Four-star CB Samari Matthews signs with Texas

With the departure of key veterans upcoming this offseason, adding top-tier talent in the secondary was pivotal for the Texas Longhorns in the 2026 class and first-year cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey did just that with the signing of four-star cornerback Samari Matthews.

Known as “Smoke” for his elite track and field speed, Matthews is an uber-athletic corner who has shown great promise in press, shell, and everything in between.

The 6’0, 190-pound cover corner from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough committed to the Longhorns in July after official visits at Texas, Florida State, Miami, and South Carolina. The recruiting win was a massive get for Texas, who convinced Matthews to leave the East Coast for the Lone Star State.

A consensus four-star prospect, Matthews is ranked as the No. 102 player nationally and the No. 11 cornerback, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He adds elite speed and strong physical attributes to the Longhorn secondary. He shined this past summer on the camp circuit in metrics across the board such as one-on-one situations, agility drills, and technique work.

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Here’s what Longhorn fans can expect according to 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins:

Confident corner that can get under the chin of assignments and take them out of a play with his physicality. Owns good size as he has measured over 6 feet multiple times and is believed to already be pushing 195 pounds. Has sneaky length to accompany a longer torso. Seasoned in press-man as he jostles with receivers and gets them off schedule. Is also effective in off coverage as he can stay on top of routes with his slick agility. Not a ton of ball production on the high school resume, but that might have more to do with the fact that not a ton of targets come his way. Will play through hands when quarterbacks do test him and can break on passes. That was clear during an MVP performance at an Under Armour camp in advance of senior year. Made for a boundary role as he’s a willing tackler, but must continue to improve technique. Projects as a potential multi-year contributor at the Power Four level that can settle in as a trusted starter with his skillset.

The addition of Matthews gives Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski another highly-touted recruit to develop and helps alleviate pressure on other signees that played both ways in high school.

The emergence of true freshmen Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips this season points to a bright future for the Texas secondary, and the addition of Matthews only amplifies that upside. As he joins the talented young core on the back end, Matthews will look to follow in their footsteps as an immediate contributor.