Raise your hand if you are a recruitnik? You know who you are. Tell me if any, or all, of this happened to you before signing day on Wednesday:

• Being all caught up that day, you checked your favorite info site for any updates before you went to bed on Tuesday- just in case
• You sorta panicked when you saw “Hassan Ridgeway info,” and you immediately read the story
• You knew there was history with Hassan Ridgeway to begin with
• You kept checking back through the night for the “Update on …”
• You stayed up MUCH later than you wanted making sure there were no surprises
• You took one final look to see what was happening with DGB
• You know who “DGB” is
• You woke up Wednesday and said “Signing Day!”
• Maybe you are such a recruiting dork you tweeted that very phrase out that morning
• Your first stop was the computer to see if anything happened in the 6 ½ hours since you last looked
• One more quick look at DGB
• What’s this? A mystery recruit?
• You had a window open on your computer all morning, refreshing your site of choice to see when/if all the faxes were in
• You wondered why there was still one signature missing
• You completely lost focus on everything else when you heard Torshiro Davis was back on the table
• You already knew who Torshiro Davis was
• You wondered who Matt Davis was and why he was so mad at Texas
• DGB to Missouri? Why?
• Torshiro Davis to Texas!
• Thomas Johnson went WHERE?
• You looked at the final rankings
• You took a last look at Texas’ class
• You looked at ou’s class and wondered why Trey Metoyer is in there again
• You look at the Aggie class
• You Google “Bama Cam Girl”
• You started your day

Any of that sound familiar? If so, then you, my friend, are a recruitnik like me. Your day can be made (Jordan Hicks, Jackson Jeffcoat, Chris Simms) or ruined (Darrell Scott, Dre Kirkpatrick, the Quarterback Who Shall Not Be Named) on decisions made by teenagers you’ve never met who played at high schools you’ve never heard of from towns you’ve never been to. It’s absurd when you think about how these kids can affect you and when you consider how often things don’t pan out, it’s downright silly. I remember having the same anticipation and feelings in 2009 for that class, and now going into its senior year, HALF of that class is no longer with the team for whatever reason. Smart and rational people would see that for what it is — a giant red flag that should urge you to tap the brakes and temper your emotions; but if you know me at all you know I am neither of those things, so I am as excited about this class as any Texas has signed. Let’s get to it!

2012 Recruiting Class

I said last year when talking about the class of 2011 that, with the coaching changes, I thought the entire process of recruiting at Texas — majority of offers go out at junior days in the spring, encourage the guys offered to commit to Texas before their senior year and when those players commit shut down recruiting for that position — would change. And boy has it. Texas has changed their philosophy in 2012, signing junior college players, going after guys that came on the radar late, and loading up at positions they typically did not in the past. And look at all the interest out of state? After some high profile losses out of state, the Horns rarely put the full court press on OOS recruits. (If you know what “OOS” means, you probably are a recruitnik as well). This year Texas was all over the place, from Arizona to Missouri. This is due entirely to the new staff with new energy and new attitudes, and I give Mack Brown a ton of credit for adjusting his very successful M.O. to the changing times.

Texas finished ranked No.2 nationally, behind only Alabama. It was supposed to be a 27-man class, but the high drama in Shreveport when 4-star defensive end Torshiro Davis decided to sign with Texas rather than his in-state LSU where he had been committed, moved it up to 28. You rarely see LSU and Miles lose an in-state kid, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one sign with Texas. With six players already enrolled, Texas had plenty of room to sign what has to be the biggest class of the Mack Brown era.
This class is loaded with talent from top to bottom and expect to see the majority of these guys competing for playing time immediately. This class, along with the class from 2011, has as much talent as anyone in the nation, and it sets the table for Texas to be a factor in conference and national titles. There is a saying that goes “You don’t win with X’s and O’s, you win with Jimmies and Joes.” It means that no matter how good your staff is, it is only as good as the players they coach. The Texas staff can coach, and these Jimmies and Joes are sick. Let’s take a look.
The Class of 2012, with the Rivals.com ranking system of stars (five being the best):

With the size of this class, I’m splitting this into two segments: offense and defense. Today let’s hit the offense and see where these guys fit in and we will hit the defense next week.

The Offense

Already enrolled

Connor Brewer
Quarterback
6-foot-2, 195 pounds
Scottsdale, AZ (Chapparal)

Brewer comes to Texas from the home of former Longhorns Austin and Lyle Sendlein. He is reminiscent of Colt McCoy in size and game, meaning he’s a great athlete that is deadly accurate with the ball but is not likely to throw 60+ yards in the air. An All-State selection and an Under Armour All-American, Brewer was the first commit of the 2012 class way back in February of 2011. He passed for 3,001 yards and 43 touchdowns in 14 games and finished with 7,574 yards and 100 td’s in his career. Oh, yeah, and he won three state titles.

