Texas flips four-star DL Jamarion Carlton from Baylor

After a stretch of flipping three-star prospects, the Texas Longhorns secured a massive commitment on Saturday from Baylor Bears pledge Jamarion Carlton, a defensive lineman from Temple.

As Baylor struggled on the field this fall, imperiling the future of sixth-year head coach Dave Aranda, Carlton began showing signs of wavering with his pledge to the Bears, taking visits to the Forty Acres for the wins over the Commodores, the Razorbacks, and the Aggies, a telling precursor to his Saturday decision.

“Texas just felt like it’s going to be the right place to develop me, and just the atmosphere is crazy there man,” Carlton told Horns247. “I’d love to play for them.”

A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 89 player in the country, the No. 10 defensive lineman, and the No. 12 player in the state of Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, every Power Four team in the state extended an offer, in addition to 20 other reported offers outside of the state. Four teams hosted him for spring and summer visits — Texas Tech, LSU, Baylor, and Texas, with the Horns and Bears emerging as the two most significant threats to land his services.

And so although Baylor initially won out, the persistent efforts of edge coach LaAllan Clark ultimately factored into Carlton’s final decision.

“They never gave up and called my phone consistently,” Carlton said.

The 6-foot-4.5, 260-pound prospect is ranked as a defensive linemen by the recruiting services, but with Clark serving as his primary recruiter, he may find himself playing along the edge at the next level depending on how he develops physically. Carlton was a highly productive defender in his junior season, turning in 57 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and five sacks for the Wildcats in 2024.

He is the second commitment for LaAllan Clark during his time at Texas, joining five-star edge Richard Wesley in the class. Carlton marks the 24th commitment for 2026, the 11th on the defensive side of the ball, and the fifth defensive lineman/edge in the cycle. The class now ranks No. 7 in the composite team rankings.

Film Analysis (by Daniel Seahorn):

Carlton possesses very good size at 6’4.5, 260 pounds, with good length and athletic traits. He plays both with his hand in the dirt as a traditional defensive end and will line up in a two-point stance on the edge and fares well in both alignments. Flashes good athleticism, twitch, and tools from snap to finish throughout his tape, but also shows that he is still a raw ball of clay due to his technical inconsistencies. Has good ball get off and quickness that when combined with his length allows him to get into the body quickly of opposing offensive linemen. Pad level can get high at times, which allows him to caught up on blocks at times, but will often make plays strictly on athleticism, motor, and play strength. Has the ability to cover ground and close on ball carriers in a hurry and will make plays on the football even when he isn’t able to get to the quarterback. The natural ability and athleticism is all over the tape for you to see, but it is evident that Carlton just needs to be coached up some so that his technical acumen can catch up with the rest of the traits that are already present. If he continues to fill out and maintain his athleticism, he has a chance to be a big time player at the collegiate level.

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