Texas bolsters D on National Signing Day, conceivably giving Strong breathing room

National Signing Day began with Texas coach Charlie Strong's seat as hot as ever. It may as well have ended with a Longhorns flag flying at the state capitol in Austin.

The embattled head coach delivered perhaps the biggest win of his tumultuous tenure with the school, vaulting the Longhorns from the 32nd-ranked class to the 10th spot with an epic haul on recruiting's biggest day. It's exactly what Strong needed after an 11-14 record to start his stint as Texas' head coach.

"We needed some positive vibes around the program with the way we ended the season," he told reporters in an afternoon press conference.

Strong landed the nation's second-ranked outside linebacker in Jeffrey McCulloch (26th overall). Once that domino fell, the rest settled into place as Texas quickly inked in-state talents in safety Brandon Jones (49th) and defensive tackles Jordan Elliott (82nd), Chris Daniels (121st), and Marcel Southall (250th).

Cementing a legendary eight-hour period for the Longhorns was the nation's ninth-ranked outside linebacker, Erick Fowler (132nd), who flipped from LSU to Texas at the final moment.

All six recruits are on the defensive side of the ball, an area where Texas struggled mightily in 2015, ranking 106th in the country.

"We had to really shore up on defense," the 55-year-old told reporters. "That was an area that really needed to be addressed."

The speed with which Strong can turn these recruits into top performers is likely intertwined with how confident he should feel about his job status. Many boosters were reportedly calling for Strong's head last season, and he could be on a short leash entering the 2016 campaign.

It won't start off easy next season for Texas, as it hosts Notre Dame, travels to Cal and Oklahoma State, and faces rival Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl within the first five games of the season.