Texas’ elite defensive class is headlined by a pair of five-star defensive backs. Half of that duo is Missouri City (Texas) Hightower cornerback Kade Phillips, a five-star prospect ranked No. 21 overall in the final 2025 On300 rankings on Thursday.
The final edition of the 2025 On300 features 32 five-star prospects, up from 25 in the previous update in November.
Kade Phillips committed to Texas on July 6 and signed with the Longhorns on National Signing Day in December. No, it was not as linear of a path as it sounds.
After pledging to the Longhorns, Phillips spent just over a month in the class before he chose to flip his commitment to LSU on Aug. 18.
“LSU has been on me ever since they first offered me,” he told On3. “It was a little while once I committed to Texas with them still texting and calling me almost every day. The [LSU] coaching staff was locked in with me even after I committed.”
Phillips then stuck with the Tigers for a couple of months — but things came up all Burnt Orange the day before National Signing Day.
“They have been pushing really hard to get me back to Texas,” he told On3. “Their message has been that they still want me and they want to show what they can do for me.”
