Texas Football: Why DT Ed Oliver Is Most Important Target at Horns' Junior Day

The Longhorns have already gotten a head start in the 2016 recruiting cycle by landing their most important commit of the class. Now they can focus on landing stud defensive tackle Ed Oliver at this Saturday's junior day.

By landing quarterback Shane Buechele, coach Charlie Strong and his staff have a leg up as they start attacking the 2016 class. Buechele gives them a player who has bought into the offense early, which will help them with other talents like receiver Tren'Davian Dickson and tackle JP Urquidez.

It should also be noted that Buechele is really good, as told by Inside Texas' Ian Boyd:

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He has a whole lot of what [quarterbacks coach] Shawn Watson looks for in a quarterback; intelligence, good footwork, quick feet, and a solid, accurate arm. Only 6-foot-1 at this time, Buechele makes up for that relative lack of height with a classic delivery. He gets the ball up and out quickly. He also reads the field quickly and anticipates well. When you talk about running packaged plays, you need a quarterback who is fast in his head and fast in his delivery and that’s Buechele. He may not become a star in college, but he could play a big piece in a flourishing and balanced offense. If UT runs the ball as hoped, Shane should make a living on the deep ball where his accuracy shines.

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Already a polished passer, Buechele is easily the most important of Texas' four commits, and it will be difficult to unseat him as the face of the class.

Getting a commitment from Oliver might give Buechele some competition, though. If the 4-star quarterback ends up making it on Saturday, he would do well to help the staff persuade the state's top defensive lineman.

The staff should obviously lay out the red carpet for offensive tackle Willie Allen, who will make the trip from New Orleans. But Oliver's combination of talent and ability to make an early impact trump what the out-of-state prospect brings to the table at this time.

First off, Oliver is absolutely off the charts athletically, which is made obvious by the first two plays on the above highlight tape.

We begin with Oliver scooping up a fumble and returning it over 100 yards to the house. He sticks with the play after the quarterback breaks contain, comes up with the ball deep in the end zone and then makes four guys miss as he runs for the score.

That's from a lineman who comes in at 6'2", 285 pounds.

On the next clip, Oliver absolutely runs over his blocker once he decides to go get the quarterback. Opponents at the high school level don't stand a chance.

Oliver projects as a tackle because of his tremendous size, but his quickness lends itself to some work at strong-side defensive end. If he can stay as light on his feet once he nears 300 pounds, we're looking at a weapon that Strong can put anywhere on the defensive front, with room for creativity before and after the snap.

As for need, the Longhorns would certainly like to see Oliver work out at tackle. Desmond Jackson will graduate, and Hassan Ridgeway could legitimately take off for the NFL. That would leave Paul Boyette Jr. and Poona Ford as the starters, with redshirt Chris Nelson and probable redshirt Du'Vonta Lampkin as backups.

The Horns have taken only three defensive tackles in the last three cycles, so Oliver would only be the tip of the iceberg. He's not going to fix depth issues single-handedly, but he has a rare chance to make an instant impact from the position because of his inside-out ability.

Then there's the fact that Oliver would give Texas a 5-star talent the rest of the state's best players can gravitate toward.

This is not to say Oliver could have the same impact as Malik Jefferson in 2015. Strong may never have another player change his recruiting haul like the 5-star linebacker did this past year, as explained by SB Nation's Wescott Eberts.

However, there's no denying that recruits pay attention to where the top talents are going. Oliver's talent level demands attention from his peers.

So while Allen, Dickson and the rest of the 46 junior day attendees should all get at least a fair look, Oliver must be the top priority. With him and Buechele on board early, a top-five finish would be well within Texas' wheelhouse.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com, with recruiting data sourced from 247Sports.