Longhorns miss on elite 2027 wide receiver as five-star stays home with Hoosiers

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Longhorns miss on elite 2027 wide receiver as five-star stays home with Hoosiers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Texas Longhorns came up short in one of the biggest recruiting battles of the 2027 cycle on Friday, as consensus five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales committed to Indiana over Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU during an announcement on The Pat McAfee Show.

BREAKING: Five-Star Plus+ WR Monshun Sales has Committed to Indiana, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’5 210 WR chose the Hoosiers over Alabama, Texas, LSU, and Ohio State

Sales becomes the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Indiana in program historyhttps://t.co/hYn4pHe2capic.twitter.com/d9edUSWL1E

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 17, 2026

Sales is widely regarded as one of the nation's top prospects. The Lawrence North H.S. (Indianapolis, IN) star is ranked as a top-10 recruit in the 2027 class by both the Rivals Industry and the 247Sports Industry Composite rankings, while also being ranked as the No. 1 receiver in the class by 247Sports.

Landing a player of Sales' caliber would have been a major addition for head coach Steve Sarkisian and wide receivers coach Chris Jackson. Instead, one of the nation's most coveted offensive playmakers elected to stay in his home state and join the defending national champion Hoosiers.

While the Longhorns missed on Sales, they still hold a commitment from fellow five-star wide receiver Easton Royal. Retaining Royal’s pledge now takes on added importance as both Florida and LSU reportedly continue to pursue the Texas commit. Although both Sales and Royal have committed to their respective programs, neither will officially sign until the early signing period in December, so both recruitments are expected to remain active throughout the fall.

The Longhorns remain among the nation's recruiting leaders in the 2027 cycle, but after missing on one of their top remaining targets, Sarkisian and his staff will now look to hold onto their current commitments while continuing to pursue other elite prospects as the 2026 season approaches.

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• ESPN analyst says 'pump the brakes' on Texas' Arch Manning being the best QB
• Texas HC Steve Sarkisian makes surprising admission about Arch Manning’s NFL future

The Texas Longhorns will open the 2026 season on September 5 against the Texas State Bobcats, with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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