LongviewLobo01

There are a lot of things that could happen not just with us, but with other schools around the country. It's so hard to predict how things will finish. Just trying to put together a possible list of what Texas ends up with was hard enough yesterday believing that Malik and DeAndre were going to commit elsewhere. And it's even more difficult now with all the momentum from their pledges. We're at 21 commits right now I believe. Burt is a soft at best, but let's assume he sticks. That means there are probably at most 10 spots available and probably not even that many.

Guys we are looking pretty hard at:

Soso Jamabo

Nick Brossette

Ryan Newsome

Carlos Strickland

Gilbert Johnson

Devoniare Clarington

Chris Clark

Daylon Mack

Kris Boyd

Holton Hill

Mark Fields

Tim Irvin

Devanta Davis

That's 13 right there that I thought of off the top of my head. And doesn't include guys like Kyler Murray, Kendall Sheffield, Demarckus Lodge or others who might pop onto the radar down the stretch. The staff is going to have to make some very difficult decisions over the next 5 weeks to figure out who they want and the number crunch that could occur moving forward.

Malik Texas

McNeal UCLA

The best thing is that it's a position that I'm not worried about. Wickline is a coach that has proven he can take OL and turn them into players whether they were highly recruited or not.

Breaking on Twitter.

The staff feels like he's a Horn, according to a very good source.

 

That's Hager, Cherry and Kirkland for the middle.

 

I'll say this – I've said Malik to aggy for a while now. However, I don't underestimate Charlie's ability to flip this guy. The strategy being used is effective, I'm told. Sumlin showed up with no clue on a DC. Wasn't received well. Charlie has charted all the defenses that Sumlin has produced and shows all the DCs he's been through in such a short time span. It's, uh, working. Is it enough though?

To take this a step further, Bedford laid out the lack of development of defensive players under Sumlin dating back to his time at Houston through his time as the aggy HC. It's apparent that their plan of attack was to show Jefferson what he would be stepping into if he went there using cold hard facts.

It's one thing for a coach to sit there and say he's going to develop you better, but it's completely different when Bedford and to an even greater extent Strong can sit here and rattle off player after player after player that they have signed and developed into an NFL draft pick when their competition hasn't done it anywhere he's been.

I still don't think that Jefferson commits to us Friday. I think Sumlin has brainwashed him to an extent as being the guy who's going to turn around the aggy defense. But the fact that Strong and Co have gotten us back as close as we are in a relatively short amount of time tells me all I need to be told. These guys can recruit and they're going to be hell come 2016 and beyond when coaches like Sumlin don't have a relationship advantage like they've had this year.

There's no doubt in my mind that the SEC wants nothing to do with helping Texas. They have to protect their investment in aggy. There was no way that they were going to pit aggy against us in any bowl. aggy has way more to lose than we do in that situation. Right now they are still riding the wave of momentum from joining the SEC and JFF. Even though they struggled this year, they still have the upper hand when it comes to recruiting in this state. Losing the game to us would completely end that advantage. Beating them on the field would negate anything Sumlin says. He couldn't walk into a recruits house any longer and say come play for us because we're in the SEC and we're better. The beatdown that would have occurred in that game would have ended them.

LSU wasn't an option for a similar reason. Although LSU had a "down" year according to their standards, they still have the name and nationwide reputation. Us playing and beating them would give Strong a signature win heading into the end of this recruiting cycle. The SEC wasn't going to let that happen either. They know that Texas getting back to where Texas was 5 years ago is not a good thing for the schools who recruit here, namely aggy and LSU so they aren't going to do anything to help us.

Thus we get Arkansas. A team that finished at the bottom of their division, but was playing much improved football by the end of the season. A game that if we win doesn't give us a recruiting boost, but if we lose ends our season on a sour note. A true lose-lose situation. I'm ready for Mike Slive to retire from the SEC, but I'm also just as ready for us to get out of this joke of a conference.

Shocking just because I didn't expect Houston to be able to go out and possibly get a guy like Muschamp. Usually they get solid coordinator's with ties to Texas. Guys like Tom Herman, who's also been rumored.

This would be a great place for Muschamp to resurrect his career. Solid recruiting base and a relatively soft conference. Get a solid OC to come with him and open it up on that side of the ball and there ya go. He could be winning 10-11 games a year in short time and then get a better job from there. Remember, the last two coaches before Levine were Briles and Sumlin and both parlayed success at UH to better gigs. I could see him winning there and then getting back into the SEC in a couple of years if a guy like Spurrier retired or someone gets let go or moves on.

