Tom Herman – 2017 recruiting class
Number of recruits: 17
In-state percentage: 76.5%
Top offensive player: Quarterback Sam Ehlinger, 0.9446
Top defensive player: Weak-side defensive end Ta’Quon Graham, 0.9213
National ranking: No. 25
Big 12 ranking: No. 2
Analysis: Tom Herman was easily dealt with the worst hand out of the three coaches on paper. On a national level, Texas barely cracked the top 25 and sat behind programs such as Maryland, Nebraska, South Carolina, and UCLA. With only 17 members in the 2017 class, it was nine recruits lower than the average amount Charlie Strong brought in during his three classes.
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger was the highest rated player based on the 247Sports composite and ranked No. 119 in the country. Soon to be NFL players Ta’Quon Graham and Samuel Cosmi also highlight this particular class. Josh Thompson, Derek Kerstetter, and Cade Brewer are all potential starters for Sarkisian.
If there is something to complain about the 2017 class Tom Herman put together, it can be the lack of enrollees. It did produce one of the best quarterbacks the university saw and a few players who eventually turned into starters. Overall, the 2017 class ranked as the worst one produced by Texas since 247Sports began tracking ratings in 2000.