Reviewing Charlie Strong's recruiting record at Texas
Charlie Strong’s three-season run as Texas’ head football coach is over. Pointing to any one aspect of his tenure as the only reason for a lack of on-field success is short-sighted. And while the numbers suggest it wasn’t a lack of top talent that held the Longhorns back under Strong, his recruiting legacy is peppered with hits and misses.
Texas finished second, first and first in the Big 12 recruiting rankings in his three seasons, yet lost to Kansas this season — a team that ranked ninth, 10th and 10th in the same three seasons.
Below is a look at each of Strong’s three recruiting classes; what worked, what didn’t and we also examine a few high-profile, Texas-based players he missed out on along the way.
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CLASS OF 2014 - 7th nationally, 2nd in Big 12
The top dog: Jerrod Heard has had a somewhat unique Texas career. Recruited as a quarterback, he redshirted the 2014 season before starting 10 games at quarterback in 2015. Heard had an uneven season under center and led Texas to a 5-7 season. He converted to wide receiver this offseason and has functioned as a secondary receiving target, making more than 20 catches on the year.
Missing in action: Defensive end Derick Roberson was the second-highest rated player in the Longhorns’ 2014 class. He battled multiple injuries during his two years at Texas before announcing his intention to transfer from the program prior to the current season. He played this season at FCS Sam Houston State.
Overachiever: D'Onta Foreman carried a two-star ranking onto Texas’ campus and now functions as the program’s starting running back. He recently rushed for a career-high 341 yards in a game against Texas Tech. If he doesn’t enter the NFL Draft, expectations will be high for Foreman next season as his gaudy stats have made him a star.
CLASS OF 2015 -- 12th nationally, 1st in Big 12
The top dog: Malik Jefferson was the top-billed prospect in Strong’s second recruiting class and seems to be on his way to living up to his billing as the country’s No. 28 overall prospect, Jefferson was the Big 12 defensive freshman of the year in 2015. Jefferson was one of the cornerstones of the Longhorns’ 2016 defense despite battling injury.
Missing in action: Former Rivals250 prospect Kirk Johnson has struggled to find playing time at Texas thus far. In his first two seasons as a Longhorn, his career-high in carries is five, which came against Kansas as a freshman a year ago. Johnson has half his college career in front of him, however, and has time to live up to his lofty high school billing.
The overachiever: Former two-star linebacker Breckyn Hager has already outperformed his modest ranking at Texas. He’s played in 19 games in two seasons, making a handful of starts. He missed three games due to injury as a freshman but has rebounded nicely this season. He leads Texas in both sacks and tackles for a loss this season
CLASS of 2016 -- 20th nationally, 1st in Big 12
Top dog: Erick Fowler headlined Texas’ 2016 class and has seen action as a true freshman. He was the class’ lone five-star prospect and seems to have made headway as a freshman. He has seen limited action but seems to be a on a solid college trajectory. Fowler was the No. 13 overall prospect in the class.
Missing in action: Offensive lineman Patrick Hudson was the No. 62 overall prospect in the 2016 class but has spent the season redshirting. There’s no way of telling which direction Hudson’s career will take him, as it’s still extremely early for the high four-star prospect. All that’s clear is that he hasn’t had the immediate impact for which Strong had hoped.
The overachiever: Despite a three-star ranking, Zach Shackelford won the starting center spot as a true freshman. He has made 10 starts on the Longhorns’ offensive line despite injury. A one-time Kansas State commit, Shackelford changed his mind and flipped his commitment to Texas late in the process.
A FEW THAT GOT AWAY
How Texas missed: Teuhema and his brother were both committed to Texas at a time but broke their commitment to the Longhorns the night before Signing Day. Teuhema signed with LSU instead.
These days: Teuhema started 11 games as a true freshman. He has functioned in a utility role of sorts this season and has seen plenty of playing time despite being listed as a backup at multiple positions along the Tigers’ offensive line.
How Texas missed: Mack was always considered a heavy A&M lean, even after he broke his original commitment to the Aggies. Mack canceled a scheduled Texas visit late in the process, effectively removing the Longhorns from consideration. He later signed with the A&M.
These days: Mack had an impressive season as a true freshman before taking a small step back as a sophomore this season. Mack has played in all 11 games and likely has a bright future in the SEC.
How Texas missed: Cannon was always enamored with Baylor’s offense and listed the Bears among his leaders for some time. It’s unclear how hard Texas pressed down the stretch, but it now seems clear that Strong and company should have made the wide receiver a bit more of a priority.
These days: Cannon is a two-time All-Big 12 selection and one of the best wide receivers in the country. He’s set multiple schools records as a Bear.
How Texas missed: It was TCU, not Texas, that pushed A&M in the race to land Garrett. The fact that the Longhorns were undergoing a coaching change and Strong took over roughly a month before Garret’s Signing Day certainly didn’t help things. This was as much about timing as anything else.
These days: Garrett has become a superstar at A&M and is thought to be one of the favorites to be selected first overall in next year’s NFL draft.
