BREAKING: Texas Lands the NEXT GREAT Longhorn RB — Landon Williams-Callis Commits! | Steve Sarkisian

Summary

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Podcast Summary: On Texas Football

Episode: BREAKING: Texas Lands the NEXT GREAT Longhorn RB — Landon Williams-Callis Commits!

Host: Bobby Burton
Guest Analyst: Jerry Hamilton
Date: August 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

This special episode centers on the University of Texas landing Landon Williams-Callis, the number one running back in Texas and one of the most coveted recruits in the country. Bobby Burton and Jerry Hamilton break down what makes Williams-Callis an exceptional prospect, discuss the impact of his commitment, and analyze how he fits into the current Texas recruiting class. The episode also touches on broader recruiting dynamics and what lies ahead for Texas under Coach Steve Sarkisian.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Player Evaluation: Landon Williams-Callis’s Skill Set & Impact

• Durability & Physical Traits

  • “He hasn't missed a game. I mean, like they played 16 the last two years. So he has really good durability.” — Bobby Burton [02:11]
  • Williams-Callis is 5’7”-5’7.5” and 195 lbs: compact, low to the ground, strong and tough despite perceived lack of height.
  • His size is an advantage—hard to tackle low, wide build, and excellent at absorbing contact.
  • “If you're 195 pounds in high school as a running back, you're a big running back.” — Jerry Hamilton [03:57]

• Skill Attributes

  • Exceptional contact balance, vision, and change-of-direction:
    • Jump cut, skip cut, spin moves both ways, and outstanding acceleration.
    • Long speed: reported 10.6 seconds in the 100 meters.
    • “He’s got great contact balance… He has great vision. Guys with great vision don’t tend to take big hits.” — Bobby Burton [02:11]

• Technical Acumen

  • Advanced ability to read defenses, timing on outside zone runs, and maximizing every carry:
    • “You see his vision and his ability to kind of make and maximize runs. That's NFL level stuff in my opinion.” — Jerry Hamilton [04:32]
  • Already setting high school records; over 7,000 career yards and 61 TDs as a junior. [08:54]

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2. The Recruiting Battle & What Set Texas Apart

• National Attention

  • Williams-Callis was a nationally sought-after prospect:
    • Received 70 offers, took eight official visits (the most Jerry ever recalls).
    • Major contenders: Texas A&M, LSU, Oregon, Missouri, SMU, and Houston were in the mix.

• Why Texas Won

  • Legacy factor: Williams-Callis is seen as the next in Texas’ storied line of elite RBs.
  • NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) opportunities strong everywhere, but Longhorns’ legacy and path to greatness were key.
  • “They could see Landon being the next great running back to come out of the University of Texas, that's a pretty strong statement of how they're looking at his recruitment.” — Jerry Hamilton [05:34]
  • Regional roots: His stature in Houston and the Richmond area comparable to or surpassing earlier local legends.

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3. How Williams-Callis Fits into the 2026 Texas Recruiting Class

• Complementing Existing Recruits

  • Texas also has a commitment from Noah Roberts (Basha, Arizona):
    • Noah is bigger (5’11”, projected to play at 215–220 lbs).
    • Roberts more versatile as a receiver out of the backfield; Williams-Callis is a pure runner.
    • “I think they're different styles of runners... So there's obviously differences. Noah Roberts is a bigger frame guy... Landon's good out of the backfield, but he's such a great runner...” — Bobby Burton [09:41]

• Recruiting Rankings Impact

  • This commitment takes Texas to 22 pledges for the class.
  • With a previous decommitment, Texas had briefly slipped from the top five; Williams-Callis moves them back up:
    • “I think they'll only move up one spot because I think they're about 6, 5, 6, 7 depending on your rankings. They'll move up one spot probably for people off of this, maybe two spots at most.” — Bobby Burton [12:02]
  • Emphasis: Texas is not done recruiting—expect further movement/rankings improvement as the season progresses.

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4. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Williams-Callis' Uniqueness:
  “No one has ever wanted that Jerry Hamilton that much.” — Jerry Hamilton, joking about the 70 offers Williams-Callis accrued [05:50]

• On Highlight Reels
  “If you want to know how good Landon Williams-Callis is… we started this video and cut in his highlights starting at about 4:30… it is still running.” — Jerry Hamilton [12:59]
  “That's only second time this has happened. Jermaine Bishop was the first.” — Bobby Burton [13:17]

• Final Welcome
  “Landon, welcome Horns buddy.” — Bobby Burton [13:26]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:41 | Announcement & opening thoughts on Williams-Callis | | 02:11 | Deep-dive on Williams-Callis’s skill set and physical attributes | | 04:15 | Discussion on size, NFL potential, and recruiting class significance | | 05:34 | Overview of the recruiting battle and why Williams-Callis chose Texas | | 08:54 | Williams-Callis’s high school production and records | | 09:41 | Comparing Williams-Callis and Noah Roberts; recruiting class fit | | 12:02 | Ranking impact and Texas’ continued recruiting strategy | | 12:59 | Highlights discussion; high praise for Williams-Callis | | 13:26 | Final remarks and welcome to Landon Williams-Callis |

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Conclusion

This episode paints Landon Williams-Callis as a transformative, legacy-shaping addition to Texas Football—praised for his vision, durability, and record-setting production. His commitment is a statement win, both against top rivals and for Texas’ national profile heading into the 2026 season. Listeners gain valuable insight into his recruitment saga, play style, and the evolving landscape of Texas recruiting under Steve Sarkisian.

