Twitter Explodes as Texas Scores Impressive Haul on National Signing Day

As national signing day came and went, it was clear that there was one class that stood above the rest of the Big 12. Once a powerhouse, the Texas Longhorns have been struggling in recent seasons and have seen in-state rivals Baylor and TCU flourish.

But everything can change on signing day, and with Texas being one of recruiting's hotbeds for talent, the Longhorns were primed to take a big leap forward.

Charlie Strong, who took the head coaching job in January 2014, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman, also had the chance to put together his first complete class at Texas this season, and it turned out to be one of the top rated in the country, according to 247Sports.

The Longhorns might have finished in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 this past season, but if recruiting rankings are to be believed, the program took a big step forward compared to its conference rivals Wednesday.

One of the bigger commits of the class was quarterback Kai Locksley. A 4-star quarterback, Locksley switched his commitment from Florida State to the Longhorns, per Bob Ferrante of 247Sports, and will help fill a serious need for Texas.

Although Locksley was locked up before signing day, Strong did comment on the prospect, saying Locksley would remain a quarterback, per Kirk Bohl of the Austin American-Statesman.

The biggest haul of the class, though, was top-rated linebacker Malik Jefferson. The in-state prospect committed back in December and has already drawn comparisons to one of the best-known players Strong has ever coached.

But not all in-state targets chose the Longhorns on signing day, with running back Soso Jamabo choosing UCLA over Texas, per ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg. Fortunately for Strong and his staff, though, another running back in Chris Warren decided to head to Austin, per ESPN.com's Jeremy Crabtree.

Warren, who was deciding between Texas and Washington, chose which school he would attend in a pretty unique way Wednesday.

You can’t always project exactly how each recruit is going to pan out in college and beyond, but the precedent set by Ohio State and Alabama in recent years has shown that success can be built from a solid base of recruiting.

Texas filled some positions of need. It did so with quality and looks to be getting ready for a strong comeback in the Big 12.