Fort Bend Hightower defensive back Kade Phillips moved from the Texas Longhorns to the LSU Tigers on Sunday, dealing a blow to the 2025 secondary recruiting class.
BREAKING: Four-Star CB Kade Phillips has Flipped his Commitment from Texas to LSU, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 18, 2024
The 6’1 180 CB from Missouri City, TX had been Committed to the Longhorns since July
Ranked as a Top 65 Recruit in ‘25 (No. 7 CB) per On3https://t.co/jfZR1XOU70 pic.twitter.com/uHCEVOMWIi
“I chose Texas because of the opportunities they have for me,” Phillips told On3. “Being in Austin and surrounded by accomplished individuals was a significant deal for me. I enjoy how Texas sees me as adaptable and capable of playing numerous positions, which will allow them to get me on the field as quickly as possible. Then there’s the sense of community that I receive from UT. It comes from all of the personnel and coaches, including Steve Sarkisian. They check in on me every day.”
LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond’s perseverance on the recruiting trail eventually paid off for the Tigers.
“LSU has been on me ever since they first offered me,” according to him. “After I committed to Texas, they continued to text and phone me virtually every day. Even after I committed, the coaching staff remained focused on me.
Phillips is the second Texas commit in the 2025 cycle to switch to LSU, following Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie defensive tackle Brandon Brown.
The loss reduces the Longhorns to a single defensive back pledge — Fort Bend Marshall cornerback Caleb Chester, the lowest-rated of Texas’ 16 pledges — adding to a disappointing cycle for Terry Joseph and Blake Gideon in light of last season’s on-field success and the move to the Southeastern Conference.
The Horns have a chance to rebound from Phillips’ departure, with Ruston (La.) cornerback Aiden Anding slated to announce his choice on August 24, as well as Galveston Ball’s Jonah Williams, a consensus five-star prospect ranked as a linebacker but recruited as a safety by Texas.
