Texas pounces on recruits in wake of Baylor scandal
Texas continued its pillage of former Baylor signees in the wake of Art Briles' dismissal, landing its fourth former Bear in offensive guard Patrick Hudson on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-5, 330-pounder represented the latest win for Charlie Strong on the recruiting trail, as the embattled coach has seized the moment after Baylor released five signees earlier this month.
| Player | Position | Rating | ESPN 300 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Duvernay | WR | 4-star | 42nd |
| Patrick Hudson | OG | 4-star | 56th |
| J.P. Urquidez | OT | 4-star | 164th |
| Donovan Duvernay | ATH | 3-star | NR |
Hudson is the nation's top-ranked offensive guard in the 2016 recruiting class and adds some serious strength to an already formidable list of signees for Texas.
Along with Hudson, the Longhorns now hold the nation's No. 2 outside linebacker in Jeffrey McCulloch, the nation's No. 3 wide receiver in Devin Duvernay, and the nation's No. 2 safety in Brandon Jones.
With Strong on the hot seat following another disappointing campaign in 2015, he needed a strong recruiting period to regain trust among Texas administrators. After turning in a virtuoso performance on National Signing Day, the 55-year-old has only improved that class during the Baylor scandal.
Texas moved up 22 spots in ESPN's team ranking on National Signing Day, to finish with the 10th-ranked class in the country. With the four-star additions made by Strong, the 2016 class for Texas is now one of the best in the nation.
Strong's job security will likely depend upon the play at the quarterback position in coordinator Sterlin Gilbert's new spread-based attack. True freshman Shane Buechele wow'd everyone in spring practice and could be poised to start in the fall.
Whether Strong can turn around Texas' fortunes on the field is yet to be seen, but he's arguably had the best offseason of any coach in the country.