Texas Football: Early Grades for the Longhorns' 2016 Recruiting Class

Sporting a mere four commits, incomplete is the only appropriate characterization of Texas' 2016 recruiting class, even this early in the game.

For a while there seemed to be little cause for concern with this group. Fresh off an epic finish to the 2015 class, Shane Buechele's February commitment gave the Horns one of the best quarterback prospects in the country and plenty of momentum on the trail.

Since then, Charlie Strong and his staff have gone ice-cold.

It's bad enough that they're seeing interest wane from some top targets. Kendell Jones, Tren'Davian Dickson and Brandon Jones all look SEC-bound, trimming down the list of elite in-state talents.

But what's becoming truly problematic is that former no-doubters like Baylor commit JP Urquidez, who nearly pledged at Texas' junior day, have been looking elsewhere. The offensive line has been hit especially hard, with Urquidez, Jean Delance and Chris Owens almost certain to never become Longhorns. Burnt Orange Nation's Wescott Eberts noted Owens' commitment:

This is a long process, and Strong has shown he's never out of the fight for the players he covets. There's also no mistaking that he's brought in good talent—it's just time for him to grab more.

Who's on Board

If you're only going to have four commits, you can do much worse than Buechele, Collin Johnson, Reggie Hemphill-Mapps and Demarco Boyd.

Buechele has a chance to be something special at quarterback. Horns247 scouts him as having "flawless mechanics" with a good football IQ and strong work ethic. With above-average athleticism, he can be a true "triple threat" who wins from the pocket, throws on the move and picks up first-downs with his legs.

The quarterback is the big name, but Johnson's the highest-rated player in the group. Already 6'5", 200 pounds, the son of Longhorn great Johnnie Johnson exploded as a junior, showing off the speed, quickness, hands and competitiveness of a No. 1 wideout. He should be a top-50 player by the time he signs his letter of intent. CBS Sports Network's Tom Lemming called Johnson a "major catch for Texas":

Hemphill-Mapps isn't quite the same physical specimen as Johnson, but he's a smooth route-runner with deep speed. Fans will see a lot of Marcus Johnson in him, though Hemphill looks a little more elusive with the ball in his hands.

The lone defensive commit in the class, Boyd possesses a stout build and knows how to hit. Strong will enjoy the latter trait, but Kris Boyd's younger brother has got to improve in space to be more than an early-down run-stopper.

With two potential stars and two with promising skill sets, this is a good foursome to have. They're just not enough to distract us from the fact that signing day is eight months away.

Outlook

Texas looks like it's in good shape with a few solid talents with the potential to end this three-month drought, but nothing's set in stone. Strong can only hope it doesn't take too long to break the ice.

Looking through the Longhorns' list of targets, few of them are trending toward joining this 2016 class. It'll be a dogfight for the best players in the state, and the staff hasn't generated much of a head start.

Right now, the most potential lies with the linebacker and pass-rushing crop, led by destroyer Dontavious Jackson. Though anything could happen with a guy who has 50 offers, the Horns hold a nice edge with Jackson, Jeffrey McCulloch and Jordan Carmouche, as well as Fox prospect Erick Fowler.

Any one of these guys could commit soon, which would help draw more of the state's best defensive talent.

Another name to watch over the next couple of weeks is Christian Wallace. The 6'2½", 211-pound athlete declared Texas as his leader at a 7-on-7 tournament and has the versatility to play running back, linebacker, safety or even receiver. Rivals.com also noted Texas holds the top spot on Wallace's list:

Past these guys, it's hard to be overly confident about any of Texas' top targets ending up in the burnt orange. There's a ton of work to be done this summer.

247Sports

Final Grade: C+

As stated before, this class is incomplete, and we're a long way from giving it a fair assessment. At this point, there's a foundation to build on, and that's good enough for now.

This is a long process, and there are still a lot of uncommitted prospects out there. The problem at this stage is not many of them project to end up at Texas, and that has to change this summer before you can feel good about the trajectory of this class.

Still, there's no reason to hit the panic button just yet. Persistence is the name of Strong's game on the recruiting trail. After all, he pulled in 11 more recruits after nabbing Malik Jefferson and DeAndre McNeal on December 18.

If we're not singing a different tune by the time the summer camps and unofficial visits come to an end, then it might be time to worry.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of 247Sports.com.