Texas Football: 5 Most Important Commits in the Longhorns' 2013 Class

Recruiting is the backbone of college football, and no program can circumvent the challenge of selling itself to high school athletes across the country without the subsequent struggles.

The Texas Longhorns have been at the top of the recruiting scene in recent years, but have slipped considerably during their rebuilding seasons.

Nevertheless, as the gold standard in the eyes of many in the Lone Star State, the Horns are consistently able to secure the state's top recruits on a yearly basis.

Texas' class of 2013 is no different as the group figures to embrace a quality-over-quantity philosophy.

Here are the five most important commits for the Horns' upcoming recruiting class.

TE Geoff Swaim (JUCO)

Not nearly the talent-oozing recruit that most would expect atop a list of important commitments is Geoff Swaim, a JUCO tight end coming out of Butte C.C. in Oroville, Calif.

The Longhorns have lacked a producing tight end for some time, and with the current group of players on campus hardly putting up respectable numbers, the Texas staff dipped into the junior college ranks once again.

Texas brought in Donald Hawkins and Brandon Moore as immediate JUCO impact-players last season, and it hopes to establish similar success this year with Swaim.

If Swaim can catch as well as he can block, then the Longhorns scored big with the 6'5"250-pound tight end as he can easily step in to contribute from day one.

DT A'Shawn Robinson

The future is bright at defensive tackle, and A'Shawn Robinson only makes it brighter.

As one of the top recruits coming out of the state of Texas, the Longhorns get a true difference maker along the interior defensive line.

Robinson adds to a sizable list of young stars at defensive tackle, and his combination of size, strength and power can immediately place him into the mix when he arrives on campus.

In fact, Robinson may be one of the stand alone stars of this Texas class, and although his commitment status has been reportedly up in the air, he is a huge piece to what the Longhorns want to do at defensive tackle.

QB Tyrone Swoopes

David Ash is clearly the best quarterback option at this point for the Longhorns, but they do have some up-and-comers who have promising skill sets.

The newest to join the fold will be Whitewright quarterback Tyrone Swoopes, who brings a dual-threat ability to the field, something the Horns have not had since Colt McCoy.

Swoopes is able to make all of the throws, but his mechanics and consistency need work before his passing game really takes off. He is best in the open field where his athleticism and size take over.

The 6'5" signal-caller is definitely a project to develop, but if his talent transitions well into what the Longhorns want to do offensively, then Swoopes could very well be the right answer in a few years.

OL Kent Perkins

The Longhorns have had depth issues on their offensive line for the better part of three seasons, and after whiffing on a number of recruits, Texas cannot afford to miss anymore.

Kent Perkins has the feet and athleticism to play both guard and tackle, and he figures to be a future anchor on the exterior.

It might be a season or two before hearing from Perkins, but if offensive line coach Stacy Searels can steady his ship in the trenches, Perkins should be right on schedule to make an impact sooner rather than later.

C Darius James

Darius James is a consensus top 100 recruit and ranked No. 1 in the state of Texas according to Rivals.com.

The Longhorns already have a highly serviceable center in Dom Espinosa, but he has had his share of struggles in his two seasons of play.

As Espinosa's backups have made few splashes, James has an opportunity to make an impression early on if the current players continue to underwhelm the coaches.

At any rate, James figures to be a huge piece of the puzzle up front in future seasons, perhaps even more so than Perkins.