No. 1 2026 Running Back Sets Texas Longhorns Visit

The No. 1 running back in the 2026 class, Javion Osborn, recently set a visit with the Texas Longhorns.

Matt Galatzan | Aug 12, 2024

Dec 30, 2023; New Orleans, LA, USA; Texas Longhorns running backs coach Tashard Choice speaks to media at Texas Media Day at the Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK / Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK

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Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are still in the process of trying to secure multiple top targets in the 2025 recruiting class, including four different five-star recruits who are set to announce their decisions this month.

However, they are also keeping a close look at 2026, and on Sunday, one of the top players in the class set his visit to Austin.

Per an interview with On3's Steve Wiltfong, four-star Forney (TX) running back Javion Osborn will make his way to the 40 Acres on October 19 when the Longhorns host the Georgia Bulldogs.

Javion Osborn With Tashard Choice / @osborne__era

“Texas is Texas,” Osborne told Wiltfong. “Honestly it’s like every time I go to Austin it’s almost like coming home.”

He also plans to head just down the road to Dallas for the Red River Rivalry matchup vs. Oklahoma on October 12.

As it stands, Osborn is currently ranked as the No. 64 player in the country, the No. 6 running back and the No. 7 player in the 2026 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking, which is a composite of the rankings from the four major recruiting services.

However, On3 themselves have Osborn ranked as the No. 23 player in the nation, and the No. 1 running back in the 2026 class.

Since his freshman season with Forney in 2022, Osborn has been one of the most productive players in the state of Texas, rushing for 1,064 yards and eight touchdowns, and being named the District 7-5A Offensive Newcomer of the Year that season.

However, in 2023 as a sophomore the took things to an entirely new level, rushing 390 times for 2,231 yards (7.69 yards per carry) and 39 touchdowns while catching 15 passes for 181 yards and two more scores.

Suffice it to say, that is exactly the type of production that the Longhorns are looking to bring into their program.

Published Aug 12, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.