Saturday Blitz
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Houston Football: Cougars poised for best recruiting class in program history

By Tanner Sperry

Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman (C) poses with his players for a photo after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 38-24 during the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman (C) poses with his players for a photo after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 38-24 during the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Houston Cougars should look to reap the benefits of their 13-1 season under Tom Herman with their 2016 recruiting class.

Zero, one and six: Those are the recruiting results ESPN gave Houston for the number of five, four and three-star rated recruits in the 2015 signing class. Now glance at the 2016 recruiting class ratings: One five-star, four two-stars and 13 three-stars.

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National Signing Day still is still over a week away, so the good thing for Houston is that this class could get even better. I know recruiting and ratings aren’t everything, but Houston additionally has nine ESPN 300 players that are considering joining the Cougars. Many other solid recruits outside of the ESPN 300 are also in the mix.

Clearly Houston’s best season in years is paying dividends, and the fact that coach Tom Herman is sticking around helps, too. The class is currently in ESPN’s Top 25 Class Rankings and should be able to make a big impact immediately. Houston has a more ambitious schedule this year, with games against Oklahoma and Louisville out of conference, so this help comes at a perfect time.

The class is highlighted by five-star recruit Ed Oliver, a 6-2, 289-pound defensive tackle from Houston. He picked Houston over powerhouses like Alabama, Oklahoma and LSU. Oliver had the highest SPARQ score among all of the defensive tackles in the 2016 class, with a 105.63 score.

Tyrie Cleveland is 6-3, 190-pounds and a nice addition to Houston’s receiving unit. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, just a hair behind class leader Grant Holloway’s 4.32. Offensive lineman Na’ty Rodgers, corner JJ Dallas, and safety Terrell Williams make up the top JC transfers for the class.

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As reported by Andrea Adelson, Houston will also count on some transfers who sat out in 2015: A skilled back in Duke Catalon from Texas, and wide receiver Ra’shaad Samples from Oklahoma State.

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