Football

The Dotted Line: Offensive grades for Texas’ 2019 recruiting class

Posted December 24th, 2018

Mike Craven Hookem.com staff

mcraven@hookem.com

The first wave of commitments in the 2019 class signed with Texas during the three-day early signing period. Tom Herman inked 22 prospects with six set to enroll early, including record-setting athlete Jordan Whittington.

Here are the offensive grades as the class stands now:

Quarterbacks: B+

Signings: Roschon Johnson

Remaining targets: None

Nothing wrong with signing the best dual-threat quarterback in the state. Texas identified Johnson as its priority at the position early and earned his commitment back in July 2017. It was a down year for quarterbacks in the state and around the country. Johnson wasn’t as highly regarded as Cam Rising was in the 2018 class, but that doesn’t mean a thing once a prospect is on campus.

Running backs: B-

Signings: Derrian Brown

Remaining targets: Deondrick Glass, grad transfer

Brown is a legit prospect worthy of his four-star status. He’s the No. 13-ranked running back in the entire class and played at a major prep program in Buford, Ga. The disappointment was missing out on both Trey Sanders and Noah Cain of IMG Academy. Cain picked Penn State. Sanders is headed to Alabama.

That leaves the Longhorns in a bind because the numbers aren’t great at running back. Only Keaontay Ingram and Daniel Young return with any real experience for the 2019 season. That puts a ton of pressure on Brown to provide depth immediately if Texas can’t lure an unsigned Fabulous 55 member like Katy’s Deondrick Glass or find another grad transfer like it did last year with Tre Watson.

Wide receivers: B+

Signings: Jordan Whittington, Jake Smith, Kennedy Lewis

Remaining targets: Bru McCoy

Texas managed to sign a strong three-man wide receiver group despite the lost commitments of guys like Demariyon Houston and Peyton Powell. Texas also missed out on local prospects like Garrett Wilson (Ohio State) and Elijah Higgins (Stanford). Whittington is a stud and Smith won Gatorade’s national player of the year award after recording more than 2,000 yards of total offense as a junior and a senior. Lewis is a well-rounded athlete with a 6-3 frame.

All eyes turn toward five-star athlete Bru McCoy of California. The two-way star plans to announce at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 5 in San Antonio. Texas and USC are the final two schools in the mix. He’d provide Texas with a legit five-star talent in the cycle.

Tight ends: A

Signings: Brayden Liebrock, Jared Wiley

Remaining targets: None

The Longhorns were masterful recruiting at tight end. Liebrock is a polished receiving threat who can flex out and create mismatches whether he lines up against smaller cornerbacks or slower safeties and linebackers. He’s also a known winner from his time at Chandler High in Arizona. Wiley is more of a project after spending time at quarterback in high school. Texas wants to utilize its tight ends more in the passing game and both guys excel at that part of the position.

Offensive line: B

Signings: Tyler Johnson, Isaiah Hookfin

Remaining targets: Javonne Shepherd, JUCO product

The offensive line was almost a real concern when Texas managed just one signature on Wednesday. Johnson is a four-star prospect and the best tackle Herman has signed since taking the job in Austin, but Texas needed multiple players at the position. The potential meltdown started when Javonne Shepherd chose not to sign, adding more smoke to the rumors of a potential flip to Texas A&M.

The concerns heightened when four-star offensive tackle Isaiah Hookfin appeared headed to Baylor instead of Texas. Hookfin postponed his planned decision on Friday and eventually signed with Texas on Friday night. That gave Texas a strong in-state pair of offensive tackles with the chance to convince Shepherd to stick in February and explore any options left in the JUCO or grad transfer market like it did with Calvin Anderson in 2018.

Wednesday’s Dotted Line: Grading the defensive 2019 class.