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With signing day taking place on Wednesday of this week, we bring you the final recruiting forecast of the year. The recruiting staff have been tapping into all of our sources to bring you the most up to date projections for the remaining recruits on the Texas board. Before we get to that though, let’s take a look at where the class currently sits.
Quarterback
Needed: 1
Committed: 1 (signed)
Shane Buechele – Texas had a big need to get the quarterback position right, and we believe they did. The Longhorns targeted the top passer in the state, and the fact that he’s an early enrollee helps him get a jump on learning the new Texas offense.
Running Back
Needed: 1
Committed: None
Texas has one remaining runner left on the board, and they might be forego taking a running back altogether. 2017 is a much more talented class at the position, so they may choose to just wait until then.
Wide Receiver
Needed: 3-4
Committed: 4
Collin Johnson (Signed) - Johnson is already on campus and brings an elite set of skills to the position. Though he was hurt his senior year in high school, he should push for early playing time in Sterlin Gilbert’s new offense.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey – The newest Texas commit has the versatility to play multiple spots, and brings a big package of size and athleticism.
Davion Curtis – Curtis is the speed merchant of the group. The track star can get deep, but he also plays with a toughness not usually seen from guys of his type.
Reggie Hemphill – The biggest Longhorn recruiter out there excels at doing a little bit of everything. In a new wide open offense he should be able to exploit soft spots in the middle of the field.
Tight End
Needed: 2
Committed: 1
Peyton Aucoin – The New Orleans blocking tight end might be destined for the offensive line if he puts on more weight, but either way he is a high motor dynamic blocking force.
Texas would have liked to get a receiving tight end to compliment Aucoin, and an argument could be made that Lil’Jordan Humphrey will eventually fit that role.
Offensive Line
Needed: 4-5
Committed: 4
Jean Delance – The most highly ranked recruit at this position has been huge recruiting for Texas. He needs to add some more weight but he has great athleticism and ability to play early.
Denzel Okafor – A late blooming prospect with a high ceiling, Okafor might be the most ready to play early.
Tope Imade – The longest tenured recruit of this group. Imade need some refining, but his raw strength and athleticism combined with his work ethic should help him get there.
Zach Shackelford (Signed) – The late flip of the group, Shack is already on campus and could have a leg up at taking one of the interior line spots this fall.
Defensive End
Needed: 2-3
Committed: 2
Andrew Fitzgerald – Another late bloomer that Charlie and the staff evaluated and won out on. Fitz already has college size to go along with some impressive ability.
Malcolm Roach – Roach is another strong side guy that could feature on the weakside if needed.
Defensive Tackle
Needed: 4-5
Committed: 1
Gerald Wilbon – Wilbon is a big nose with impressive senior film. There is also some thought he could play guard at the next level.
Linebacker
Needed: 3-4
Committed: 1
Demarco Boyd (Signed) – One of the vocal leaders of the Texas class. Boyd is already on campus and could split his first semester between linebacker and fullback.
Defensive Back
Needed: 4
Committed: 1
Eric Cuffee – This class would look a lot better were Obi Eboh still a part of it, but Cuffee brings the same type of versatility that Eboh did along with a physical game.
Now that we have the class filled out, let’s take a look at the targets on the board. HornSports recruiting analysts Mike Roach and Daniel Seahorn give their NSD predictions on each.
Running Backs
Kyle Porter
Roach: The talk behind the scenes is TCU, but the truth is Porter is so quiet that no one truly knows anything. I’ll stick with the talk but it’s really a shot in the dark. PREDICTION: TCU
Seahorn: This one has been hard to read due to the fact Porter doesn't talk much. With Texas without a RB coach currently and the staff not seeming very pressed to take a RB this cycle, I am going to go with the behind the scenes buzz. Prediction: TCU
Offensive Line
Patrick Hudson
Roach: There are a lot of optimistic people on this recruitment, I’m not one of them. The things I’ve heard behind the scenes say Texas made a good push, but they didn’t get nearly close enough. PREDICTION: Baylor
Seahorn: This is another one that is hard to get a read on. I think Texas made a great effort to get themselves in the door for the big fella from Silsbee, but I think the safe pick is him staying put. Prediction: Baylor
Defensive Line
Jordan Elliott
Roach: The writing has been on the wall since he decided to visit Austin in the first place. The de-commitment from Michigan only further solidified it. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: This kid has been all over the map throughout the cycle. Baylor, Houston, silently to Texas, then Michigan, now he open again. Early on it seemed like this would be one that would come down to who got the last word. Texas got the last visit and the final in-home. Prediction: Texas
D’Andre Christmas-Giles
Roach: We’ve been hearing good things on this one for the better part of two months. When we kept expecting those things to fall apart they only got stronger. Last night (Sunday) we heard the strongest confirmation yet. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: Texas got their foot in the door just before DCG blew up down the home stretch of this cycle and they have been in the conversation ever since. Heard good things about him even after his trips to Baton Rouge and College Station, and then he canceled his in-home with TCU. Prediction: Texas
