Texas beats out Miami, Penn State, others for in-state 4-star edge
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Texas won a recruiting battle to land one of the top edge defenders in the Lone Star State.
Kosi Okpala, a Houston native, announced his college commitment on Thursday. The blue-chip edge is taking his talents to Austin.
Out of Mayde Creek High School, Okpala is listed as measuring 6-2 and 230 pounds. On the 247Sports Composite, Okpala is rated 4-stars, the No. 27 edge defender, No. 35 player in the state of Texas and No. 281 prospect overall in the Class of 2026.
As a top talent in a heavily recruited state, Okpasa drew lots of interest in his recruitment. It came down to Texas, Miami, Penn State and Baylor for Thursday’s big decision. He verbally pledged to the Longhorns.
Shoutout to our very own @Kosi_Okpala on his commitment to play football at THE University of TEXAS!
— MAYDE CREEK RAMS (@MCRamFootball) July 3, 2025
Your Mayde Creek Football family couldn’t be more proud. The work, the grind, the dedication — it’s all paying off. Go do big things in Austin, Kosi!#CreekMayde #Committed pic.twitter.com/GBje90PDbB
“Texas was the right choice because the coach and the staff and the players and the connections I’ve built throughout my recruiting process,” Okpala told Rivals about his decision to commit to Steve Sarkisian‘s program.
Okpala gives Texas 16 verbal commitments for its 2026 class, which ranks No. 13 nationally on the Composite. Longhorn fans who don’t follow Mayde Creek football can see what Okpala brings to Austin by checking out his highlights in the clip below:
A look at new Texas LB commit Kosi Okpala from his junior campaign where he recorded 55 tackles, 17 TFLs, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 21 hurries. @Horns247 | #HookEm
— Jordan Scruggs (@JScruggs247) July 3, 2025
Okpala is one of the more violent and versatile defenders in #TXHSFB’s 2026 class. pic.twitter.com/lg9fWriU8M
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
