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Texas Recruiting: 2016 class a sign of how bad things are for Charlie Strong

By Dustin Hull

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To see how far the Texas Longhorns have fallen off the national scene, you only need to look at the team’s 2016 recruiting class to see how much Charlie Strong has to do to turn Texas into a winner again.

From the path the Texas Longhorns were on when they beat USC in 2006 Rose Bowl, you’d believe they were on their way to becoming a dynasty. They were a well-funded machine churning out such stars as Vince Young, Jamaal Charles, Michael Griffin, and Brian Orakpo, all under the supervision of recruiting mastermind Mack Brown.

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Those aspirations quickly faded after their loss to Nick Saban and Alabama in the 2010 national championship, sending the Longhorns spiraling to an unsatisfying 41-35 record since then. That poor performance has resonated in recruiting, and despite the prestige of the program and the funding of the powerful boosters, the Longhorns are having a hard time competing for top-tier talent.

After a second straight losing season, Coach Charlie Strong has fire seeping through his seat and that fact is creating unease for some recruits. As of the start of this week, Texas only has 12 commits to its 2016 recruiting class, a drastically low mark this late in the scouting process.

And according to top recruiting website Scout, The Longhorns have no top-100 players, and fellow scouting site 247Sports has Texas with only three four-star prospects. Though these sites don’t have the same amount of knowledge on these players as the teams do themselves, it’s still a drastic downgrade to the talented classes Texas has been known for.

For example, the senior class that lead the Longhorns to their last national title was considered the best in the nation by several recruiting sites. From how they’re ranked today, you’d wonder how things could’ve gone so far south so quickly.

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247Sports has Texas ranked 44th nationally. Scout has them 41st and Rivals 50th. Sure, there’s still enough time and opportunities for Texas to change their fortunes, but the teams they’re currently behind have to cause some panic.

The Longhorns are found mid-pack in their conference in almost every major ranking. Some of it has to do with quantity, not quality, keeping the Longhorns well behind these teams, but there’s no doubt that in-state teams Baylor, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and even Houston are having more success on the trail than Texas.

That’s astounding, and so is the fact that teams like West Virginia (poor recruiting state), Western Michigan (MAC team), and Minnesota (not close to any recruiting hotbeds) are considered to be keeping up with Texas. Even UAB, a team that had no football team at all this year, is just a few spots behind the Longhorns in most rankings.

While those teams have kept up primarily due to numbers, not value, it’s still a scary thought that Texas could be losing ground in a conference and overall landscape that has seen signs of shifting. Being behind a team like Houston, who is gaining steam with a top-tier coach, a 12-win season, and an AAC championship, has to be considered a real threat.

And no matter how much money the program is ready to dish out for shiny facilities and the sort, there’s other teams with their own heavy-pocketed boosters ready to do the same. Texas A&M is by far a better destination than Texas right now, and Baylor and TCU’s accommodations and reputations are catching up as well. And have you seen the atmosphere and digs that Oklahoma State has on campus?

Throw in the fact that rival Oklahoma will always be around and are currently playing for a national championship, and it’s clear to see that Texas football needs a drastic change, and soon.

The Longhorns win over Baylor may’ve saved Charlie Strong’s job. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Does that involve firing Strong? Well, it’s usually only fair to fire a coach after he’s had one recruiting class graduate, a four-year period to understand the philosophies and strategies that he is trying to instill. With wins over Oklahoma and Baylor this season, and it may be a matter of letting a young team find consistency.

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But the expectations will always be through the roof at Texas, as they should be. Strong has proven before how good of a coach he is, but this isn’t just coaching a defense or being the lead man at a place like Louisville. Results must come next year for him. And that all starts by saving this recruiting class.

Potential stars like quarterback Shane Buechele and wide receiver Collin Johnson will undoubtedly keep Texas in the Big 12 conversation for years to come. With that said, to truly regain the prominence of the 2000’s, the Longhorns need to land a good dose of the players they’re still targeting.

The Horns had a huge run at the end of recruiting last year, grabbing a premier group that included star linebacker Malik Jefferson. This year, two more linebackers, David Reese (newly decommitted from Michigan) and Lontavious Jackson, are highly considering Texas. Even Jamaal Charles’s cousin, running back Kameron Martin, has them way up his list. Many other four-star prospects are considering Texas, but teams like Oklahoma and Texas A&M may steal the meat of these targets.

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Could promising earlier playing time at such a historic place as Texas entice certain players? Will the addition of offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert give an extra boost to the class before National Signing Day? Over the next month and a half, we’re sure to find out.

But if one thing’s for certain, the poor performance on the field is drying up the well of incoming talent.

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