Update 10/16/2017: D’Shawn Jamison has committed to Texas. The Longhorns now have seven of the top ten players in Houston committed, and the No. 2 recruiting class nationally.

Original: August 2017

I’m back from my vacation and ready to resume sending the Crootletter. There is a new No. 2 recruiting class in the country on the 247Sports Composite: the Texas Longhorns.

Tom Herman is not playing around. Texas has 17 verbal commitments, and 13 of those are rated four- or five-stars. That’s an absurd ratio. The Longhorns have the top four committed prospects in Texas (Nos. 2-5), and six of the top eight. That is some serious in-state dominance. Seventy-five percent of Texas’ high school commits are from the state.

The most recent additions are defensive tackle Keondre Coburn and tight end Malcolm Epps. At 6’0 and 329 pounds, Coburn is built like a fire hydrant and plays with quickness and leverage. Epps is a 6’5, 218-pound receiving tight end.

Oh, and Coburn and Epps are from, you guessed it, Houston. This is a traditional Texas A&M stronghold on the recruiting trail. But Herman was the coach at the University of Houston and knows the area well. Tom Herman is raiding Harris County with no regard for Texas A&M’s feelings. Of the top 10 recruits in the greater Houston area, six are committed to the Longhorns, compared to just three for the Aggies.

Ohio State is seen as the favorite to land Anthony Cook, the No. 1 player in Texas, but if not the Buckeyes, then the Longhorns seem like the most likely Plan B.

Texas is also an extremely strong favorite for Houston four-star cornerback D’Shawn Jamison.

There is no other way to say this: Tom Herman is recruiting the type of talent that wins national titles.

In 2014, eight of the 23 prospects Texas signed were rated four- or five-stars. In 2015, it was 14 of 28. In 2016, 16 of 28. And in 2017, seven of 18. All told, that comes to 45 four- and five-stars signed over the last four classes out of 97 total prospects, or 46 percent. The Longhorns are on pace to sign a much better class than any they have inked in the last five seasons.

The Big 12 needs Texas and Oklahoma to be aces. The league’s recent situation, where good B-level programs like TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma State try to replace the elites who just haven’t been playing like elites, is reminiscent of the ACC a decade ago. Virginia Tech, Boston College, and others just are not substitutes for Florida State, Miami, and Clemson playing at truly elite levels.

At least on the recruiting trail, Texas and Oklahoma are both getting back to the truly elite levels needed to contend for the biggest prize in college football. The Big 12 should be excited about that.

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