Tag: recruiting class rankings

National Signing Day: 5 Schools That Crushed This Recruiting Season

National Signing Day. Who had a big recruiting 2022 seasons? Here are 5 teams and head coaches that did a fantastic job bouncing back after a mediocre 2021.

Who had the big college football recruiting hauls? Here are 5 programs that did a fantastic job in 2022 after struggling in 2021.

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2022 College Football Schedules: All 130 Teams

The February version of college football National Signing Day doesn’t have the hold on the sport like it used to – it’s the landline phone line in a 5G world – but it closes out the recruiting season.

Sort of.

Some programs were already done recruiting back in December, but everyone is always pitching and holding on to their own guys with the transfer portal a bigger deal now.

Why bother with a whole slew of young prospects when you can go shopping and get the mature guys you need?

But recruiting high school players is still a big deal for your base.

No, not everyone is going to transfer, and no, you can’t live off of getting guys through the portal. You need the cake to put the transfer portal frosting on.

Texas A&M destroyed it this recruiting season. Shock of shocks, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Penn State – the normal big guys did big recruiting things. But you knew that.

What teams off the normal recruiting radar crushed it this season? More to the point, which schools and coaching staffs bounced back massive after a mediocre 2021?

5. Stanford Cardinal

It certainly helped a wee bit that USC and Oregon are in a transitional period and need a year or so to get back up to speed in the high-end recruiting world, but it’s not like Stanford is competing for the same guys as the rest of the Pac-12.

David Shaw’s 2020 class wasn’t bad, but the 2021 haul was a bit lacking.

There were a few nice parts, and the Cardinal always gets a star lineman or two, but it missed the WOW factor for a program that started to fall off. After a 3-9 season coming off a four-win 2020 – granted, there were only six games – and 4-8 2019, the reciting class needed guys.

Shaw hasn’t done a whole lot in the transfer portal, but he did what he must for the program and got the right guys from across the country for the right spots.

When Stanford rocks, its lines are dominant and the running game works. In come the infrastructure players with both lines improving, Sam Roush out of Tennessee is a top tight end, and he’s got two terrific-looking offensive tackles in Lucas Heyer and Fisher Anderson.

Again, it’s different because some programs aren’t quite there yet, but Stanford had one of the best recruiting runs in the Pac-12.

NEXT: Michigan State Spartans

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Where Texas’ 2022 class ranks in Bleacher Report’s recruiting rankings

Texas’ 2022 class can change the trajectory of the program for years to come.

The dreadful 2021 season for Texas is now officially over, and the program along with its passionate fans are looking forward to next season in hopes that the team will be able to turn it around.

The first season under Steve Sarkisian was not ideal by any means, as attrition from Tom Herman’s previous classes along with historic collapses in consecutive games really set the tone for the year.

Initially when Sarkisian and his staff were unable to identify starters are certain positions, it had Texas fans thinking they were just that deep, but in reality it was quite the opposite. The staff and the fan base quickly realized that outside of the running backs and Xavier Worthy at wide receiver, the rest of the team was not able to keep up with the nation’s best and was often exposed.

We saw players rotating at quarterback, offensive line, and defensive back all season. After the blown 20-point lead to Oklahoma, it seemed the issues only heightened.

While many thought this nightmare of a season would decimate Texas’ ability to bring home big name recruits, and they did miss out on some, the Longhorns were still able to bring a class that could be considered one of the most important and best classes in program history.

It is a class that addresses major needs across both sides of the trenches and has exciting talent at almost every position. Texas’ 2022 class drew the attention of Bleacher Report, as they included the Longhorns among their top-10 recruiting classes.

Texas’ class headlined by five-star offensive lineman Kelvin Banks came in at No. 5 in their rankings. Here is what Bleacher Report’s Brad Shepard sees in Texas’ 2022 class:

Grabbing former Arizona State commitment Larry Turner-Gooden was a big boost for the Longhorns in the late signing period, but they may not be done.

It’s already been a huge get for coach Steve Sarkisian, and nobody needs a roster flip like him after a forgettable first season in Austin.

The marquee player of the class is Kelvin Banks, a sure-fire star offensive tackle who flipped from Oregon. If Texas can pair him with 5-star offensive guard Devon Campbell (who is announcing in February), what a haul it will be for Kyle Flood, who also added Neto Umeozulu, Malik Agbo and Cole Hutson.

Everybody is buzzing about former elite prospect Quinn Ewers coming home after a year at Ohio State, and he should be the centerpiece of the “new” Longhorns. He’s going to have playmakers all around him who are young and capable.

Receiver Brenen Thompson and running back Jaydon Blue are a good start to a fresh stable.

And getting elite cornerback Terrance Brooks to head to Austin instead of Ohio State, Alabama and others was evidence Sark can still connect with kids even though it was a losing season.

Texas will likely be relying on majority of these recruits to come in and fill a role or even start immediately, but it is safe to say that the future is bright in Austin.

Updated look at the top 10 recruiting classes in the nation for the 2022 cycle

Texas A&M has the highest ranked class of all time, and two big 12 programs are within the top 10.

Between the one-time transfer rule and NIL opportunities, it’s been a wild recruiting cycle. Continue reading “Updated look at the top 10 recruiting classes in the nation for the 2022 cycle”

Texas now has a top five 2022 recruiting class in the country after flipping three commits on Wednesday

Steve Sarkisian and his staff are on fire.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff were able to flip three commits from Ohio State, Oklahoma and Michigan on Wednesday. Continue reading “Texas now has a top five 2022 recruiting class in the country after flipping three commits on Wednesday”

Each commitment that Texas football has landed over the span of three days

Massive haul by Steve Sarkisian and his staff.

