![\"Midland](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Meredith20.jpg\" "\\"Midland")
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Midland Legacy wide receiver Mackenzie Rogers, left, runs a route while being guarded by Euless Trinity cornerback John Meredith III in the first quarter of a UIL football Class 6A game at Pennington Field on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.<\/p>\n
Cody Thorn<\/p>\n
Special to the Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
North Crowley five-star class of 2027 cornerback John Meredith III announced his commitment to Texas Friday on ESPN\u2019s The Pat McAfee Show.<\/p>\n
Meredith, 247Sports\u2019 No. 1 ranked recruit in Texas<\/a> and No. 1 cornerback nationwide, considered Alabama and Texas A&M in his top three and Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State in his top six.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best stay in Texas, so I know I wanted to go to a Texas school,\u201d Meredith told McAfee while surrounded by family.<\/p>\n Before he heads to Austin, he may not play for North Crowley in 2026, as the District 11-6A executive committee ruled him ineligible<\/a> due to transfer for athletic purposes. He can appeal the decision to the University Interscholastic League.<\/p>\n Meredith, with a 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame, has established himself as a top performer in the Fort Worth-area, earning Star-Telegram All-Area First Team<\/a> and MaxPreps All-American<\/a> honors as a junior with Euless Trinity.<\/p>\n He has an elite 40-yard dash time of 4.32 seconds and is the No. 2 ranked player nationwide, according to 247Sports composite rankings. He participated in the Under Armour All-American Game, registering an interception.<\/p>\n Meredith is the Texas Longhorns\u2019 highest-rated class of 2027 recruit and the last of the nation\u2019s top 10 recruits to announce a commitment. He joins Fort Worth-area standout Cameron Hall, a four-star Mansfield Summit defensive end, in Texas\u2019 2027 recruiting class.<\/p>\n Meredith becomes the Horns\u2019 second five-star pledge, joining wide receiver Easton Royal of Brother Martin High School in Louisiana, who committed in November.<\/p>\n Ahead of Meredith\u2019s commitment, Texas held the No. 13 class in the 2027 recruiting cycle nationally and now boasts the No. 6 overall class. It\u2019s a small step behind the elite classes the Longhorns have assembled since 2022, all of which ranked in the top five.<\/p>\n Texas, however, has seen huge success in the transfer portal; the Horns landed nine four-stars and one five-star in 2026, landing the nation\u2019s third-best transfer class.<\/p>\n Despite Meredith currently being ineligible to play, North Crowley will still enter the 2026 season with a defense that includes Arizona State pledge Elijajuan Houston, the 2025 Star-Telegram Defensive Player of the Year and four-star cornerback Jerry Outhouse<\/a> Jr., a UCLA pledge.<\/p>\n North Crowley head coach DeMarcus Harris<\/a> is entering his first season leading the Panthers. He was promoted following the departure of Ray Gates<\/a>, who became a special assistant to head coach Neal Brown and an edges coach at North Texas.<\/p>\n The 2026 UIL realignment<\/a> sent the Panthers into District 11-6A, a group including Crowley, Dallas Skyline, Duncanville, Mansfield, Mansfield Lake Ridge, Red Oak and Waxahachie \u2014 it\u2019ll be one of Texas\u2019 top districts with potential championship contenders North Crowley and Duncanville clashing in the regular season.<\/p>\n North Crowley won the 2024 Class 6A Division I state title and Duncanville made a run to the Class 6A Division I state championship game in 2025, falling to Galena Park North Shore. Duncanville won state titles in 2022 and 2023, defeating North Shore twice.<\/p>\n This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 12:22 PM.<\/p>\n