The Texas football team picked up a big commitment from four-star running back James Simon on Wednesday. Simon is the second running back to commit to the Longhorns from the 2025 recruiting class, and he is the 10th commit that they have landed. So far, Texas has landed zero five-star recruits, seven four-stars and three three-stars. Their 2025 recruiting class currently ranks 13th in the country, but we are still early in the cycle and there is a lot of time for that to change.

“BREAKING: Four-Star RB James Simon has Committed to Texas, he tells me for @on3recruits,” Hayes Fawcett said in a tweet. “The 6’0 197 RB from Shreveport, LA chose the Longhorns over LSU and Notre Dame.”

This is a big get for Texas football, and James Simon is already fired up for the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns do not like Oklahoma football, and Simon took a shot at the Sooners with his commitment.

“SEC takeover sucks to be a Sooner HOOK EM,” Simon said.

Both Texas and Oklahoma are making the move to the SEC for this upcoming season, hence Simon's SEC comment, and that is one of many big changes coming to the college football world. Conference realignment is bringing major changes as the Pac-12 is completely gone, and the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and SEC are all going to look a lot different next season. The Longhorns and Sooners going to the SEC is a major move.

Simon is a four-star recruit according to 247 Sports. He is the #200 player in the 2025 recruiting class, the #13 RB and the #4 player in the state of Louisiana. He currently attends Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. Simon got offers from a lot of impressive schools, and he chose to go with Texas.

Calvary's James Simon moves the ball against D'Arbonne Woods
© Stan Carpenter/ The Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Year one in the SEC is going to be big for Texas

Texas football has a big year coming up as they are making the move to the SEC. The Longhorns are expected to be one of the best teams in college football next season as they are returning a lot of talent from their College Football Playoff team from last year. The Longhorns won the Big 12 in their final season in the conference, and now they need to prove that they belong in the SEC.

Next year is so big for Texas because this is one of the best teams that they have had in a long time. It is a team that was the best of the best in the Big 12, and if they can't hang with the top dogs in the SEC this season, it's going to be a bad sign for what's to come.

There's no doubt about it, life in the SEC is going to be more difficult than life in the Big 12. The Longhorns really didn't have a very hard schedule last year, but they took care of business. This season, their conference slate is loaded with tough opponents, and they also have to go on the road and take on the defending national champions, Michigan, in week two.

Texas football is going to have a much tougher time winning football games in 2024 compared to 2023. That schedule is no joke, but the Longhorns have the talent to compete with anybody.