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Transcript

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[Jerry Hamilton]

Boom. With an exclamation point, the University of Texas picks up a commitment from Landon Williams Callis, the number one running back in the state of Texas, a record holder in multiple categories across the state of Texas, and is going to be pushing for more records. We'll talk about that, but first let's talk about him as a player. Jerry, this is a guy that you've known about since his freshman year. Randall. Landon Williams Callous is a Texas Longhorn. Announces his decision today.

[Bobby Burton]

Yeah, look, I think as a player, the bit we can talk about a skill set. Bob, we've watched him a lot. This is durability. He hasn't missed the game. I mean, like they played 16 the last two years. So he has really good durability because people say, well, he's 5 7, 57 and a half, 195 pounds. Yeah. But he's got great contact balance. He doesn't take a lot of big hits. He's very reactive. You see all his skill sets here. He has great vision. Guys that great Vision don't tend to take the big hits. Right. And he has got that very low center of gravity. His knees are not exposed. At the high school level. He is better than everybody he's playing against. So it's his durability. I, I think the thing is, Bobby, he's quick. He's got the jump cut, he's got the skip cut. He has great contact balance. He's got spin moves going right, going left. And then he has long speed. He's run 10, 6 range in the 100 meters. I mean right there, I mean, you see how he just plays high to low and create such a low center of gravity. And that gives him the ability to take glancing blows off his shoulder and spin off and stay on his feet. He doesn't take many shots to the legs if you look at him, because that's one of the great things about being a five, seven, five seven and a half running back is people are always going to be tackling you at your waist or shoulders. And he, if you have really good balance and then you have acceleration after that, you are a tremendous running back. But obviously, Bobby, I think it starts with his vision. I think it starts with his vision and his quickness to the second level and his ability to see the cutback lane and his ability to time an outside zone. I think he reads backers well. I think he's a complete runner as a running back.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I, I just want to say this. A lot of people will say, oh, It's a, he's a 5, 7, 58 running back, 195 pounds. Look, it's not about your height as much as it is your size. If you're 195 pounds in high school as a running back, you're a big running back.

[Bobby Burton]

Even you're about like a 220 pounder to high school players.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Right. I mean, you get my point. Right. And so I feel like that's where a lot of people say, oh, well, he's not that big. They miss the point because you mentioned durability. Part of that durability is that he shirks a lot of tackles.

[Bobby Burton]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

People that go around his, around his, around his waist and around his shoulders because he's frankly, he's wide. Yep. You know, and I think that's part of it. I will also add this. You see his vision and his ability to kind of make and maximize runs. That's NFL level stuff in my opinion. And I, I think this is a truly a big exclamation point on the University of Texas recruiting class. He is a tremendous player and someone that I think look great running backs come from the state of Texas and I think he may be very well the next great one. Jerry, this was a national recruitment. Even though he's there in Richmond, Texas, not just Texas, not just A M, but Oregon and everybody else tried to get this commitment. What is it about this young man, why he chose Texas and who, who they did they eventually beat out A M, which is what I understand happened.

[Bobby Burton]

Yeah, look, he is a rare kid. Like you said, he has been offered since his freshman year of high school. He has reported 70 offers, more than half of the Division 1 programs in America. 70 offers is on his offer sheet, which is no.

[Jerry Hamilton]

1, no one has ever wanted that Jerry Hamilton that much.

[Bobby Burton]

I mean, no. Hell no. No. 7, 7 is my offer. But look, he took eight official visits, the most official visits I've ever of a player I've ever covered. Even basketball guys who could take two to each schools. I can't recall eight. He took a lot of visits. And when you take eight official visit that visits, that means you're giving schools that didn't think they would have a chance, at least a little bit of a chance. Missouri was mentioned in this recruitment for a long time. That only happens if you take eight official visits because you're five, your top five. Missouri wasn't in. That was a Texas, that was an A and M, that was an lsu, that was an Oregon, that was probably an SMU in this, in this recruitment. So Missouri wouldn't have ordinarily got a visit from a kid. But this, this Landon took eight visits and that gave every other schools a chance. Texas beat out Texas A and M. Missouri got a lot of mention, smu, but I never thought he was going to leave the state. SMU and Houston. I had somebody at this at Randall say, hey, Houston's a sleeper. Like people were thinking for a while Houston might have a, a legitimate chance. Did they really? Probably not. I think the reason why Texas won out for Landon Williams, guys, I, I, Bobby, I've been saying it on there and I can't get it out of my head. I just can't. When somebody very much a part of his mentorship and his recruitment said they could see Landon being the next great running back to come out of the University of Texas, that's a pretty strong statement of how they're looking at his recruitment. The NIL was going to be really good wherever he went. But I think they're looking at legacy because this kid leaves Richmond Randall with A legacy even more than Jacquiz Rogers, even more than his uncle Michael Lewis. He has a legacy in Richmond Rosenberg. So that is very rare. And I think they looked at that. Bobby, we're about to put out the list of the top 25 modern day Texas players. How many running backs? You said you have five running backs on that list.