This offseason will likely go down as one of the wildest recruiting cycles in the history of college football. Continue reading “Each commitment that Texas football has landed over the span of three days”

What happened to Texas’ 2019 recruiting class?

This is…NOT GREAT, BOB!

While Texas has been struggling for over a decade, the most recent issues could very well be attributed to the 2019 recruiting class.

Success is not determined by one recruiting cycle. However, former head coach Tom Herman and his staff seemed like they couldn’t keep a cactus alive, let alone develop and maximize a class full of heralded recruits at the time, but having a class of 26 players turn into practically nothing is definitely a contributor to the program’s lack of success recently.

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger was only able to do so much during his time as a Longhorn, and it probably wasn’t until after he left that Texas fans realized how much his heroics were masking a team that was running thin at every position.

The 2019 class, which at the time was expected to be Herman’s best class as it was ranked No. 3 in the nation, quickly evaporated. It has now left Steve Sarkisian in a situation where he needs to really hit on his first class in order to make up for the mistakes of the prior regime.

Of the 26 enrollees, 12 of them have left or plan on transferring, three had medical issues that prevented them from ever seeing the field, and four of them do not contribute. This means that of the 26, 18 players from the class are not contributing in what should be their junior season.

Here is the status of all of the players from Texas’ 2019 recruiting class.

Texas now has the No. 2 recruiting class for the 2022 cycle

Four-star WR Brenen Thompson’s commitment bumps up Texas’ 2022 class to No. 2 in the nation.

Texas is riding a wave of momentum on and off the field. Continue reading “Texas now has the No. 2 recruiting class for the 2022 cycle”

Texas moves up to No. 4 in ESPN’s 2022 recruiting class rankings

Texas’ 2022 recruiting class moves up in ESPN’s updated rankings.

Steve Sarkisian and his staff have had a phenomenal start with their first full recruiting cycle for Texas.

There is always expected to be some sort of drop off in recruiting when a new coaching staff takes over, but Sarkisian’s staff is composed of a few elite recruiters that are doing a great job of attracting big name prospects to play in Austin.

In ESPN’s updated 2022 recruiting class rankings (subscription required), the Longhorns moved up from No. 11 to No. 4 in the nation. This puts Texas ahead of schools such as Oregon, Ohio State, and Georgia while being behind programs like Alabama, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

This is primarily due to Texas’ success on the recruiting trail recently, where they’ve received four defensive line commitments in the last 30 days, all of which are four-star prospects. Here is what ESPN had to say about Texas’ 2022 class thus far:

After guiding one of the most high-powered attacks in college football as offensive coordinator at Alabama, Steve Sarkisian is now assembling his first full class as head coach at Texas. Offense defines this group early on. The Longhorns went to California for their quarterback, Maalik Murphy, a prospect who has a big arm. The class also features some big-play offensive targets from in-state: top-20 wide receiver Armani Winfield and two top-10 RBs in Jamarion Miller and Blue, who can be an explosive runner with good ball skills. Defense is not being overlooked either, as the Longhorns added one of the top defensive back prospects in the state in Bryan Allen Jr., a top-five safety who is fluid with good instincts. The Longhorns ended the summer by adding four ESPN 300 defensive linemen, including Bledsoe, a big man from a smaller school that brings high upside with flexibility and agility. Aaron Bryant was an out-of-state pickup that can be a physical and stout presence in the trenches.

Texas is still in the mix for a few other highly rated recruits that are labeled must-get prospects to close out the cycle, but the Longhorns badly need to perform on the field better than what they displayed against Arkansas. The more success this team has, the better the chances of attracting more top talent to the Forty Acres.

Big 12 Football: Where each 2022 recruiting class ranks

Six Big 12 programs are currently within the top 30 of 247Sports’ 2022 recruiting class rankings.

In what could be the final year of the Big 12, it’s sure to be an exciting one. Continue reading “Big 12 Football: Where each 2022 recruiting class ranks”

Where Texas lands in ESPN’s updated 2022 recruiting class rankings

The Longhorns are within the top 10 of ESPN’s updated 2022 recruiting class rankings.

Steve Sarkisian is already doing an impressive job bringing in elite talent for his first full recruiting class at Texas.

Although several highly rated prospects have yet to announce their commitments, which will certainly mix up any 2022 recruiting class rankings, the Longhorns have seemingly stayed put with one of the top 10 classes in the nation.

Over the last few months, Texas has seen a rise to No. 5 and also a fall to the No. 10 range. It’s essentially a game of seesaw that doesn’t carry much weight until the classes are finalized on national signing day. Let’s have fun with it anyways.

In ESPN’s updated 2022 recruiting class rankings (subscription required), Texas landed at No. 7 in the nation. Considering Oklahoma is at No. 6, the Longhorns currently have the No. 2 class in the Big 12.

ESPN also notes that Jaydon Blue is their highest graded offensive commit in Texas’ 2022 class, while safety Bryan Allen Jr. holds those honors on the defensive side of the ball.
If Sarkisian’s staff is able to close on a few high profile targets at their BBQ/Pool Party event on July 30 such as Bryce Anderson and Derrick Brown, Texas could very realistically end up in the top five when it’s all said and done.