Miami loses to Texas in race for 4-star safety from North Carolina

Miami suffered a recruiting loss on Friday night when four-star cornerback Samari Matthews officially committed to Texas, choosing the Longhorns over South Carolina, Florida State and Miami. His decision elevates Texas to No. 14 in the national 2026 class rankings, per Rivals.

Hailing from William Amos Hough High School in Huntersville, North Carolina, Matthews is rated among the top defensive backs in the nation. At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, the standout earned four-star status, ranking as high as No. 9 nationally at his position by On3 and Rivals. Rivals places him No. 70 overall in the 2026 class.

Before he moved forward with the four schools he decided from on his list, Matthews had an original four programs and it is worth noting the context. The original list was Clemson, Florida State, Oregon and South Carolina. So, in the updated list, Oregon and Clemson were bumped off the list in favor of Miami and Texas. There was a thought that Miami had a chance, despite joining late, becasue of how well Texas was doing. But, after his Austin trip, it seemed like the Longhorns made a unique impression.

Despite modest stats — 19 tackles and 2 interceptions as a junior, preceded by 25 tackles and one pick as a sophomore— Matthews has made a major impact in high school. He faced just seven passes all season and earned third-team all-state honors as a sophomore as well as first-team accolades last season.

Matthews becomes the second cornerback in Texas’s 2026 class, joining four-star Hayward Howard Jr. With him aboard, Texas rose in team rankings and isn't too far away from the top 10. Miami will now await the decision of other DB recruits that they are in the running for this weekend. The Hurricanes currently have the No. 10 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle.