With National Signing Day just two weeks away, schools are working to finalize their recruiting classes for the 2017 season. As the recruiting process winds down for this cycle, a growing trend has emerged as more big-name Texas high school football players are leaving the Lone Star State to play at the next level.
One school that has seen a benefit from this is Ohio State. The Buckeyes have four players who played their high school football in Texas, including one from the junior college ranks.
TexasHSFootball.com spoke with Andrew Lind, a recruiting analyst for Eleven Warriors, to get his take on this trend and how the incoming Texans will impact the Buckeyes next season.
Why do you think we’re seeing so many Texas kids leaving the state to play college football?
I don’t think there’s any one answer, but a lot of it has to do with perception – whether it’s Texas or the Big XII as a whole. There was a time under Mack Brown when an offer from Texas meant something to five-star prospects across the state. The program was an easy sell to kids who grew up imitating Ricky Williams and/or Vince Young in their backyards, just dying to one day wear the burnt orange. That left the other in-state schools with the scraps.
But what have the Longhorns done in the years since their last national championship? I ask this solely because the kids in the current recruiting class were in kindergarten when Young hoisted that crystal football.
The answer? Texas has averaged eight wins per season over the last 11 years. Surely that’s good enough at schools like Baylor, Rice, SMU, TCU and Texas Tech, but certainly unacceptable at a blue blood program like Texas.
As I mentioned, the same can be said for the Big XII, as conference realignment significantly weakened its perception. Outside of the Red River Showdown, rivalries are few and far between. Kids that used to be excited about Texas-Texas A&M now can’t wait to see the Aggies take on Alabama. Or LSU. Or Arkansas at AT&T Stadium.
The SEC has encroached upon Texas’ recruiting base, and it’s not as difficult for kids to leave the state knowing they’ll play either or a short drive away and in Texas at least two times in their careers. Now some kids simply want to leave the state to make a name for themselves elsewhere, like five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson. But I think it mostly has to do with Texas’ struggles on the field.
How successful do you think Tom Herman will be in keeping kids to stay in-state?
The Longhorns took a step in the right direction by hiring Herman, and he’s certainly shown the ability to sell a program that’s not necessarily in the greatest of shape. His success at Ohio State and Houston and – more importantly – his relationship with coaches across the state will give him an advantage on the recruiting trail that his predecessor, Charlie Strong, did not have.
Seeing as he took the job only two months before signing day, it was nearly impossible for Herman to have an impact on the current recruiting class. He wasn’t going to flip Baron Browning or JK Dobbins from Ohio State, as they had long-standing relationships built with the Buckeyes’ staff. Same goes for Jeffrey Okudah, who was uncommitted at the time but had already trimmed his list to three schools.
Recruiting is all about relationships, and it’s going to take some time for Herman to build that trust. But once he does – and the Longhorns are back to winning more than 10 games each season – I sincerely doubt we’ll see out-of-state schools have as much success in Texas as Ohio State did this season.
Tim Beck was seen as the Texas recruiter at Ohio State. With him in Austin, how much do you see that directly impacting Ohio State?
Some would call Beck Ohio State’s top recruiter – though I think that honor belongs to defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs – which means his departure should absolutely hinder the Buckeyes’ success a little bit, right? Not exactly.
The program is certainly bigger than one assistant coach. And when Urban Meyer simply replaces him with another talented offensive mind, it’s as if Beck was just another cog in the machine. As much was said by a number of Ohio State’s commits when they found out he was taking the job at Texas. As long as Meyer is the head coach, their thoughts on the program would remain the same.
That’s also why the Buckeyes are among the early favorites for elite Texas juniors like Yoakum wide receiver Joshua Moore and Angleton safety BJ Foster. Now Beck has the chance to get back at Ohio State by keeping those kinds of kids in the state. But, like Herman, he’ll have to be given time to build those relationships in order to do so.
What kind of impact do you see each of the Texas players having next season for Ohio State?
All three have already enrolled in classes, which allows them get ahead in the strength and conditioning program and participate in spring practices.
Out of the three early arrivals, I think Okudah has the best chance to start as a true freshman. Ohio State is losing three players from the defensive backfield to the NFL Draft, including both corners, so there will be an open completion in camp. Knowing what the Buckeyes already have, he may already be the best corner on the roster.
Browning should see time on special teams and in certain defensive packages, but won’t be asked to man the middle from day one. Though Ohio State lacks depth at the position, it’ll take time for him to transition from the outside.
Dobbins, meanwhile, will likely be redshirted. He’s still on the mend after suffering a serious ankle injury in the first game of his senior season, and with Mike Weber, Demario McCall and Antonio Williams all ahead of him on the depth chart, he won’t be asked to rush back.
With Marvin Wilson still undecided on a school, do you think he joins the rest of 2017 crew as a Buckeye?
I don’t think they’re very high. He has a great relationship with Coach O at LSU, and things seem to be trending in that direction. Granted, Ohio State is still in it because of his friendship with Browning and Okudah, but I think he’ll be hard to pull out of the South. It’s the same feeling I got with Cam Akers.
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