Four-star recruit Zelus Hicks, a safety from Georgia in the class of 2026, made his verbal commitment to Texas on Thursday, per On3 Recruits.

Hicks chose the Longhorns over his two state schools, Georgia and Georgia Tech, as well as Ohio State, Clemson, Tennessee and Auburn. The 6-foot-2 commit is the eighth-ranked safety in the 2026 class according to 247 Sports, as well as 10th in his state.

In his sophomore season at Lilburn’s Parkview, Hicks recorded 67 tackles (5.5 TFL), two sacks, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles before transferring to Carrollton, a football powerhouse in Georgia, this summer. Hicks was invited to the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl after his first season at Parkview and was described as a “top performer” by 247 Sports.

Texas may get the opportunity to welcome the safety to the Forty Acres a year early. Hicks is reportedly considering reclassifying to the 2025 class; however, nothing is certain at the moment.

Should Hicks play his final two seasons at Carrollton, his commitment makes it the third for the Longhorns’ 2026 class and their first on the defensive side. Dia Bell, a four-star quarterback from Fort Lauderdale, was the team’s first commit on June 17, and Chris Stewart, a three-star receiver from Pearland, committed eight days later.

If Hicks were to reclassify, Texas would add to its already stacked 2025 recruiting class. The Longhorns’ top recruit for the 2025 class is Jonah Williams, a five-star safety from Galveston. Hicks and Williams would be quite the back-end duo for defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s scheme, along with four-star edge rusher Lance Jackson and four-star linebacker Elijah Barnes.