How Do Top Texas College Football Programs Stack Up in Class of 2016 Recruiting?
The state of Texas is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in all of college football.
Many schools around the country hit up the Lone Star State to mine a territory known for developing an abundance of FBS-caliber recruits.
However, with five in-state schools occupying spots in Power Five conferences, the competition to keep top prospects home is fierce.
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Baylor, TCU, Texas and Texas Tech are all competing for bragging rights in the Big 12 while Texas A&M is trying to maintain the momentum the program gained after switching to the SEC a few years ago.
How are the top Texas schools faring in the 2016 cycle?
Let’s take a look at each of the Lone Star State’s Power Five programs and their classes to this point.
Baylor – 20 commits, No. 14 class nationally
While it may surprise some to see Baylor as the school with the highest-rated recruiting class in the state of Texas, it appears as if the program is finally starting to reap the benefits of winning big on the field under head coach Art Briles.
It’s also not a shock to see that 18 of the Bears' 20 pledges are homegrown products.
Wide receiver is a big need for the Bears in the current cycle, and they have been able to land four big-time prospects with 4-star and early enrollee Tren’Davian Dickson highlighting that group.
On defense, Briles and his staff have also loaded up along the defensive line (four commits) and in the secondary (five commits).
Among the top remaining targets for the Bears down the stretch is in-state 4-star safety Brandon Jones.
Regardless of how the class finishes up, the Bears are on track to finish with their highest-rated class since Briles took over in Waco.
TCU – 20 commits, No. 20 class nationally
Similar to rival Baylor, TCU is capitalizing on its recent on-field success with a banner recruiting class.
Only 11 of the 20 pledges in the class are Texas natives. However, another four hail from neighboring Louisiana.
Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson has also landed five JUCO prospects—including four who are already enrolled and will participate in spring drills.
Of the prep prospects headed to Fort Worth, 4-star athlete Sewo Olunilua and 4-star defensive end Isaiah Chambers are two players who should have a chance to make an early contribution in their careers.
The Horned Frogs are hoping to close out their class with targets such as 4-star running back Kyle Porter and 4-star defensive tackle D’Andre Christmas-Giles.
Texas – 14 commits, No. 33 class nationally
Last year, Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong was able to close with a flurry before signing day.
He and his staff are hoping for a similar run in the coming weeks.
Of the top in-state schools, the Longhorns have the fewest commits with just 14. However, there’s plenty of quality in the group already headed for Austin.
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Included in that group are four prospects already on campus as early enrollees—headlined by 4-star quarterback Shane Buechele.
There are a handful of top homegrown talents such as 4-star linebackers Jeffrey McCulloch and Dontavious Jackson, 4-star corner Eric Cuffee and Porter who have the ‘Horns in their final group of schools.
Texas A&M – 19 commits, No. 18 class nationally
Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin has recruited well since he’s been in College Station.
However, the 2016 class has been somewhat plagued by high-profile decommitments from top prospects such as 5-star offensive lineman Greg Little (now pledged to Ole Miss) and 4-star wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland (now pledged to Houston).
Plus, the recent defections of quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray have Sumlin and his staff scrambling to find a quarterback late in the 2016 cycle.
With that said, there’s still plenty of talent en route to play for Sumlin and his staff.
The groups in the trenches are filled with quality and quantity that should help the Aggies beef up to handle the rugged wars in the SEC.
In particular, the defensive end duo of 4-stars Mark Jackson Jr. and Justin Madubuike make one of the nation’s finest tandems at that spot.
The Aggies are also in the running to land Jones and 4-star offensive lineman Jauan Williams in the final days leading up to signing day.
Texas Tech – 26 commits, No. 41 class nationally
While the Longhorns may have the fewest pledges among the in-state power programs, Texas Tech is on the opposite end of the spectrum with 26 commits.
Red Raiders head coach Kliff Kingsbury has assembled a class with players from seven different states. However, only seven of their commits are from out-of-state prospects.
Nearly half the class (12 total commits) is made up of players who will line up on either the offensive or defensive line.
Receiver is another area of focus, as the Red Raiders have four commits from pass-catchers—including 4-star in-state product T.J. Vasher.
With the majority of their class already filled, the focus for Kingsbury and his staff will be to hold onto prospects who other schools may be trying to poach in the final days until signing day.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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