LB is a major concern. We lose pretty much all of our guys who played this season. Jinkens is the only guy returning who saw much time. Santos is back, but it doesn't look like the staff is too enamored by him. That's why guys like Kirkland and Cherry and Malik committing and enrolling early would be so crucial.

That's a shocking development.

If any of you have been on other sites I've been a part of I love to look at 2 years of classes together. It gives a good idea of what the team is going to look like in the future because after redshirts classes begin blending together. You can also foresee positions that could be a problem in the future due to a lack of activity or kids not making it.

Quarterback

Jerrod Heard (2014); Zack Gentry (2015)  Thoughts: With the redshirt of Heard it's apparent that the staff is not going to rush a QB into playing just because. I did not list Merrick because I am counting him for the 2016 class since he is a greyshirt, but he could add in here. Still think we need 1 more because I personally like to carry 4 QBs at all times, but this position is going to improve moving forward. It has to.

Running Back

Donald Catalon (2014); D'Onta Foreman (2014); Tristian Houston (2015); Kirk Johnson (2015)  Thoughts: It is pretty apparent what the staff thinks about the RBs on campus. Even with the decommit of Stevenson they are still pursuing Warren and Jamabo despite two commits already in hand. A strong running game is crucial to this offense and this staff is going to get them a hoss RB come hell or highwater. Curious to see what happens with Catalon moving forward.

Wide Receiver

Roderick Bernard (2014); Armanti Foreman (2014); Garrett Gray (2014); Lorenzo Joe (2014); Dorian Leonard (2014); John Burt (2015)  Thoughts: After a large class last season, the staff is targeting only a few elite prospects this year. Burt is a very soft commit right now and could switch to Auburn, but the staff is still going after other options. Foreman will be a major part of the offense next year and Leonard and Joe could also see significant action. There will probably be some intense competition at this position and could see some kids switch positions or move on in the future.

Tight End

Andrew Beck (2014); Blake Whiteley (2014 JUCO)  Thoughts: This position has been a black hole for years and although it appeared at times this season as though it could be coming out of the darkness, there's still not a player on the board who you can look to and see as being THE guy. Definitely need to close this class out with a guy like Clark or Carrington. No question about it.

Offensive Line

Alex Anderson (2014); Terrell Cuney (2014); Jake McMillon (2014); Elijah Rodriguez (2014); Brandon Hodges (2015 JUCO); Ronnie Major (2015); Tristan Nickelson (2015 JUCO); Garrett Thomas (2015); Patrick Vahe (2015); Toby Weathersby (2015); Connor Williams (2015)  Thoughts: In Wickline I trust. All three kids redshirted this season from the 2014 class and Wick was able to go out and get a pair of JUCO OTs that could compete for starting jobs immediately. If you did not think that Strong was going to build his offense in the trenches this is all the evidence needed. The star power might not be off the charts, but Wick has made his name taking kids not as highly recruited and turning them into NFL prospects. This position is going to be a major strength (no pun intended) in the coming years. No doubt about it.

Defensive End

Derek Roberson (2014); Louis Brown (2015); Charles Omenihu (2015); Quincy Vasser (2015 JUCO)  Thoughts: There is some big time untapped potential in some of these guys and it will be up to Strong, Bedford and Rumph to develop that. Vasser was a major coup for this staff because he's going to be able to enter the starting discussion immediately as Reed's replacement. Will be interested to see how they tackle this position moving forward.

Defensive Tackle

Poona Ford (2014); Chris Nelson (2014); Du'Vonta Lampkin (2015)  Thoughts: Ford and Nelson were crucial last season and Lampkin is just as crucial this season. There's a certain DT recruit from East Texas that would be a major addition, but I am not holding my breath. As much emphasis as there is being put on the OL, I think there needs to be just as much emphasis on the DL. Maybe the staff likes the guys in front of these, but I figured they would take more than just 3 over these two classes. One thing I will not do though is question this staff on the defensive side of the ball. Not going to happen.

Linebacker

Edwin Freeman (2014); Cameron Hampton (2014); Breckyn Hager (2015); Cameron Townsend (2015)  Thoughts: I am very tempted to put Cecil Cherry on this list, but refrained from doing so. There could be a major change in the names on this list in the very near future. With the open depth chart heading into this year it could mean immediate playing time for anyone who signs this year and especially for anyone who enrolls early.

Defensive Back

John Bonney (2014); Jason Hall (2014); Jermaine Roberts (2014); DeShon Elliott (2015); Jamile Johnson (2015)  Thoughts: The early returns from the freshmen are solid just thinking about what Hall was able to do this year. Solid players committed, but needs more star power and that could be on the way. Very good prospects still on the board and you have to think 2-3 more could be in the cards here.

