkisian comments on John Meredith reclassifying to class of 2026, discusses development timeline
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Steve Sarkisian revealed during SEC Media Days that Texas commitment John Meredith, the nation’s top cornerback in the 2027 class and its No. 3 overall recruit, has reclassified to the class of 2026.
But there’s no rush to get Meredith, who celebrated his 18th birthday a few weeks ago, onto the field.
“We’re going to coach him. We’re going to develop him. When he’s ready, I think he’ll be good enough to play. How long that takes to get him ready? That’s going to be the race. That’s the challenge,” Sarkisian said.
In other words, don’t be surprised if Meredith doesn’t see the field right away.
“Week 1, Week 4, Week 8? I don’t know. I do know he’s got the right competitive spirit. I do know he’s got the skill set and the ability to be a good player for us,” Sarkisian added.
Meredith, from Fort Worth, committed to the Longhorns on June 19. He planned to transfer from Euless (Tex.) Trinity High School to North Crowley High School, but was denied.
That paved the way for him to enroll at Texas a year early, where he’ll eventually be a part of the Longhorns’ plans in the defensive backfield if everything comes together.
“He provides great length, great speed, tremendous man-to-man ability, very confident, very aggressive. All the attributes you want in a defensive back,” Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s not a secret why he was a top-2 or 3 player in the country in the 2027 class.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