I expect he redshirts, but I thought the same thing about David Ash. He’s here going through spring, and he’s the guy Brian Harsin handpicked to run his offense. I hope he gets the year to learn the offense, because he’s the future at the spot. His very early commitment scared many teams off, but he had offers from everyone you can think of.

Donald Hawkins
Offensive Line
6-foot-5, 320 pounds
Senatoba, MS (Northwest Mississippi C.C.)

Hawkins was the first sign things had completely changed. When was the last time Texas signed a Junior College player? Alfio Randall is the one that comes to mind. Actually, Ron McElvey is the one that comes to mind, but never mind. Hawkins. The big fella is expected to come in right away and compete for a starting job at tackle, allowing Texas to move Trey Hopkins inside where he belongs. Hawkins is a big, strong, and athletic kid that is a proven tackle and was highly sought after by everyone in the southeast. He was known to ol coach Stacy Searels while he was at Georgia, and Searels is one of the main reasons he’s now a Longhorn.

I expect Hawkins to be the starter at tackle in spring practice, and from reports I’ve read he’s already showing the desire to get it by committing to the conditioning program.

Camrhon Hughes
Offensive Line
6-foot-6, 269 pounds
Harker Heights (HHHS)

Looking at Hughes you see a big, athletic guy that can really move well and has the frame to get bigger and stronger. As with most high school kids coming to college, he needs some polish on his technique, but he has the athletic ability to be a star; but not in 2012. He needs a year to fill out with Bennie Wylie and mature some (he looks so young), and he’ll be a force to be reckoned with. He’s a definite redshirt in my eyes this fall. Maybe? He’s on campus now and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s 280 or so by the fall.

The kid looks like a basketball player moving around and will be monster when he gets some more size, whenever that is.

Orlando Thomas
Athlete
5-foot-11, 175 pounds
Copperas Cove (CCHS)

Thomas played quarterback in high school and ESPN called him an “electrifying zone read quarterback” in their analysis. He had 1,120 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns his senior year for a team that never threw the ball. He’s not going to get a crack at qb at Texas and I’m not sure he even would want to, but he’s going to get some reps on both offense and defense this spring to see where he fits in.

If I had to guess he’s sticking on the offensive side of the ball and will play a little bit of everything. With his abilities in the open field and experience at quarterback, he seems like a perfect Wildcat option for Texas this fall. I think he fills the Ramonce Taylor role (on the field, I mean) as a Jack-of-all-Trades.

He was the first commit from the junior days (Brewer actually committed before his visit) and has been a solid commit for nearly a year.

Coming this Summer to a Campus near You …

Kennedy Estelle
Offensive Line
6-foot-7, 300 pounds
Pearland (Dawson)

He’s only been playing football for two years and all he’s managed to do in that time is become the top-rated tackle in the state. He’s physically ready for the college game at 6-foot-7, 300 pounds and only needs the experience that reps will bring. He showed he will not be intimidated in the Under Armour All-American Game, playing well against guys who’ve been playing their entire lives that were just as athletic and gifted as he was. Again, you’d like him to get stronger and learn his craft before throwing him in games.

And I think he gets that chance because of Donald Hawkins. Texas has some depth at offensive line now and, assuming everything goes as planned, Estelle will use 2012 to learn the offense, get stronger, and learn how to be a college tackle. I think he competes for significant playing time and in ’13 and the starting job in 2014 when Hawkins leaves.
If you can think of a college, they offered Estelle, who committed to Texas last June.

Jonathan Gray
Running  Back
5-foot-11, 190 pounds
Aledo (AHS)

The bell cow of the class, plain and simple. The top rated back in the state and the fifth-ranked overall prospect in the nation, J. Gray is the complete package. He rushed for 3,891 yards and 65 touchdowns. His SENIOR YEAR. For his career, he rushed for 10,908 yards and 189 td’s on 1,209 carries. Yes, that’s a state record. He was on every All-American team you can think of and played in the Under Armour All-American game last month. He’s a game-changer and difference maker in every sense and some websites even have him winning the Heisman Trophy before he’s done.
He’s playing as soon as he gets here and the only knock on his game is the wear and tear he endured in high school. That won’t be a problem in college as he has Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown to spread out the carries with.
Everyone offered Gray, but he’s been solid on Texas since he committed in April.

Daje Johnson
Athlete
5-foot-10, 185 pounds
Pflugerville (Hendrickson)

Johnson is a local kid that had been a TCU commit and another example of how things have changed. Texas didn’t seem much interested in DJ early on, but after a great senior year (2,178 yards rushing, 28 touchdowns) Texas reached out to him in late October and brought him in for a visit last weekend, where he committed on the spot.

He’s the fastest guy in the class and probably one of the fastest on the team already and I expect him to see the field this fall. He can do anything and will do everything for Texas, from running the ball at times to working in the slot to playing a little Wildcat if he can excel at that.

