Three-star K Jake Collett signs with Texas

In an overhaul of the specialists room after two stop-gap signings for the 2025 season, Ringgold (Ga.) Heritage kicker Jake Collett signed with the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday, setting him up to compete for the starting job in 2026 as a true freshman.

Unranked by On3 and 247Sports recruiting services at the time of his commitment in early June, specialist recruiting service Kohl’s Professional Camps ranked him as a five-star prospect and the No. 2 kicker in the country. On Early Signing Day, the 6’0, 175-pounder is a consensus three-star recruit ranked as the No. 3 kicker in the 247Sports Composite rankings and the No. 5 kicker by 247Sports and Kohl’s.

Here’s the evaluation of Collett from Kohl’s:

Collett competed at Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp in July of 2025. He had the most impressive Spring Showcase out of everyone in the 2026 class in May. At the July camp, he scored 114.78 points on kickoffs and 19 points on field goals. Collett has the talent to play early in his college career! Collett had his best showing to date at the 2025 Midwest Showcase Camp. He was dominant throughout the drill work and competitions. He won the kickoff competition and had a couple kickoffs go 75-80 yards with 4.3 seconds of hang-time. Collett also showed consistent field goal range out to 65 yards at camp. He has made marked improvement since the Underclassman Challenge. At the UC he scored 102.55 points in punting, 14 points on field goals, and 110.93 points on kickoffs. At Kohl’s Midwest Winter Showcase, he impressed with the command of his “A” ball and his overall leg strength. He scored 10 points in the field goal charting and produced a score of 106.50 in the kickoff charting. His biggest charted kickoff was 69 yards with 3.97 seconds of hang time. His punt charts produced a score of 99.39 points which included a big ball of 47 yards with 4.48 seconds of hang time. Collett competed at the 2024 Kohl’s Texas Fall Ranking Event. He scored 8/15 overall points in the field goal charting and showed improved command of his “A” ball in the kickoff portion. His score on kickoffs was 100.80 which included a big ball of 63 yards with 3.85 seconds of hang time. He has gotten more confident with his technique and was able to connect with some well-struck footballs at the event.

The specialist held offers to three schools — Army, Texas, and UConn — but took just one visit and committed before leaving Austin. His highlight reel features a long of 52 yards and an ability to hit from both hash marks, something that Texas’s special teams sorely needed in recent years.

The hope from special teams coordinator Jeff Banks is that Collett will be able to step in immediately for graduate kicker Mason Shipley, the Texas State transfer who has been rock solid for Texas in 2025. Second-year Austin Westlake product Spencer Barnett is currently the only other rostered kicker for the Horns.