Chris Daniels
Roach: His recent visit to College Station has the aggies feeling good, but we were told by a source last night that Texas is still the favorite to land him. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: : I heard back in December that Texas felt like they had a good shot at flipping Daniels and that was before he ever made it to campus. I think a Texas offer and Strong's connections with the family were a game changer. A&M put their best foot forward this past weekend, but I still think it will be Texas. Prediction: Texas
Stephon Taylor
Roach: Taylor was with Malcolm Roach this weekend while both officially visited South Carolina. We heard that Roach did a little recruiting on Taylor while on the visit, and it looks like it worked from what we hear. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: I like where Texas sits here. Florida State made me way more nervous than South Carolina and there has been buzz that he was pretty sold after his visit to Austin. I think Brick Haley's efforts in The Boot pay off here. Prediction: Texas
Marcell Southall
Roach: Texas did some things to improve their position when Southall visited in January. It doesn’t look like it was enough, and if I’m being honest I think he’s lower on the pecking order than the guys listed above. PREDICTION: Oklahoma
Seahorn: I never felt really confident with Southall even after he had a great visit in Austin. This one has felt like Oklahoma for a while now and I feel like that's how it ends. Prediction: Oklahoma
Linebacker
Jeff McCulloch
Roach: From what we hear, this one has been done since the first night of his official visit to Austin. Texas did a fantastic job regaining their control in this recruitment and then closing. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: Despite The Shark trending towards A&M during the fall, Texas has made a late run down the home stretch and I think he brings his talents to Austin. Prediction: Texas
Dontavious Jackson
Roach: DJACK requested that no media contact him at this time, so not much is coming out from his visit. I think he heads to Austin with his H-town buddies. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: This one has been a little puzzling down the home stretch. D-Jax seemed to be all Texas for some time, but he never officially visited Austin. With all that said, he did unofficially visit this past weekend with teammate Chris Brown and was able to sit down with the coaches. Florida State is definitely a threat, but I think Texas holds them off. Prediction: Texas
Erick Fowler
Roach: Not a lot is known here, and we are probably talking about one of the two biggest mysteries still on the board. We spoke with sources last night who told us very good things. It was enough for me to change my prediction. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: This one has been an uphill battle for a long time despite Fowler residing in Texas' backyard. LSU has felt good about their chances of keeping Fowler, but I heard very recently that they are "very nervous" about how this one is trending. At the end of the day, I think Charlie Strong and his staff pull off a big upset and keep Fowler at home. Prediction: Texas
Defensive Back
Brandon Jones
Roach: I’ve tried to temper optimism in this recruitment the entire way, even though we’ve heard a lot of positive. Reports had Texas out in front last week, with A&M and Baylor closing the gap this week. Jones will announce early on NSD. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: This one has been a heavyweight title fight for some time now. Texas and Texas A&M have gone 12 rounds, and even Baylor is trying to make their way into the conversation late. Texas has done a masterful job recruiting Jones and his family this entire cycle, and even though A&M and Baylor are making late pushes, I can't see Charlie Strong and his staff letting this one get away this close to NSD. Prediction: Texas
Deontay Anderson
Roach: I thought the trouble at Ole Miss might give him pause, but I still think he’s headed to Oxford. Prediction: Ole Miss
Seahorn: Texas has always been in the conversation, but they have never really led for Deontay. I've consistently heard Ole Miss has been the team to beat for him and I can't really shake that feeling despite his visit in Austin going very well. Prediction: Ole Miss
Chris Brown
Roach: It would really shock me if he doesn’t pick Texas. Brown is part of the Houston group that I believe have made a pact to come to Texas. PREDICTION: Texas
Seahorn: I've felt like Brown and D-Jax were joined at the hip a bit throughout the entire process. Like I said above, Brown was in Austin over the weekend with Jackson for an unofficial after visiting officially the week before. I think he ends up a Longhorn even if Jackson doesn't at this point. Prediction: Texas
Our full predictions on the 2016 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Class:
QB – Shane Buechele
WR – Lil’Jordan Humphrey
WR – Collin Johnson
WR – Davion Curtis
WR – Reggie Hemphill
TE – Peyton Aucoin
OL – Tope Imade
OL – Denzel Okafor
OL – Jean Delance
OL – Zach Shackelford
DE – Malcolm Roach
DE – Andrew Fitzgerald
DT – Gerald Wilbon
DT – Jordan Elliott
DT – Stephon Taylor
DT – D’andre Christmas-Giles
DT – Chris Daniels
LB – Erick Fowler
LB – Demarco Boyd
LB – Dontavious Jackson
LB – Jeff McCulloch
DB – Eric Cuffee
DB – Brandon Jones
DB – Chris Brown
Total: 24 (14 defense; 10 offense) (18 in state, 6 OOS)
