Texas flips 4-star Cibolo Steele S Caden Sterns from LSU

After unofficially visiting the Forty Acres on Saturday, four-star LSU safety pledge Caden Sterns announced his decommitment from the Tigers and subsequent commitment to the Texas Longhorns on Sunday night, giving Tom Herman and his staff yet another flip of an elite prospect from the grasp of a national power.

“My family and I have talked, prayed, and evaluated every facet of my commitment to LSU, and although LSU was a dream school of mine from a very young age, I also shared the same love for The University of Texas all my life,” Sterns said in his Twitter announcement. “Growing up in Texas, being a Texas boy, and dreaming of becoming a Longhorn. It’s the best place for myself to become the best I can be, ad the best place for my family.”

Sterns originally committed to LSU on November 27, just a day after Herman was hired at Texas, and has since remained considerably firm to his commitment. A relatively local product from just an hour south of Austin, the Texas staff was finally able to get Sterns on campus on Saturday and what initially appeared to potentially be the beginning of a push rapidly became the addition of yet another high-level talent.

More notably, after flipping the nation’s top athlete from Florida State in Justin Watkins and flipping Cameron Rising from Oklahoma just weeks ago, Caden’s flip now signifies Herman and his staff’s first elite in-state commitment. Three-star outside linebacker Bryon Hobbs was previously the highest-ranked pledge from Texas.

Sterns’ Sunday night flip now gives Herman his eighth 2018 commit and the new headliner of the class, as the in-state product is ranked No. 39 nationally; the highest ranking of any current pledge.

The Longhorns 2018 crop now ranks No. 10 nationally and tops the Big 12.

The younger brother of former Oklahoma State safety standout Jordan Sterns, Caden Sterns is ranked as the nation’s No. 4 safety and the No. 5 player in Texas, per 247Sports Composite.