Who has Texas football signed? A look at the newest Longhorns as they sign on Wednesday

Wednesday is the first day of the early signing period, as top football recruits from across the country can begin signing their national letters of intent nearly two months before national signing day on Feb. 7. Texas entered the day with 22 commitments for its 2024 class, a group that ranked No. 5 nationally.

Here's who the Longhorns added, in order of overall prospect ranking by 247Sports' composite ratings:

Colin Simmons, edge rusher

One of four five-star prospects coming to Texas, Simmons is one of the Longhorns' crown jewels of their 2024 class. He's the top edge rusher in the country, per 247Sports' composite, and is coming off back-to-back high school state championships. Texas hasn't produced a player with double-digit sacks since 2013 and Simmons represents hope that rushing the passer will become a strength of the defense, not a question mark. Simmons had 22½ sacks his junior year. He'll be looked upon to make an immediate impact as a freshman.

Ryan Wingo, wide receiver

A recent flip from Missouri, Wingo made Texas wait Wednesday before sending in his letter of intent as one of the last class members. Now that he's in, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound five-star gives the Longhorns a top-10 national receiver prospect who could help ease the possible loss of Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell to the NFL. There are 10 five-star receivers in the country; Wingo comes in at No. 8.

Brandon Baker, offensive tackle

Another five-star gem of Texas' class, Baker, out of California, is seen as the next fixture at left tackle once Kelvin Banks Jr. moves on. Baker is the No. 2 tackle prospect in the country behind IMG Academy's Jordan Seaton, who's headed to Colorado, and picked the Longhorns over the likes of Ohio State, Florida State and Oregon.

Baker, who committed in September, said his relationship with Steve Sarkisian, who's from the Los Angeles area himself and has coached USC and Washington, was a big factor in his commitment. "Coach Sark is a West Coast guy, and he's really easy to talk with and get along with," Baker told 247Sports.

Xavier Filsaime, safety

Florida's loss was Texas' gain, as Filsaime — a five-star prospect and the No. 2 safety in the country behind KJ Bolden, who's Florida State's top-rated recruit — flipped to the Longhorns from the Gators on Monday, giving Texas its fourth five-star recruit of its 2024 class. The McKinney product is a national top-30 prospect and should be a big part of Texas' 2024 rebuild of its secondary.

Filsaime had been committed to Florida since this spring, but the Gators parted ways with their defensive backs coach and Filsaime liked the Longhorns' culture. "I chose Texas because of the development," he told 247Sports. "It's really close to home and I know I'm going to be surrounded by guys who want to win. That's no shot to Florida, but I know I'll have that at Texas."

Kobe Black, cornerback

Waco Connally's Black (6-feet, 190) is the nation's No. 3 cornerback prospect and the No. 10 player in the state, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He's also a national top-50 overall recruit.

The four-star prospect, who's been labeled as both a corner and a safety, committed to Texas last Wednesday over Oklahoma State, LSU, Texas A&M and Oregon and could give an immediate lift to the Longhorns' depth in the secondary. "You seen how the program is going, so we want to be a part of that," he said on his livestreamed announcement.

Jerrick Gibson, running back

The Longhorns are enjoying the fruits of a run of top running backs — from Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson to now Jonathon Brooks and CJ Baxter — and signed only two on Wednesday. Gibson, a four-star back from IMG Academy in Florida and the nation's No. 5 running back prospect, is at the head of the class.

Brooks and Baxter both will be back next season, and Jaydon Blue looked promising in the last half of the season, so Gibson could be a redshirt candidate.

Wardell Mack, athlete

Like Filsaime, Mack is another former Florida pledge that Texas plucked away. He's listed as an athlete, but the 5-foot-11, 170-pound four-star prospect is a defensive back. Whether that means cornerback, safety or nickel back, they'll figure out later. He should get a chance for snaps as a freshman, given Texas' remaking of its secondary.

Jordon Johnson-Rubell, cornerback

Another IMG Academy product, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound cornerback is a top-20 prospect at his position and, like Mack, should compete for snaps. He's also a national top-200 prospect.

