New Coach Tom Herman Hauls in 21 New Houston Cougars on National Signing Day
New Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman announced his first signing class at UH on Wednesday, national signing day, with 21 new student-athletes joining the Cougar program.
Of the 21 total players, 16 hail from the state of Texas, three from Louisiana and one each from Mississippi and Wisconsin. The class is comprised of one senior, two juniors and 18 freshmen.
“We’re thrilled for this class as a whole. We have a wide array of players coming in from guys who were already committed and loved the University of Houston, guys who had been recruited to our program and we were able to seal the deal with and guys who had been committed to other schools but saw what Houston had to offer them,” said Herman via press release.
“I’m just thrilled they allowed me to build a relationship with them in the short period of time we were provided to establish a new era of Houston Football.”
Herman and company signed 12 offensive players, eight on defense and one, Kameron Eloph, listed as an athlete who could end up on either side of the ball.
“We addressed our major needs. We had glaring needs at offensive line and linebacker and had zero scholarship tight ends,” said Herman. “Filling those positions was essential and we feel we have accomplished that today. We’ve already started on our 2016 class and the excitement of today’s signing class certainly helps us.”
Players signed on Wednesday have won a total of seven state championships with 13 freshmen earning all-district honors and five landing spots on the Houston Chronicle Top 100.
Four of the new players have already joined the football program as transfers.
Chane Allen, a wide receiver, transferring from Oregon, will be a junior and is set to apply for a NCAA waiver to play next season.
Adam Schulz, transferring from Utah, will hope to compete for the starting quarterback spot his senior year or at least provide a solid back-up option behind returning starter Greg Ward.
Junior college transfer Rusty Clark will provide immediate depth a the tight end position, a spot not utilized under the previous regime.
Early high school enrollee Devin Smith, a wide receiver from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will get the jump on his fellow freshmen in the race for securing playing time at pass-catcher.
Of the players set to make their first appearances on campus in the traditional way, running back Tyreik Gray from Houston is the likely jewel of the class. Gray was one of the better running backs in the nation last year in high school and will hope to help bolster the Cougar's running back depth.
Here is the 2015 class.
| Name | Postion | Height | Weight | City | School |
| Chance Allen | WR | 6'2" | 200 | Missouri City, Texas | Oregon |
| Rusty Clark | TE | 6'5" | 255 | Saucier, Miss. | Pearl River CC |
| Ryan Deshotel | TE | 6'4" | 241 | Pearland, Texas | Pearland HS |
| Emeke Egbule | LB | 6'3" | 125 | Galena Park, Texas | North Shore HS |
| Michael Eke | DB | 6'2" | 200 | Houston, Texas | Cypress Falls HS |
| Kameron Eloph | ATH | 6'4" | 285 | Bossier City, La. | Parkway HS |
| Darius Gilbert | DB | 6'2" | 190 | Springhill, La. | North Webster HS |
| Leroy Godfrey | LB | 6'3" | 225 | Missouri City, Texas | Elkins HS |
| Tyreik Gray | RB | 5'11" | 185 | Houston, Texas | Lamar HS |
| Kobe Idumwonyi | TE | 6'2" | 225 | Cedar Hill, Texas | Cedar Hill HS |
| D.J. Jenkins | LB | 6'2" | 245 | Huntsville, Texas | Huntsville HS |
| Joshua Jones | OL | 6'6" | 280 | Richmond, Texas | George Bush HS |
| Kevrin Justice | RB | 5'11" | 190 | Kilgore, Texas | Kilgore HS |
| Terry Mark | WR | 6'1" | 190 | Lufkin, Texas | Lufkin HS |
| Jordan Milburn | LB | 6'2" | 215 | Galveston, Texas | Ball HS |
| William Noble | OL | 6'4" | 280 | Leander, Texas | Rouse HS |
| Camden Ross | LB | 6'2" | 241 | Forth Worth, Texas | Timber Creek HS |
| Adam Schulz | QB | 6'2" | 210 | Muskego, Wis. | Utah |
| Devin Smith | WR | 6'2" | 180 | River Ridge, La. | John Curtis HS |
| Tyrell Thompson | DE | 6'3" | 255 | Copperas Cove, Texas | Copperas Cove HS |
| Jarrid Williams | OL | 6'5" | 276 | Cedar Hill, Texas | Cedar Hill HS |
With signing day now complete, Herman will turn his attention to getting ready for spring. The team's first practice is scheduled for Monday, March 9. Houston will hold its annual spring game on Saturday, April 18 at TDECU Stadium.
