Tom Herman's top five recruiting victories
Houston may not the first program recruits think of when they dream of playing college football in Texas, but that doesn’t mean some of those prospects can’t be won over. For all the credit Tom Herman has received as a coach over the past few seasons, he had to win some recruiting battles to give his staff talent to work with. Here’s a look at the top-five recruiting battles Herman won in his short time at Houston.
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Oliver is the first five-star football prospect to commit to a Group of Five school. During his recruitment, Oliver's only official visit was to Oklahoma and Herman had to stave off the advances of Texas A&M down the stretch as well to keep him at home. The athletic defensive lineman has earned high praise from the national media all season, and after picking up 5.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss as a freshman, Oliver has proven that top-tier talent isn’t wasted at a Group of Five school.
After finishing high school as an Under Armour All-American, Rodgers went the way of junior college and was pursued by many of the teams that were recruiting him as a prep prospect. The big offensive tackle chose Herman and the Cougars over programs such as Arizona State, N.C. State and West Virginia. Rodgers started the first seven games of this season before injuring his ankle against Tulsa.
Lark may not have had the same opportunity to have the immediate success that some others have had just yet, but he and Oliver were the only four-star or better recruits to commit to Houston out of high school in 2016. Lark decommitted from TCU in early November of his senior season and chose nearby Houston over the likes of Clemson, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. This season Lark finished with three receptions in four games for 26 yards.
Herman’s first recruiting class at Houston was, at first glance, nothing to write home about but Jones will be remembered as one of its bright spots. After picking up a number of offers in the spring following his junior season, Jones committed to Oklahoma State in the preseason of his senior year. Herman was able to pull a fast one and flip him to the Cougars on National Signing Day. Jones started every game at left tackle this season after taking a redshirt year in 2015.
Generally after being scouted as an athlete in high school, recruits settle in at specific position in college and continue forward. That has not been the case with King, as he has done it all on some level this season. He averaged over 25 yards per kick return, caught 29 passes for 228 yards and ran the ball 15 times for 74 yards. Against Texas State this season, he threw a touchdown pass and ran back a kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown. Houston kept King close to home, beating out other programs such as Baylor, Clemson, Michigan State and UCLA.