The Texas Longhorns hosted an Elite Camp on Saturday afternoon, with some top prospects from around the state and the nation making their way to Austin. Safety Zelus Hicks certainly fits the bill of “elite,” and the Carrollton (GA) product was one of the more high-profile players in attendance.
Hicks, a four-star prospect in the 2026 class, is the nation’s No. 12-ranked prospect overall. Saturday marked is second time visiting Texas (he previously came in with his 7v7 team). This trip gave him a chance to get better acquainted with the UT staff, including safeties coach Blake Gideon.
“The main thing I liked about this experience is I got to actually get a real-life representation of how coach (Gideon) coaches the safeties,” Hicks said. “He’s hands-on. I really liked it.”
Hicks said he was pleased with his camp performance but also picked up some tips that he can implement to help improve his game.
“We had a great experience at the camp. (Gideon) got to teach me some new techniques, show me some things I need to work on,” Hicks said. “And then afterward we went over some film on the team and how they run their defense.”
The 6-3, 180-pound Hicks also got to connect with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who told Hicks he likes what he brings to the table both on the field and as a person.
“His message was that he really likes me. He likes my character as a person,” Hicks said. “He likes that I’ve got a good family foundation. Those are the main things he was pressing on me.”
It’s still early for Hicks and he’s already holding more than 20 scholarship offers. The Longhorns figure to be a strong player in this one as he works through his recruitment.
“For one, my family really likes Texas. They want to move out here once I get to college, regardless of where I go,” Hicks said. “I like how the DBs are produced out here. Time after time, they have the top DBs in the nation coming out of here.”
Hicks plans to drop a top 12 soon, possibly even this week. Texas will make the cut. In fact, Hicks said the Longhorns are in the upper half of that upcoming group of favorites.
“Today, they really jumped, probably in my top five right now. Definitely in my top five,” Hicks said.
Up next, Hicks will hit a Tennessee camp on June 7. He said he’ll probably camp at Ohio State this summer as well.
