SEC football news roundup: Texas recruiting tear continues with 4-star EDGE, James Franklin flexes Vanderbilt – Fly War Eagle

The SEC had another newsworthy day on Friday, with one blue-blood building serious momentum for the 2027 high school cycle, another re-emerging historic juggernaut looking to do the same with a handful of recruiting visits beginning, and Virginia Tech Hokies head coach James Franklin sharing an interesting shout-out to the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Let's take a look at how the Texas Longhorns continued a summer recruiting heater in Austin, the LSU Tigers are laying the groundwork for major splashes themselves, and we'll inspect Franklin's flex of his 15-year head coaching career.
Just a day after landing 4-star Sierra Canyon defensive tackle Kasi Currie over the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Longhorns followed it up with 4-star Vigor EDGE Jabarrius Garror's commitment. The usual suspects, the Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Georgia Bulldogs, were all in on the Mobile-area recruit, but Texas is unstoppable right now. Auburn, Georgia, and the Florida State Seminoles were the three other finalists.
The Longhorns are up to the No. 12 national ranking for the 2027 cycle. With Texas's main rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies, at the top of the recruiting rankings, expect more Longhorn aggression on the trail in the coming weeks and months.
Franklin had an interesting flex while discussing the proof of concept he's selling recruits on to lure them to Blacksburg. Of course, Franklin hasn't yet coached a game for the Hokies, but he's nabbing recruits for Virginia Tech by flexing his tenure at Vanderbilt and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Well, that and a $229 million infusion into athletics over the next few years for the Hokies.
“We’re not a first-time head coach trying to share a story that there’s no evidence for. We’ve got a ton of evidence. We’ve done it in the SEC, we’ve done it in the Big Ten, and we’re coming to do it in the ACC," Franklin told On3's Peter Nakos.
Franklin overachieved in Nashville, leading the 'Dores to a 24-15 record in three years. He built Penn State back up in the aftermath of Joe Paterno's controversial exit and Bill O'Brien's forgettable tenure, and would go on to be the Nittany Lions' head coach for 12 years. Franklin was 104-45 in State College, PA.
While his "small-game James" nickname, inspired by his 1-15 record against top-five teams, clouded everyone's memory, Franklin is a winner. Nothing he said is incorrect, though doing it in the ACC is, of course, still TBD.
Lane Kiffin is not effing around this weekend. The Tigers are hosting recruits from all over the country in hopes of raising a high school class that currently sits outside the top 40 in the 2027 recruiting cycle. They landed in East Baton Rouge Parish on Friday.
Kiffin is hosting 4-star Pearland cornerback Brandon Sherrard, 4-star Douglasville offensive tackle Joshua Sam-Epelle, 4-star Cincinnati OT Kal-El Johnson, 4-star Cornelius safety Davion Jones, 4-star Humble (TX) DL Jason Johnson, and 4-star Omaha safety Tory Pittman.
We'll see how many he lands. Based on their spending during the 2026 cycle, Kiffin and Co. should be able to corral at least a few of them.
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