So Hicks makes second team Big 12 and then gets tabbed as a second team All-American? Sounds like whoever was voting the Big 12 teams didn't really have a clue.

There were a lot of things about the Big 12 voting that made you scratch your head. Brown not being DPOY I can slightly understand, even though I disagree, but not being the DL of the year was a joke. Hicks not being a 1st team LB despite Texas having the best defense in the league was a joke. John Harris not being a 1st or 2nd teamer was a joke.

I'm not a big fan of the Big 12.

What does everyone think of that?

I've been pretty vocal in the past about how much I dislike Watson, but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I wanted us to run an up-tempo, spread offense as bad as anyone, but after thinking about the coaches I wanted us to hire (Saban or Fisher), I guess I shouldn't pigeon hole us into a set offense.

When I look at offenses with Wickline on the staff, they've been pretty darn effective in the past. A good to great OL makes the play caller's job a lot easier so if Wickline can turn our OL into the top notch group that he usually coaches I think we will be ok. And although everyone loves the Baylor and aggy offenses and how similar they are to the rest of the state, if Texas gets back to winning games and competing for titles, the recruits will come. I'm going to give Strong and his staff the benefit here because they've proven to be adept at coaching players up and developing them so I think we are going to end up being fine. Can't wait to see what the team looks like at the spring game.

Mack is a guy that Texas needs to push for all season long. Rumph and Strong need to live in Gladewater. Not only is Mack one of the best DTs to come out of the state in a couple of years, but he's a Jake Raulerson type leader of the class. I don't think it's impossible to switch him, but we are going to need Strong to have a really good first year and aggy to drop off to have a chance IMO. The fact that we do have a new coaching staff has opened the door slightly. Had we kept Mack and the previous staff we would have had zero shot.

We need depth at the QB position. Wittek was a very good recruit coming out of HS and would be a perfect guy to come in and challenge Ash and Swoopes for playing time. There are only 3 scholarship QBs on the roster right now, and one of them isn't even going to be able to participate in spring drills because he's in high school. Given Ash's concussion problems, completely relying on him is probably not the wisest of moves for the new staff and Swoopes might as well be a redshirt freshman for the lack of playing time he received last year.

A guy like Wittek who has seen the field and been around the college game for a few years would be a very welcome addition.

It's guys like Cobbs who are going to benefit the most from Strong's arrival. If he works hard and deserves to be on the field, this is the best chance he's going to have. It was obvious that he wasn't going to play under the former staff. There's no promise that he's going to with the new staff, but having a blank slate is never a bad thing for a guy like this. Now it's up to him to work his tail off and prove to everyone that he's healthy and deserving of a shot.

On another note, we sure haven't had a lot of luck when we recruit kids from Oklahoma. Pickryl was never able to overcome his shoulder injuries and Cobbs had injury issues too. I hope that Turner can keep working and turn that trend around.

Overall team speed on Defense needs to be improved. Too many LB's on the roster with so many 2 LB sets being run lately. Once Muschamp left, our defensive recruiting dropped. Strong should get it back on track very soon.

Actually, our defensive recruiting was not nearly as good under Muschamp as people tend to believe. A lot of the issues that Diaz faced (in addition to his own shortcomings) were problems with talent as positions like LB. Muschamp was a good DC, but did not recruit very well when he was here in hindsight.

I think there is a good chance that Beck ends up at TE . ..

 

Though that leaves us short at LB. . . .

I want Beck to get a chance at LB. I like him there. But wouldn't mind for a second moving him to TE because we need athletic bodies there without question.

Forgot to link the list!

Here ya go guys. Sorry about that.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/204923691/2-Year-Recruiting-Classes

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While everyone is freaking out because of recruiting I decided to take the time to take a look at the past two classes that will more than likely make up the bulk of Strong's team in a couple of years when we all expect him to be winning 10+ games. It's really not that bad. I compiled the Rivals, Scout and 247 ranking from 2013 and 2014 and when you look across the board it's really not that bad. I'm not an ESPN insider so I wasn't able to use their rankings, but I don't think ESPN's rankings are very good to begin with.

Some thoughts:

-- We have signed 36 players in the last two classes (not counting Kevin Shorter) and the average rank between the 3 rankings by player is 3.57. Between the three rankings, Rivals has us the lowest at 3.47, while the other two are 3.61 (Scout) and 3.64 (247).

-- It's critical that the DL recruits that signed today be productive because last season is going to be a killer moving forward. Would not be surprised to see Strong hit that position hard next year. If there are any JUCO kids ready to go it should be given a long look.

