8/21/2018 football Edit

Texas Mid-Term Recruiting Report: Texas

Javonne Shepherd gave Texas a lift to its recruiting class at the end of July (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Nick Krueger • Rivals.com

Recruiting Analyst

Nick Krueger joined Rivals.com as a multimedia producer in 2011 and has covered recruiting in the state of Texas since 2016. He also co-hosts and produces Rivals' weekly podcast, Commitment Issues.

Football prospects looking to make their college football commitments before the start of their senior season is nothing new in Texas. However, in the first full cycle of changes made to the NCAA football recruiting calendar, many players took advantage of the opportunity to knock out many - if not all - of their official visits from the end of spring through early summer. Many top programs in-state, as well as those out-of-state teams that frequently recruit Texas, have seen their classes fill at an advanced pace with a higher likelihood that products from the Lone Star State will remain committed with an eye on signing their letters of intent in December.

In 2016, 258 players from Texas ranked as 5.4 two-stars or higher signed with Power Five or Group of Five programs. In 2017, that number grew to 297 and again in 2018 to 334. Currently, 216 players in that demographic are committed to Power Five or Group of Five programs in the 2019 class. While the number of signees at the very top of the rankings has remained relatively consistent since 2016, the growth in total players signed during that time is an indicator that the overall quality of talent in the state has grown as well.

With that in mind, and the start of football season just around the corner, now is as good of a time as any to take stock of which teams have recruited Texas most successfully this year. Here is a look at the job Texas has done with the fall approaching.

PERFORMANCE TO-DATE

After the Longhorns put together their best class in recent memory by a pretty fair margin in Tom Herman’s first full go-round in 2018, Texas has put together another quality class thus far in 2019 but has done so more on the strength of out-of-state commitments. Texas’ top commitment from in-state and overall remains Jordan Whittington, who committed in March, but nearly half of its class to this point has come from out-of-state.

The Longhorns didn’t see any significant changes in ranking from their in-state commits in the most recent rankings update, but this fall, should be optimistic for positive moves from 4-Star offensive linemen Javonne Shepherd and Tyler Johnson after the fall. Although Shepherd always appeared to be a strong lean to Texas, landing his commitment was still a crucial recruiting win. Close friend, five-star offensive lineman Kenyon Green, committed to Texas A&M and if there was another team that looked to be seriously in the picture, it was the Aggies. Perhaps Jared Wiley could be in that discussion to see a move up in ranking as well with what he might be able to show athletically, but the tight end prospect returns as quarterback for Temple this season, so getting a glimpse of him in his future role during his senior season seems pretty unlikely.

As far as top remaining in-state recruiting targets are concerned, a few names come to mind that would give the Longhorns a lift and address some needs as Herman continues his makeover of the program. Although defensive back was addressed in a big way in 2018, the staff still seems to be in the market for one more after a recent offer when out to Plano safety Tyler Owens. Rivals100 safety Lewis Cine and Rivals250 DB Jalen Catalon have remained on the radar, but there is stiff competition to land either. A couple of other names that are interesting watches are Katy, Texas, prospects David Gbenda and Deondrick Glass. The Longhorns don’t appear to have a pressing need a linebacker, but there still seems to be some reasonable mutual interest despite having two commits already in the fold. Glass may be more of a contingency plan heading into the season, should Texas not come away with someone like Noah Cain.

MID-TERM GRADE: B+

Even though there may be a thirst among the fanbase for the Longhorns to provide a splash-level encore to the class it pulled from the state in 2018, it's not as though there is a lack of quality in the commits that they have thus far in 2019 from in- and out-of-state. Considering the pass-catching talent committed to this class, as well as the potential of the players signed from 2018, the biggest thing the Longhorns may feel the need to add is depth and talent on the offensive line and in the backfield. Another top running back or two and another talented big man up front would be ideal, but the staff doesn’t have a ton of outstanding offers out to uncommitted targets at either of those spots for now. Perhaps after seeing how things play out to start the fall will lead to some re-prioritizing of their recruiting board before the end of the season. For now, with eight players from in-state committed, Texas is doing well heading into the season.