Signing Day: New Texas Coach Tom Herman Signs “Transitional” Class of Recruits

Taking over at Texas after the Longhorns had three straight losing seasons, new coach Tom Herman signed his first class of recruit Wednesday, a group that will register far below the lofty rankings the program usually gets.

Among the top players Herman signed to his rebuilding project were a pair of four-star recruits, quarterback Sam Ehlinger from Austin and defensive end Taquon Graham of Temple, Texas

Herman struggled to pull in a top-flight class as he cobbled together his coaching staff as he takes over for the fired Charlie Strong. Like many of its Big 12 rivals, Texas had to watch as much of the state's best talent went elsewhere.

Other things to know:

Top 25 Class: No

Best in class: Ehlinger and Graham.

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Best of the rest: K Josh Rowland, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, Toneil Carter, RB, Houston

Late addition: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M junior college transfer DE Jamari Chisholm, who didn't have a scholarship offer from Texas until Tuesday night.

One that got away: Two, really. Austin OT Stephan Zable left town for UCLA, and Houston DE K'Lavon Chaisson picked LSU

How they'll fit in: The losing finally caught up to Texas on the recruiting trail. Herman began tamping down expectations for this class weeks ago, calling it a "transition" year. Whether many in this group will compete for playing time as freshmen is unknown. Strong lost a lot of games but left Herman a roster that most see as very talented.

Complete list of signings:

   Marqez Bimage, lb, 6-2, 230, Brenham HS, Brenham, Texas
   Kobe Boyce, cb, 6-0, 163, Lake Dallas HS, Lake Dallas, Texas
   Cade Brewer, te, 6-3, 210, Lake Travis HS, Austin, Texas
   Toneil Carter Jr., rb, 5-11, 197, Langham Creek HS, Houston, Texas
   Jamari Chisholm, dl, 6-4, 299, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M/Valdosta, Ok
   Samuel Cosmi, ol, 6-6, 279, Langham Creek, Texas
   Max Cummins, de, 6-6, 245, All Saints' Episcopal School, Fort Worth, Texas
   Sam Ehlinger, qb, 6-1, 215, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas
   Montrell Estell, db, 6-2, 180, Hooks HS, Hooks, Texas
   Taquon Graham, de, 6-3, 266, Temple HS, Temple, Texas
   Gary Johnson, lb, 6-0, 211, Dodge City CC/Douglas, Ala.
   Derek Kerstetter, ol, 6-5, 299, Reagan HS, San Antonio, Texas
   Reese Leitao, te, 6-4, 234, Jenks HS, Jenks, Okla.
   Damion Miller, wr, 6-0, 189, John Tyler HS, Tyler, Texas
   Jordan Pouncey, wr, 6-1, 187, Winter Park HS, Winter Park, Fla.
   Joshua Rowland, k/p, 5-11, 202, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC/Madison Central, Miss.
   Josh Thompson, db, 5-11, 178, Nacogdoches HS, Nacogdoches, Texas
   Daniel Young, rb, 6-0, 210, Westfield HS, Houston, Texas