-- While people are giving Strong a hard time over the way this year's class finished, Mack did him absolutely zero favors last year or setting him up this year. Let's not act like people were jumping for joy before Mack left in regards to this class. Strong and his staff were able to identify guys like Anderson, Rodriguez, Ford and Nelson and close them with little time, while also keeping the majority of the class in tact minus a loss here or there. Signing Ford and Nelson in my opinion is better than what Mack had committed in Henderson, Garrett and Trey LMFAO. Both of those guys need to arrive ready to play because I could see them earning playing time immediately if they want it.

-- QB is in good shape whether we go with Swoopes or Heard. I think the OSU offense will be a much better fit for Swoopes and it wouldn't surprise me to see him take off. Heard needs a redshirt year IMO, but he's the future. One thing you notice about the OSU offense is that they are able to utilize QBs with little drop off no matter who is playing. Just one guy after another comes in and produces. That said, I can't recall a QB in that offense with the athletic ability that these two guys have. JW Walsh is a dual threat, but not at the level of either of them.

-- It will be interesting to see how Wickline approaches the OL. Last year's class was heavy on big guys, while this year's class is the opposite. Outside of Raulerson, everyone that was signed last year is 300+. This year's class is full of guys who need time in the weight room to put on weight and will be more of what we are probably going to be looking at moving forward.

-- There's absolutely no reason for us to recruit anyone but stud, war daddy WR's this year. We have definitely loaded up on this position lately. One good thing is that we have a good mix of different guys. Bernard and Warrick are little fast guys. Meander is a project. Leonard and Gray are bigger guys who could project to an H-back type role. Joe and Foreman are complete WRs, as is Oliver, but with a little less speed. Time to mix and match and see where things fall.

-- I have no idea what the plan is at TE. None.

-- Going back to DL, Strong needs to hit this area hard. Nationwide. Blanket the country with offers and take as many as possible to help make up for the lack of signees. One good thing is that I have complete confidence in Strong and Rumph to be able to locate, identify and reel in talent. They will also develop said talent. Time to get some guys in here to develop though.

-- Losing Alaka hurt at LB, but at the same time there is talent to work with here. And a guy like Freeman could spin down depending on the defense that we end up running. It's a broken record, but Strong's track record on defense is second to none and Jean-Mary has been with him for a while. They will be good here. Will be interested to see what kind of players they look for at LB.

-- Keeping Bonney and signing Freeman was a huge boost to DB recruiting and those two will go along great with Roberts and Davis. If Roberts were 2-3 inches taller he's a top recruit in the country. I think we will be amazed at how much guys like Roberts and Anderson improve once they arrive and start getting top notch coaching and strength training. LSU has lived off inner city NOLA kids for years. Need to hit that area hard. A 3* NOLA kid is going to turn out better than a lot of 4* Texas kids because of the improvements they can make in college.

Mike I think it's too early to worry about any trends regarding Strong. The guy has been a good recruiter at every stop he's coached at. It's unfair to judge him based on results within 2 months on the job.

The first recruiting class that I think we can really judge Strong on regarding the in state talent is going to be 2016. 2015 is another class that he's going to have to play major catch up on. Mack had already found a way to screw up the early momentum we had with that class and Strong is stepping into a situation nearly as tough as 2014 has been for him. Sumlin and Briles and Miles have developed of relationships with the 2015 kids for a solid year plus that Strong is having to try and develop on the fly. If you're going to be critical of anyone for the situation that we are in, Mack and the powers that be who waited so long to get rid of him are the main culprits.

At the end of the day I understand why so many people are pessimistic right now. And I think some of it is deserved. We are going to struggle more in state than we have in years. But if we recoup those losses with kids from Florida, California, Georgia, Louisiana and the like and finish with a top 5-7 class are we going to complain? To be honest I'd rather recruit more from those places because I think there's an advantage to going after kids from there. Texas high school recruits are generally much more developed than kids from lower income Louisiana and Florida high school's. When they get into college and strength train and work with better coaching for the first times in their lives they develop into monsters. LSU has been doing this with New Orleans kids for years.

I'm not worried in any way, shape or form with the defense. I like Greg Robinson and he's a very good DC, but I think Strong is a much better college DC than GR. I think Strong is as good of a defensive mind as any coach in the college game so we will be fine on that side of the ball.

I think we are a year away on offense. It's going to take that long to implement what Wickline and those guys are trying to do on that side of the ball so I think this year we will see some good things, but it won't be until 2015 until we really see where they are going to go with it.

