Texas' Monster National Signing Day Exactly What Charlie Strong Needed

It wasn't long ago—roughly two weeks, in fact—when the Texas Longhorns were struggling to crack the Top 40 in 247Sports' national team recruiting rankings. Fans were getting restless, and some were questioning head coach Charlie Strong's motives.

By Wednesday afternoon, there was minimal negativity surrounding the Longhorns' recruiting. Texas had seven of the 24 members of its 2016 class commit on national signing day and sign shortly afterward.

The moans and groans diminished with the news of each ensuing commitment.

Once a Top 40 team, the Longhorns completely turned things around in the class rankings and finished No. 1 among Big 12 teams and No. 11 nationally. How? It started Wednesday morning with a pledge from 3-star defensive tackle Marcel Southall. That was followed by a commitment from 4-star defensive tackle Chris Daniels.

From there, Texas scored arguably its biggest gem of the class in 4-star Brandon Jones, the top-ranked safety in the 2016 class. From there, the Longhorns got a commitment from 4-star linebacker Erick Fowler, who flipped from LSU. The signing of the Houston trio of 3-star safety Chris Brown, 4-star linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch and 4-star defensive tackle Jordan Elliott concluded a stellar Wednesday.

And let's not forget the four recent Texas pledges that came prior to signing day. Texas landed a commitment last Thursday from 4-star cornerback Eric Cuffee, a Saturday pledge from 3-star athlete Lil'Jordan Humphrey and two Tuesday commitments from the 4-star duo of running back Kyle Porter and defensive tackle D'Andre Christmas-Giles.

In case you're not counting, that's 11 commitments—all of whom signed Wednesday—in a six-day span. For those not paying attention, Texas only had 13 commits prior to last Thursday.

And just like that, the heat is off Strong. For now, anyway. It'll be a different story come September when year three of the Strong era kicks off. He's winning recruiting, now Strong must win on the field. 

Regardless, don't expect Strong to feel any pressure now or down the road.

"I don't panic," Strong said at his signing-day presser, which the University of Texas live-streamed.

Now Strong has to take all of that new talent, mold it with the existing talent and create a product that not only the Texas fanbase will appreciate but also the university officials will approve of. The last two years haven't been memorable for the Longhorns, as Strong has led the team to a combined 11-14 record. That includes only one bowl appearance—which the Longhorns lost during the 2014 season to Arkansas.

The good news is that the recruits in this signing class like each other. And they respect the class before them. Camaraderie shouldn't be a problem as the Longhorns now get ready for the 2016 season.

"We had a Texas group message with everyone coming," Elliott told 247Sports.com's EJ Holland. "We had a great class [Wednesday]. We had some surprises, and I think we're going to have a really productive season next year."

McCulloch, a fan of Texas since he was younger, has built a relationship with Strong since the start of his recruiting process. He called Strong "one of the best men you will ever meet."

"In my 18 years on this earth," McCulloch told Holland, "he is one of the best people I've ever met. I can't wait to play for him."

If history repeats itself, Texas could be in for an outstanding third season under Strong. When Strong was at Louisville, he was 14-12 in his first two seasons (2010 and 2011) and then broke out with an 11-2 record and a Sugar Bowl victory during the 2012 season.

Strong will have the class to help turn things around. This class ranked higher than in-state conference foes Baylor (No. 17 overall) and TCU (No. 22). It also ranked higher than rivals Texas A&M (No. 18) and Oklahoma (No. 23).

In short, it was a good day for Strong, his coaching staff and the rest of Longhorns nation.

"We needed something positive," Strong said during the press conference. "Now we've got to continue to build on it."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports.com's composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles