Tomorrow is National Signing Day and with it brings hope for Tom Herman and the Longhorns to finish the 2017 recruiting cycle with a bang.
With the commitment of Offensive Tackle Samuel Cosmi (Humble, TX) yesterday, the Longhorns stand at 16 recruits in a class that looks equipped to handle 19 scholarship offers.
That leaves three slots.
Here’s a quick look at the targets the Texas coaching staff hopes will fill those slots.
Jordan Pouncey (Wide Receiver – Winter Park, FL)
The former Notre Dame commit recently visited Austin and fulfilled a lifelong dream of feeding Bevo. He recently released his Top 4 schools which include Miami, Tennessee, Texas and Notre Dame.
Texas passing game coordinator Drew Mehringer visited Pouncey at his home in Florida last week to try and carry-over the momentum from a highly successful Official Visit to the 40 Acres.
Miami was thought to be the leading contender for his services after his decommitment from the Irish in late December but Texas appears to be in really good shape. Tennessee has recruited him since he was a freshman in high school, which carries weight with Pouncey, so don’t count the Vols out of it yet.
Projection: Texas
Scheduled Commitment: Wednesday, February 1st @ 12:15 CST
— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011
— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011
Stephan Zabie (Offensive Tackle – Westlake High School, Austin, TX)
Living in Austin, Stephan Zabie is very familiar with the Texas Program. He played with Sam Ehlinger at Westlake High School, which is factoring heavily into potentially keeping Zabie in Austin for college. He’s seen his stock skyrocket as of late and has developed himself into an elite national recruit.
Zabie took his Official Visit to Texas last week and recently released a Top 3 schools of UCLA, Ole Miss, and the Longhorns.
Of the three schools in his Top 3, Ole Miss was the first to offer (early in the summer of 2016). Zabie did receive an offer from Tom Herman and the University of Houston prior to that, which potentially enhances Herman’s chances. Both Texas and UCLA offered a couple of weeks ago.
Projection: Texas
Scheduled Commitment: Wednesday, February 1st Between 8:00 am – 10:00 am on ESPN.
— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011
K’Lavon Chaisson (Defensive End – Galena Park North Shore High School, Houston, TX)
Chaisson is one of the elite pass rushers in the country, and his services will render themselves in Gainesville, Baton Rouge or Austin. Florida has crept into the picture for the 4-star defensive end, who listed LSU and Texas as his Top 2 in late December.
LSU is considered to be the biggest threat, with former North Shore teammate and current Tiger defensive back Eric Monroe recruiting Chaisson.
Chaisson keeps things close to the vest, which means his commitment will be a lottery-like surprise to one of three schools.
Projection: Texas
Scheduled Commitment: Wednesday, February 1st 11:00 am.
— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011
If the Longhorns are able to land Pouncey, Zabie and Chaisson, the final team recruiting ranking for the class could possibly creep above #20, but it’s unlikely. Despite the ranking, with a new incoming coach in Tom Herman and a less-than-stellar regular season, Texas looks to have a solid class with great athletes at positions of need.