Let's not act like Texas isn't going to have talent next year. We have guys who were highly recruited coming out of high school:

QB: David Ash (3) or Tyrone Swoopes (4)

RB: Malcolm Brown (5)

WR: Jaxon Shipley (4)

WR: Kendall Sanders (4)

WR: Marcus Johnson (4)

TE: Geoff Swaim (3)

OT: Desmond Harrison (3)

OG: Sedrick Flowers (4)

C: Dom Espinosa (4)

OG: Curtis Riser (4) or Darius James (4)

OT: Kent Perkins (4)

DE: Cedric Reed (4)

DT: Malcom Brown (5)

DT: Desmond Jackson (4)

DE: Shiro Davis (4)

LB: Jordan Hicks (5)

LB: Peter Jinkens (4)

LB: Steve Edmond (4)

CB: Quandre Diggs (4)

CB: Duke Thomas (4)

S: Mykkele Thompson (4)

S: Josh Turner (4)

With Ash at QB, we have 3 5*'s (14%), 15 4*'s (68%) and 4 3*'s (18%)

With Swoopes at QB, we have 3 5*'s (14%), 16 4*'s (73%) and 3 3*'s (14%)

Of those starting 22, half are seniors if you include Ash. Their backups:

QB: Swoopes (4)

WR: Jacorey Warrick (4)

TE: MJ McFarland -- I guess -- (4)

OT: Kennedy Estelle -- if eligible -- (4) or Camron Hughes -- if he's still around -- (4)

C: Jake Raulerson (4)

DE: Bryce Cottrell (3)

DT: Hassan Ridgeway (4)

LB: Tim Cole (4)

LB: Dalton Santos (3)

CB: Bryson Echols (4)

S: Leroy Scott (3)

The cupboard isn't bare. The bulk of the upperclassmen in the program were highly ranked recruits. If Wickline can find a QB and turn water into wine on the OL like he's done for years and Strong can turn the defense into the machine he has everywhere he's been we aren't far off.

Thank you for being a voice of reason Sean. Too many people are losing their minds for no reason.

There's always turnover within the recruiting class when an entire staff is replaced. Just because we are Texas doesn't mean that we are exempt. And when you hire a coach with no ties to the state it makes the situation even more tenuous. Couple that with the success of schools like aggy and Baylor in state and the time spent without a coach and the time spent with recruits trying to connect with the new staff in a short amount of time makes it impossible to keep everyone on board.

And let's not kid ourselves. It's not like the class that Mack was putting together was full of elite talent to start with. It was a borderline top 15 class as it was and a complete change in philosophies with the new staff guaranteed turnover and that's not always a bad thing. For too many years, Mack and his staff have brought in top 5 and top 10 classes and then failed to develop those players once they arrived. Charlie Strong has proven that he can develop players once they arrive on his team. He did it as a defensive coordinator at Florida and then as a head coach at Louisville. That will be something that is completely different under the new regime.

The 2015 class is probably going to be much different than what we are accustomed to here also. aggy has a major advantage in the state with those kids and they are capitalizing in a major way. Strong is doing the right thing in using the relationships that his staff has with programs in the southeast and going after kids in those areas in order to make up for the distance he's going to have to make up within the state. I don't expect that to be the case moving forward in 2016 and beyond, but that's what needs to be done right now.

At the end of the day, winning on the field is going to matter more than anything for Strong and Texas. It won't matter who we have coaching the team and how good of a recruiter that he is if he can't produce wins and titles. Great coaches use the first season to implement their program and cull the herd so to speak and then by the second year are poised to make a run. Some examples:

** Pete Carroll won 11 games and the Orange Bowl

** Bob Stoops won a national title

** Urban Meyer won a national title at Florida and in a BCS game at Ohio State

** Nick Saban in BCS games at both LSU and Alabama

I'm not sure if we have the talent to make a run like those guys, but I'm not sure if Strong will have the time that it took a guy like Jimbo Fisher to build Florida State. We will see though. We need to win 8-9 games next year and 10-11 at the least in year 2.

**

Disagree with Mack reference to some extent. He essentially locked the TX boarder and cherry picked nationally (arguably not enough though). This is what Strong said he would do. We appear to be going nationally, but maybe this out of necessity.

Mack failed to cherry pick nationally. The last time he did that was the 2001 class and that class burned him so bad because of injuries and flame outs that he basically stopped recruiting nationally. It got worse following the national title. At that point Mack basically just took kids who were willing to commit on the spot and that required next to zero work from him or his staff. Go look at the classes following the 2005 title season and how bad they were. There was ZERO effort from the staff to expand the borders. The staff more or less just took the best in Texas and maybe a guy from Oklahoma or Louisiana on occasion, but for the most part the staff never looked out of state. If a kid from out of state wanted to come to Texas he basically had to pay his own way to a Junior Day and practically beg the staff for an offer.