Daniel Cruz, offensive lineman

A four-star interior line prospect out of Richland, Cruz probably is looking at a redshirt year; he's a bit light for Texas' needs at guard (6-foot-3, 295) and the Longhorns have some depth up front.

Santana Wilson, cornerback

Texas concentrated on rebuilding its secondary, and Wilson is a 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback who was the state of Arizona's No. 3 overall prospect. He's a national top-20 cornerback, per 247Sports' composite and could help with depth next year. Texas signed three true corners out of high school Wednesday.

D'antre Robinson, defensive tackle

It'll be easy to overlook Robinson, a four-star defensive lineman from Orlando Jones, in this year's signing class because of Simmons, but the 6-foot-4, 315-pound tackle will be a candidate to help replace T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II. He'll go through spring workouts, so that will help his cause heading into the summer and fall camp.

Parker Livingstone, wide receiver

Speaking of being overlooked, the signing of Wingo sucks up a bit of the oxygen with Texas' other two receivers signed Wednesday, including Livingstone. But he and Smithson Valley's Freddie Dubose are both around the national top-50 area among receiver prospects, and the four-star's size (6-3, 185) leaves some room to grow. He's coming in at potentially the right time, depending on how things work out.

Zina Umeozulu, edge rusher

Umeozulu, a four-star recruit from Allen, needs no introduction to the Longhorns: his older brother Neto is already on the Texas roster as an offensive lineman. Zina is the 25th-rated edge prospect nationally and will pair with fellow 2024 signee Colin Simmons to help improve Texas' pass rush.

Freddie Dubose, wide receiver

Texas' third receiver who signed Wednesday is coming off a state championship game appearance with Smithson Valley. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound four-star, like Livingstone, has others in front of him on the depth chart, but will have spring football to show what he can offer.

Christian Clark, running back

Another top-10 state recruit from Arizona, Clark is the nation's No. 23 running back prospect and his versatility as a runner and a receiver give the 6-foot, 195-pound four-star prospect a chance to make plays. Texas currently is blessed with depth at running back, but playmakers do find their roles in this offense.

Jordan Washington, tight end

Will Ja'Tavion Sanders enter the NFL draft early, as many suspect, after Texas' season ends? If so, the Longhorns are addressing that possibility proactively with Wednesday's signing of Washington, a four-star prospect from Houston Langham Creek, and the 2025 commitment of Emaree Winston, another four-star who committed Monday.

Washington picked Texas over Alabama and Texas A&M. Winston is seen as more of a Sanders type of tight end, but Washington also can be a key. "We put a lot on them formationally," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has explained between the pass-catching and run-blocking schemes that Texas tight ends must master.

Trey Owens, quarterback

Quinn Ewers may or may not go pro. Maalik Murphy's transferring out. Arch Manning will be a Longhorn for a couple of years. Texas signed just one quarterback on Wednesday, and the four-star Owens is 6-foot-5, 205 and the nation's No. 28 quarterback prospect.

He looks like he'd be a prospective redshirt candidate, but if Ewers leaves, who knows? He's from Houston Cypress-Fairbanks.

Nate Kibble, offensive lineman

Kibble, a four-star interior lineman prospect from Humble Atascocita, is a 6-foot-2, 315-pounder who'll probably end up at guard. He's a four-year varsity starter and a two-time all-district pick who's a top-30 prospect position nationally.

He's a candidate to redshirt and grow in his first year, but Texas does like to rotate its linemen up front.

Alex January, defensive tackle

Two things to know about January: he played alongside five-star edge rusher Colin Simmons at Duncanville, and his father Mike was a Texas linebacker in the mid-1980s. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound lineman is a three-star prospect.

Melvin Hills, defensive tackle

Another tackle who should get his chances to impress in the spring, Hills (6-foot-3, 270) showed pass-rushing skills at the prep level that make him an interesting prospect for Texas. He picked the Longhorns over Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.

Michael Kern, punter

The three-star prospect from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale was the nation's No. 4 punting prospect. Ryan Sanborn worked out great for Texas this season as a super senior transfer.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football adds several top recruits on the first signing day