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The only Californian in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s running backs group this season is Portland State transfer and Los Angeles-area native Quincy Craig. Utah transfer Mike Mitchell is from the Jacksonville, Florida area.

The other four scholarship running backs? All Texans, led by lone returner and redshirt sophomore Kedrick Reescano and Texas State transfer Ismail Mahdi, who is originally from the Dallas area. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s two additions from Texas in the 2025 recruiting class are Dallas-area running back Cornelius Warren III and Houston-area product Wesley Yarbrough.

Warren graduated a semester early from North Crowley High School and is an early enrollee at the UA, practicing with the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ this spring. Yarbrough is joining the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ in the summer.

Adding Warren and Yarbrough “shows our commitment to the state of Texas,� said UA running backs coach Alonzo Carter.

“If you recruit well in Texas in the Big 12, I think that’s relevant,� Carter said. “Having him opens up the door to get more players, especially out of the Dallas area — and the Houston area, when we add Wesley.�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ signed nine high school players from Texas in its 2025 recruiting class, which is the most since 2005, when the program was led by head coach Mike Stoops, who prioritized recruiting the Lone Star State. Stoops-era Texans include quarterback Nick Foles, defensive tackles Earl Mitchell and Donald Horton, linebacker Ronnie Palmer and wide receivers Mike Thomas, Syndric Steptoe and Terrell Turner.

At Crosby High School in Crosby, Texas, just outside of Houston, Yarbrough had 458 rushes for 2,767 yards and 32 touchdowns in three seasons. The 5-10, 195-pound Yarbrough “is country corn-fed� and “one of them players where he’s big, but he’s still quick and twitchy,� Reescano said.

“You can tell he’s got a lot of learning to do, but he’s going to be something else when he gets there,� added Reescano.

Warren, who also has experience at slot receiver, just finished his career at North Crowley High School in Fort Worth, Texas, where he rushed for 3,341 yards and 48 touchdowns in three seasons. Warren also had 37 receptions for 580 yards and four touchdowns.

As a senior, Warren led North Crowley to an undefeated season (16-0) and a Class 6A state championship, capped by a 50-21 win over Austin Westlake at AT&T Stadium. Warren had 23 carries for 217 yards and a touchdown in the state championship game.

Carter said ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ “had to out-recruit some schoolsâ€� to get the “highly recruited young man from North Crowley High School,â€� who held offers from Baylor, Houston, Texas Tech, Miami, Ole Miss, Utah and Marshall, where UA offensive coordinator Seth Doege coached.

Warren signed with UNLV, but after head coach Barry Odom left for the same role at Purdue and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion became the head coach at Sacramento State, the Dallas-area running back was released from his national letter of intent.

Once UNLV released Warren, “he was one of the first guys I reached out to, because we felt he would bring that versatility, as well,� Carter said.

“If you watch his film, he’s dynamic,� Carter said. “He did it in all of the big games and is another person that you can play in the backfield, play him in the slot, you can play him in so many different ways.�

The 5-9, 170-pound Warren, known as “Corn� by his teammates, “was really just thrown in there� this spring and is playing behind Reescano, Mahdi, Craig and Mitchell, who’s been rehabbing an injury.

“It’s amazing for a freshman to pick up the plays the way he is,� said Reescano.

At the start of spring practices, Mahdi was assigned by Carter to be Warren’s “big bro� and mentor. Mahdi is “responsible for Cornelius,� while Reescano is the “big bro� for fellow Houston-area running back Yarbrough, according to Carter.

“Corn is a hell of a player,� Mahdi said. “He’s a baller. He’s adjusting real well coming into this offense. He’s a fast guy and a really good ball player. I’m excited to see what he’s going to do.�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ encouraged Warren to run track this spring at North Crowley and relish the second semester of his senior year of high school and attend prom and be a part of the traditional high school graduation. But Warren insisted on joining ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ early.

“I said, ‘Alright now, this is grown-man stuff, are you sure?’� Carter asked Warren. “He was like, ‘Yeah!’ Very confident young man. He’s gotta get his body up to par, but having him here early helps.�

The running backs ahead of Warren have a combined 11 seasons of college football experience — and access to college football strength and conditioning programs. The 6-foot, 213-pound Reescano, who Carter said is “all muscle now,� is over 40 pounds heavier than Warren.

“Now being that lead guy, he’s very mature and had a great offseason with (strength and conditioning coach Cullen Carroll) and his staff,� Carter said of Reescano. “They did a great job. He’s a quiet leader, but I’m trying to get him to be more vocal because he has a lot of respect between his teammates and his peers. ... To see him buy into the offseason program and be able to get out front and be the leader that we need him to be and being the only returner in that room is really important to me.�

Added Carter: “If you look at Ked’s body from last year to this year, it’s night-and-day (different). ... He changed his body and has done a fabulous job of buying into the culture of the team and the redline mentality, always doing the extra work, always bringing other people with him, being a leader on and off the football field. Cornelius is now stepping into that space.�

Carter calls it “positive peer pressure� for Warren.

“He’s walking into that room looking at them guys every day,� Carter said, “and they’re helping him adjusting and making sure he’s doing the right things, putting the right things into his body to prepare to play college football in the Big 12.�

UA adds first Texan to ’26 recruiting class

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ landed its first Texan for the 2026 recruiting class after three-star wide receiver Caleb Smith .

The 5-8, 160-pound Smith committed to ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ over Arkansas, Baylor, Mississippi State, Nebraska and Texas Tech, among others. The Dallas-area product and Allen High School receiver is rated by as the 99th-best prospect in Texas for 2026.

In two seasons at Allen, Smith has a combined 47 receptions for 410 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 197 yards as a punt returner.

Smith — nicknamed “The Jetâ€� — is ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s fourth commit of the ’26 class, joining Bay Area offensive lineman Michael Langi, Chandler wide receiver Hamisi Juma and three-star linebacker Dash Fifita, who is the younger brother of UA quarterback Noah Fifita.