Shane Buechele Commits to Texas: How 4-Star QB Fits Charlie Strong's Scheme

The quarterback problems appear to be over for the Texas Longhorns. Nineteen days after national signing day, the Longhorns have a 4-star commitment at the position.

Shane Buechele announced via Twitter Monday evening that he has verbally committed to Texas, becoming the Longhorns fourth pledge of the 2016 class. The nation's No. 4 dual-threat signal-caller chose Texas over offers from several programs including Oklahoma, TCU, Texas Tech, Kentucky and Ole Miss.

If you look at the quarterbacks head coach Charlie Strong has had in the recent past—Teddy Bridgewater, David Ash and Tyrone Swoopes—all three were mobile athletes. Swoopes, the latest Strong quarterback, was the Longhorns' third-leading rusher statistically, recording 108 carries last season.

Bridgewater built his reputation on being more of a pocket passer, but in three seasons at Louisville, he rushed 226 times and scored six touchdowns. His main stats came in the air, as he threw for more than 9,800 yards and 72 touchdowns. For his career, Bridgewater completed better than 68 percent of his passes.

With Buechele, Strong may get a nice combination of both Bridgewater (game-management skills) and Swoopes (mobility). Buechele also has intangibles that can't be taught. He is the son of former Major League Baseball infielder Steve Buechele and has been trained to think like a pro athlete. He reads defenses and anticipates well. Buechele's versatility would fit well with the use of the read-option.

Buechele is the kind of quarterback Strong and quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson can groom to become a true leader of the offense. He's an athlete with an accurate arm, very good feet and a knack for managing a game. He throws a good deep ball and also throws well on the run. Additionally, Buechele is faster than anticipated and uses his speed to extend a play.

The commitment was big for Texas for two additional reasons. First, it resolved any issue on the table regarding what the Longhorns would do at the position. Texas offered scholarships to 11 quarterbacks, and 10 of the 11 are classified at least 4-star prospects.

Second, it won a battle against an Oklahoma team that seemed to be in the lead. His oldest brother, Garrett Buechele, played baseball for the Sooners, and his two older sisters, Jordan and Amber, attend Oklahoma. The baby of five children, Shane decided to buck the trend.

Credit Strong and Watson for a solid recruiting job. Buechele threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns with only six interceptions as a junior. He also ran for 572 yards and seven touchdowns and averaged nearly seven yards per rush, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Buechele will join a team that appears to be turning things around at the quarterback position, one of the spots that had the most inquiry last season. Swoopes and Jerrod Heard are expected to battle for the starting spot for the upcoming season. Kai Locksley is a 4-star scholarship player, and 3-star Matthew Merrick is a grayshirt representing the Class of 2015.

Buechele's commitment gives the Longhorns a nice offensive foundation for the 2016 class. Buechele will have two 4-star receivers to throw to in Collin Johnson and Reggie Hemphill-Mapps. Perhaps a bigger deal is that the commitment gives Strong another opportunity to regain the edge in an in-state recruiting battle against Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas Tech.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles