Only a handful of players in this class are actually "Strong guys."
We know 2 recruits for sure on the DL since they were his at Louisville.
We know 2 were Wickline recruits on the OL.
I am not sure about the details of the TE transfer - but it smells like the new coaches came in, looked at the roster and immediately went after the best JUCO TE they could get to answer the phone. Lucky for us he has 3 years of eligibility too. How long has it been since we had a TE who could actually catch the football?
It appears they are doing the same thing with the backup QB position and Wittek. We will see on this.
With Freeman, the timing of his recruitment lies with the decommitment of Atara, again, a reaction like with the TE where they did not have much time and went after the next best guy they could close to fill that role on the defense. In the end, Freeman may be better suited for the 3-3-5 than Atatra (if Strong sticks with that).
All the rest were Brown & Co. guys who Strong & Co. tried to hold. (even though Beck is Fla, he was a Robinson/Diaz guy). Strong said as much at the presser. It was classy to honor all of the outstanding Mack Brown offers even if it may not have been the optimal path.
Next season will be a different story.
All total, the complaints we hear and see about the class are a little tough to wrap my brain around. How much time did these guys actually have?
3-4 weeks?
It is not rational to compare this class to the top five classes under these circumstances.
They were leaving one place and
-- had to say their good byes,
-- had to suddenly move families,
-- had to hire new additional assistants,
-- had to quickly assess the team they just inherited, and then
-- had to hit the recruiting trail running.
Plus, it is not like Mack left gracefully; instead he delayed it all with some unnecessary drama.
Plus, Mack did not do them any favors by telling existing recruits they could or even should look around before even speaking to the new coach.
Yet Strong held the biggest key to the class in Heard. And the second biggest with Roberson. He also held the Foremen Bros, LJoe, Bonney and Roberts.
All of that said, the key to answering the original question does not lie with this class as much as it will with whether the new coaches can coach up the existing talent. Can Strong take Brown's players and win with them? The answer to that should be interesting to see.