You can teach a guy technique and schemes, but you can’t teach him to run a 4.3 40-yard dash (which he does) so look for Texas to get him in places to make plays immediately. A super find by Texas late in the game.

Marcus Johnson
Wide Receiver
6-foot-1, 180 pounds
League City (Clear Springs)

Johnson is another example of how recruiting has changed at Texas. He had a good junior year and committed verbally to Texas Tech, but after a great summer at the camps (he attended the Texas camp after reaching out to the staff) he got on the Longhorn radar. After a 1,273-yard, 16-touchdown season, the staff liked what they saw and brought him in for an official visit. He committed on the spot when offered, probably like  this: “Marcus, I’d like to offer you a scholarship to play football at Texas. Would you …” “Yes.” He’s said it was a life-long dream to play for Texas, but he didn’t think it possible knowing how Texas usually recruited.

He’s a great story of a kid who saw what he wanted and made it happen, reaching out to Texas over the summer. He looks a lot like Billy Pittman in the slot and that’s where I see him playing. As unpredictable as the wide outs were last year, I could see him working in there this fall.

Cayleb Jones
Wide Receiver
6-foot-3, 198 pounds
Austin (AHS)

I definitely see Jones getting on the field this fall. He’s big, strong and physical and the perfect complement to Jaxon Shipley and Marquis Goodwin. He’s built like Malcolm Williams, but is more a natural receiver than Mal was. He has good hands and good speed — only in skill positions at elite places do you call 4.5 “good” and not “freaky fast” — and knows how to use his size in his routes. He runs great routes and has excellent skills with the ball in the air, finishing his senior year with 1,042 yards and 9 touchdowns in 11 games.

He has a great work ethic (no doubt inherited from his father, former Dallas Cowboy Robert Jones) and seems like a lock to be on the field early this fall.

The sooners. Ducks, Ags, Irish, Gators and War Eagle made a run at him, but he stuck with Texas all along.

Nick Jordan
Kicker
6-foot-1, 175 pounds
Coppell (CHS)

If you had to rate importance of the recruits in this class, I’d put Nick Jordan in the top 5. Texas has been rock-steady at kicker for several years, but now Justin Tucker is gone and the Horns are starting over. Will Russ hasn’t been able to make a dent yet, so the odds are high that Jordan could be the first Longhorn to touch the ball this fall in a game.

He’ll need to adjust to the college game, but at the very least he’s shown the ability to hammer the ball on kickoffs, hitting one 77 yards in a camp over the summer.

Jalen Overstreet
Athlete
6-foot-2, 205 pounds
Tatum (THS)

Another example of a change in recruiting tactics, Overstreet wasn’t on the Texas radar until the fall. With the loss of Connor Wood and Garrett Gilbert to transfer, Texas needed some more competition at the qb spot. In the past, with a top 10 national recruit like Connor Brewer already commited, Texas doesn’t go looking for another qb. But things have changed and now Texas has a legitimate dual threat qb in the fold. They even went to Brewer and told him they were bringing in another guy, just everyone was on the same page. And Brewer was fine with it. How awesome is that?

With the numbers as they are, I expect Overstreet to redshirt and learn the offense and get a crack at playing time next spring. To some he might seem like a Wildcat option, but I don’t think Texas offers a quarterback for that one scheme. There are plenty of athletes that can do that.  He’s big, strong and has a good arm and could certainly do it, but I expect he’ll be competing for playing time in all schemes next spring.  

I think Overstreet is a great signing by Texas. His situation reminds me of James Brown, Major Applewhite and Colt McCoy in that they were the “other” guy at quarterback in their class. All three turned out OK, didn’t they?

Curtis Riser
Offensive Line
6-foot-3, 283 pounds
DeSoto (DHS)

My mesvsage to Curtis Riser is don’t change a bit. NONE. While he needs some work in pass protection, they all do when they get to college, he’s as good an inside player as there is in the country. He’s straight nasty in run blocking, going to the echo of the whistle instead of the sound. It isn’t something you teach, it’s something you have or do not. I’ve told the story of watching Andre Gurode taking an unnamed Texas defender from about the 7-yard line to the wall behind the end zone in Texas Stadium in 2001. Riser has that. See for yourself- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIse-qwBKDk

He’s the top-rated guard in the state and arguably the best in the nation and I see him getting reps ASAP when the season starts, barring anything unforeseen. And by “unforeseen” I mean upperclassmen pulling it together to hold off this youngster.

I can’t wait to see him in action and I hope the attitude he has wears off on the others.

In Conclusion…

I’ll end it as I started it — this class is sick. It has superstars all over the place and I see every one of these guys competing for starting jobs/significant playing time soon. It might take a few longer to grow into their roles, but I don’t see any “fill-out-the-class” players in here. With the class last year and this one, Texas is LOADED.

We’ll hit the defense next week.

Hook’em,
trey.

Give me your thoughts on Twitter or email me (FromTheStands@gmail.com)