Texas' Herman faces uphill battle after poor 1st signing day
Those envisioning a quick turnaround under newly minted Texas head coach Tom Herman will have to put their celebrations on hold, as the Longhorns wrapped up signing day by finishing 33rd in the 2017 class rankings, and failing to land a top-10 recruit from the state for the first time.
Met with great enthusiasm from local high school coaches after Herman said the Longhorns were their program, Texas was only able to sign five recruits hailing from the Lone Star state who rank in the ESPN 300.
In comparison, former head coach Charlie Strong, who was ridiculed for not focusing on Texas players by a certain faction of high school coaches, signed six recruits listed in the top 300 from Texas (eight overall), helping to finish 16th in the country in his first recruiting season.
Then in the 2015 and 2016 cycles, Strong finished in the top 10, signing a total of 29 top-300 recruits combined, with 24 being from Texas.
| Year | Class Ranking | Top 300 | 4-Stars | 3-Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 33 | 5 | 7 | 11 |
| 2016 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
| 2015 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 11 |
| 2014 | 16 | 8 | 11 | 12 |
In fact, the top seven players from Texas signed outside the state this year, leading to legendary Longhorns head coach Mack Brown to voice his frustration over the amount of talent leaving.
The top-rated Texas prospect, five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, signed with Florida State. Ohio State plucked the No. 2, No. 5, and No. 9 prospects, while LSU signed No. 3, No. 4, and No. 7 from the state.
Speaking of the Tigers, LSU signed just as many top-300 recruits from Texas (five) as the Longhorns did, tied with Texas A&M for the most.
| State Rank | Player | School | Star | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DT Marvin Wilson | Florida State | 5 | 4 |
| 2 | DB Jeffrey Okudah | Ohio State | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | OT Austin Deculus | LSU | 4 | 19 |
| 4 | CB Kary Vincent | LSU | 4 | 23 |
| 5 | OLB Baron Browning | Ohio State | 4 | 26 |
| 6 | TE Brock Wright | Notre Dame | 4 | 29 |
| 7 | DE K'Lavon Chaisson | LSU | 4 | 34 |
| 8 | WR Jalen Reagor | TCU | 4 | 43 |
| 9 | RB J.K Dobbins | Ohio State | 4 | 44 |
| 10 | OT Walker Little | Stanford | 4 | 48 |
Though not just a Longhorns problem, the state saw a mass exodus of top talent, as 46 of the recruits ranked in the top 300 from the state, 28 signed elsewhere.
Herman was hired to bring gloryback to the state's flagship program, with a roster filled with top Texas-raised players, but based on his first recruiting class, Herman was not able to buck that trend
Instead, he'll have to wait until next signing day to try to make a splash.