If Tom Herman is not the head coach at Texas next season, you can bet that his struggles on the recruiting trail were a primary reason for his departure.
It’s quite shocking considering Herman has been fairly consistent with recruiting throughout his tenure in Austin. He was able to land the No. 3 class in the nation in 2018 and 2019, while still bringing in the No. 8 class in the country in 2020.
However, the 2021 and 2022 classes have taken a major nose dive.
It’s enough to legitimately question whether Herman will be able to recover. Five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers, the nation’s top prospect out of the 2022 recruiting class, chose to decommit from Texas a week ago.
Four-star wide receiver Phaizon Wilson announced his decommitment from the Longhorns shortly after. It won’t be surprising if more of Texas’ highly rated recruits decide to follow suit.
The 2021 class has had issues of their own with five decommitments from in-state prospects. Four-star quarterback Jalen Milroe flipped his commitment from Texas to Alabama, while four-star wide receiver Billy Bowman is now expected to attend Oklahoma.
ESPN staff writer Tom VanHareen recently listed five college football programs that are struggling on the recruiting trail (link requires subscription). To no surprise, Texas was the first team mentioned.
“In the current 2021 cycle, Texas has the No. 15 class and only seven of the 38 in-state recruits ranked in the ESPN 300. The No. 1 recruit in the state, who is also the No. 2-ranked prospect overall, offensive lineman Tommy Brockermeyer, is a Texas legacy recruit who committed to Alabama with his brother, center James Brockermeyer, the No. 96 prospect overall. As it stands, Texas has only one of the top 20 in-state recruits committed.”
College football’s early signing period is quickly approaching in December. Herman has fielded an undisciplined team this season that suffered back-to-back losses to unranked opponents.
The lack of player development has become a primary indictor of his underwhelming results each season. Texas must act quickly to get this recruiting trail on the right path before it gets ugly.