The 20 man group is currently ranked 7th in the nation and 2nd in the Big 12 and a .9138 class average. Barring disaster, this class should finish in the Top 10.
Not too shabby. And it’s not over yet.
Out of State Flavor
45% of the class hails from out of state. That’s the largest percentage out of state haul in Texas history and, in my mind, it’s a positive. Not the least of which because they represent, in my opinion, several of the best and most intriguing members of the class. I’ve argued for the value and importance of out of state recruiting for over a decade (particularly out West) and we finally have a staff that gets it. Parochial Texans - God love us for our state pride - have trouble admitting that high school football is played outside of the great state and that California, latte-soaked though it might be, puts as many athletes into the NFL as Texas. With a lack of viable alternatives in-state, UCLA and USC reeling, and multiple direct flights a day from Austin to every major Western city, the math isn’t that hard. And Cali’s Western satellites (SLC, Phoenix, Las Vegas) are all trending towards putting out more elite talent every year as demographics shift. Perhaps necessity and some of the dynamics in the state forced heightened Longhorn interest, but it would be hard to argue that athletes like Floyd, Liebrock, Smith and Adimora wouldn’t be Top 5-25 recruits in Texas. Texas has also opportunistically grabbed players from Oklahoma, Georgia, Missouri and Florida.
Two of those out of state commitments - Arizonans Brayden Liebrock and Jake Smith - have seen their stock rise more than any other recruits in the country. Both are also badly needed additions to this program. Smith represents versatility and provides an element of speed and dynamism with the ball in his hands that’s sorely missing from the current Longhorn roster. I’ve comped his skill set to Ramonce Taylor. It’s also a cross-racial comparison, which makes me woke.
Liebrock is a field stretching TE with terrific hands and natural athleticism. I’ve compared him to Todd Heap, which makes me unwoke.
A third out-of-stater, Cali LB DeGabriel Floyd is as pure a LB prospect as I’ve seen. He’s violent, runs well and might credibly be a Day 1 starter as a freshman. If you watched us play this year, I don’t need to tell you where this defense needs the most shoring up. He hits like Luke Kuechly. Woke again!
Remaining Needs
With five scholarships left to give (plus or minus one), Texas needs OL and DL. Then cherry picking of best available. The staff kept their powder dry on OL with the belief that once you get outside of a handful of slam dunk early identified, you’re looking for late bloomers and risers. I buy into this, even if it gives recruiting dorks consternation that the class isn’t complete by July as in the Mack Brown era.
Should be an interesting finish, as Texas seeks to land some late season whales in addition to shoring up the lines.