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[Bobby Burton]

There's a thought in that camp that they think he's going to be the next one.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And, and look, I, I think that it's all interesting here. He's, he's already rushed for 7,000 plus yards in his high school career, 3,500 plus a year ago, so 61 touchdowns as a junior. He's got, he's going to be littering the record books for years and decades to come. The question I have is, is he going to be able to make that jump from high school to college? I, I think he will be able to. Look, Texas, he is not the only running back Texas has taken in this recruiting class. Noah Roberts out of Basha, Arizona, also in this recruiting class. Jerry, what are your thoughts on him and how do these two guys kind of marry together, in your opinion?

[Bobby Burton]

I, I think they're, they're different styles of runners. Right. They have some similarities. All backs have some similarities, but they're different enough that I think it makes sense for Landon Williams Callis after Noah Roberts was committed. I don't think you're going to the same place where both running backs are the same. Right. And I don't think Texas would recruit two running backs that were the same. So there's obviously differences. Noah Roberts is a bigger frame guy. Noah Roberts is a legit 511, maybe 5, 11 in the quarter. He's going to carry 215, 220 pounds long term in college. So Landon Williams Castle probably tap out at 205, 206. So Noah's a bigger guy. I think Noah's really good out of the backfield. Like Landon's good out of the backfield, but he's such a great runner. I'm not sure how much you're going to use him out of the backfield. Noah Roberts was a former wide receiver that kind of transitioned to being a running back in high school and ended up being one of the top running backs on the west coast in this class. So I think there's a difference there. I think Noah Roberts has the ability to be just as good out of the backfield as he does taking a handoff. Where Landon Williams callous even though he can be good out of the backfield and he's been productive out of the backfield with this guy because he's so instinctive and he's so good running the football. I'm not sure how many of his touches in modern football where you play two and three running backs are going to be used out of the backfield versus running the football.

[Jerry Hamilton]

This is such a huge win for Texas. Landon Williams callous, tremendous all around athlete. Texas wants to continue to tap into the Houston Pipeline. Houston area pipeline. That's a big win there. Big win over A and M. Big rent win at a marquee position. It's somebody that's going to be in the state record books for a long time. It, it's a big, big commitment. This also takes Texas to 22 pledges overall. Jerry and when they most recently lost John Meredith from the class of 2027 because he reclassified in the class of 2026. That pushed Texas out of the top five recruiting classes for the class of 2027. Does the addition of Landon Williams callous now put Texas back in the top five? Where does the the class of 2027 officially rank?

[Bobby Burton]

I think they'll only move up one spot because I think they're about 6, 5, 6, 7 depending on your rankings. They'll move up one spot probably for people off of this, maybe two spots at most. So it definitely keeps Texas in in the top five classes headed into the season. And we don't think Texas is done. We don't think this class is done. Just look at the way Steve Sarkeesian recruits guys they miss on early. They stay on a lot of those highly ranked guys and kind of let it play. Out and hang around the rim and they will do that with multiple guys in this class. Senior year and then there's also the senior year eval. I mean we always got to remember Grayson Littleton wasn't offered until November and he was a top 150 player in the country and ended up signing him after he decommitted from Clemson. So this recruiting class is not finished. I think Texas is going to sit around four, five or six headed into the season with still room to move up throughout the season if they find a couple of guys they like or can flip somebody that's highly ranked.

[Jerry Hamilton]

If if you want to know how good Landon Williams callous is and you're you're listening to this on podcast and not watching it. We started this video and cut in his highlights starting at about 4:30 seconds to a minute into the video it is still running.

[Bobby Burton]

That's only second time second time this has happened. Jermaine Bishop was the first.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yes.

[Bobby Burton]

Very whole commitment video within their highlights are still going.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah, absolutely. Big win for the Longhorns, Jerry. We'll have more on this and other commit recruiting news later. Big win for the University of Texas here Landon Williams callous is the newest Texas Longhorn Jerry. For Jerry Hamilton as well as our producer Matt Hutchison, I'm Bobby Burton. And one last thing, Landon, welcome Horns buddy.