Texas Brings In First Recruiting Class Under Tom Herman, Looks Ahead To 2018

With a cumulative 16-21 record over the past three seasons, it was difficult to fathom this year’s Longhorns class to be anything spectacular, with or without coach Charlie Strong at the helm. First year head coach Tom Herman recruited the lowest rated group since 1999, but has plenty of talent that can be immediately be plugged in and play
next season. Herman promised the 2018 class would be the crown jewel of his burnt orange achievements, a reasonable claim considering Texas already has a sturdy roster of mostly sophomores and juniors.

With 17 signees, UT’s class was ranked 26th in the country by 247 Sports and 28th by Scout – lowest since the creation recruiting services. For the first time in two decades, the Longhorns did not nab a top-10 prospect.

Most of the players have some potential to make an immediate impact in Austin. Westlake quarterback Sam Ehlinger will have the opportunity to compete in a starter spot against Shane Buechele, possessing the kind of mobility and speed that fits well in Herman’s spread schemes.

Langham Creek running back Toneil Carter will scramble with predicted starter Chris Warren for the vacant back position that D’Onta Foreman left behind. Signee Daniel Young leads a field of five running backs that the Longhorns can pick and choose from. Dodge City CC ILB Gary Johnson is expected to play immediately with Malik Jefferson on the defensive side of the ball.

The class isn’t flashy, but acquired key needs on either side of the field, filling necessary depth that coach Strong’s sub-.500 units were lacking. However, coach Herman already backed up his words; in his inaugural conference, he vowed to focus on recruiting locally: All but five of the players were from the Lone Star State.

Grade: B-
Number of commits: 18

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