Landing blue-chip offensive lineman hasn’t been easy for Texas Longhorns offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Kyle Flood since inking a marquee, program-changing class in 2022, increasing the importance of signing 2026 North Crowley standout John Turntine III in December.
A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 82 player overall and the No. 9 offensive tackle in the 2026 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Turntine is only the second offensive lineman
considered a top-100 prospect that Flood has inked in the last five cycles, joining 2024 signee Brandon Baker.
Misses on lower-ranked players have only increased the pressure on Flood to ensure that Turntine matures into a contributor for the Longhorns, a developmental process complicated by his lack of ideal height to play tackle at 6’3.5 and a lean frame that makes his physical projection more difficult.
Not only was Turntine listed at 270 pounds when he signed with the Longhorns in December, a picture posted by his father at the Cotton Bowl two months earlier provided a sober assessment of where the offensive lineman was in his physical development.
So it was heartening to see how much Turntine has grown physically since arriving on the Forty Acres last month as an early enrollee.
For an offensive lineman, Turntine still has extremely low body fat, but given his lack of overall mass and difficulties anchoring in high school, the increases in his upper and lower body strength are apparent, evidence that Turntine is capable of quickly adding strength to a frame that is suddenly starting to look like that of college offensive lineman.
So it will be interesting to track Turntine’s listed weight on the spring roster set for release before the start of practice on March 19, and to see how the most important member of Flood’s 2026 signing class looks in person during open portions of practice.
But what already seems apparent is that Turntine is beginning to answer some of the biggest questions he faced as a prospect.
