Tom Herman's first recruiting class at Texas wasn't exactly a ceremonious occasion, with one recruiting service describing National Signing Day as "historically bad" for the Longhorns.
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The Longhorns missed out on several targets on National Signing Day, including five-star defensie end K'Lavon Chaisson and four-star offensive tackle Stephan Zabie. According to 247Sports, the Longhorns finished with the No. 26 overall class, which is the lowest Texas has ever been on their recruiting rankings.
Texas also failed to secure a commitment from a top-ten player out of their own state. Herman and his staff have only been together for about a month, so it's understandable that he couldn't assemble a top class.
"As much as we have to sell here - from the coaching staff to the academics, to the coaching staff, to the style of play, to the championships that we're going to win, to the city of Austin, to the rich, storied tradition and history - what we don't have is relationships with a lot of these guys," Herman said last month. "That makes it very, very difficult to get in."
Herman missed on several big prospects, but he and his staff were also put into a difficult situation after Texas finished 5-7 last season. The good news for the Longhorns is that no team in the Big 12 recruited particularly well. Only Oklahoma at No. 8 overall finished above Texas.
Missing out on major prospects from Houston and Austin isn't a good look for Herman. He is an established recruiter, and his first full class next season should be vastly improved. But the Longhorns could have one more rebuilding season before things start looking up for the program.
(h/t 247Sports)
