Should Charlie Strong Worry About Oklahoma's Latest Recruiting Success in Texas?

The road back to national prominence for Texas and head coach Charlie Strong goes through rival Oklahoma.

The Longhorns defeated the Sooners last year and have won two of the last three meetings, but the defending Big 12 champions are making waves in the Longhorns' backyard on the recruiting trail.

Over the weekend, the Sooners landed a pair of 4-star receivers from the metro Dallas area in Jalen Reagor and Charleston Rambo. Reagor told Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles about his decision to join Rambo at Oklahoma:

"

We planned it. I feel great. After the visit, it felt like home. I want to be a Sooner and leave a legacy. The coaches and atmosphere is just great, and the expectations are very high. I love it.

"

"

I have Officially committed to Oklahoma University ⭕️ #BoomerSooner #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/vf67JIU9Qs

— Jalen Reagor (@NoLimitJalen) March 27, 2016"

The newest members of Oklahoma's 2017 class, which jumped up to No. 2 in the 247Sports team rankings in the 2017 cycle, also continue the theme of the Sooners striking gold in the Lone Star State.

"

#BlessUp  pic.twitter.com/m14GfqGR6a

— Charleston Rambo 〽️ (@Ballout_charlie) March 27, 2016"

After signing just three Texas natives in the 2016 class, Oklahoma has already doubled that number with pledges in its 2017 class, and the Sooners are far from being done.

Is it time for Strong to worry about the Sooners' hot start in his home territory?

Not exactly, because the Longhorns have been in a similar position the last two years—which represents Strong's first two full cycles in Austin.

Having out-of-state programs find success in Texas isn't foreign over the last few years.

In addition to dealing with surging in-state schools such as Baylor and TCU, rivals and powerhouse programs around the nation such as Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Southern California are aggressively recruiting in one of the most fertile talent factories in the country.

However, Strong and his staff have erased slow starts of their own by closing with a flurry.

Texas withstood early hot starts from rival Texas A&M in each of the last two years, only to finish above the Aggies while landing the top-rated class in the Big 12.

Class Year	National Rank	Big 12 Rank
2014	16	2
2015	10	1
2016	11	1
2017	20	3

While the size and ranking of the Longhorns' 2017 class to date suggest they are enduring another slow start, a closer look shows Strong and his staff have taken the "quality over quantity" approach in the early stages of the current cycle.

Three of their four pledges rate among the nation's top 200 overall prospects—with 4-star defensive end Lagaryonn Carson being the group's headliner.

Strong's approach on the recruiting trail has worked thus far. But the Longhorns are eventually going to have to return to dominance on the field if they expect to keep luring top talent to Austin.

If they can't get things turned around soon, programs such as Oklahoma are going to continue to make a living by poaching the top talent out of their backyard.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand, and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani