Scoop27
01-02-2013, 05:37 PM
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – No matter how up or down things have been on the field for Mack Brown during his tenure as the head football coach at Texas, the one thing he's been able to count on is continually delivering when national signing day rolls around.
Mack Brown
Mack Brown may have struggled to put up wins in recent years, but he's still been able to land top-tier high school recruits.
This is a coach with a staff that managed to churn out the 3rd-ranked recruiting class in the country in 2011 after a 5-7 season. Whatever flaws Mack may have, being able to close the deal in recruiting isn't one of them.
The Longhorns have signed recruiting classes that ranked No. 2 (2010), No. 3 (2011) and No. 3 (2012), nationally since the BCS title game loss to Alabama after the 2009 season. Nevertheless, it's no secret that the tide might be turning – Texas’ 2013 class is currently ranked 21st by 247Sports.
Texas A&M is on an unprecedented role following a 10-2 mark in its first year in the SEC and the momentum created by Johnny Manziel's Heisman Trophy win. TCU has a head-to-head victory over Texas on the field and swiped a recruit from the Longhorns' 2013 class already.
There are only two five-star prospects in Texas in 2013, and Baylor has managed to land one of them in Robbie Rhodes, the talented wide receiver prospect who Texas would kill to have in the fold.
The circumstances around Mack might have changed, but the pitch he and his staff are giving to recruits across the state of Texas in an effort to replenish the talent pool hasn't.
“I think our standard hasn't changed,” Mack said. “I'm telling kids that we're about to be really good and you'd better jump on board.”
The Longhorns have had plenty of talented recruits jump on board in the class of 2013, with 13 current verbal commitments in the fold. That said, they've also had some jump out of the boat.
Yet perhaps the true recruiting brilliance of Mack Brown and this coaching staff is found in the fact that despite losing its only running back commitment (Kyle Hicks), its only tight end commitment (Durham Smythe), its only defensive commitment (Daeshon Hall) and the state's other five-star prospect (Ricky Seals-Jones), the Longhorns still field a class that ranks No. 21 nationally by 247Sports and No. 10 overall in the 247Composite rankings.
Kent Perkins at Lake Highlands
Kent Perkins points to Texas' family atmosphere as a big reason why he chose the Longhorns.
In the midst of a 22-16 record over the past three seasons Mack and his staff are still managing to convince some of the state's top talent to head to the 40 Acres with some tried-and-true recruiting methods.
One of those is the family atmosphere Texas has become famous for under Mack, and that's what helped sway Kent Perkins. The No. 39 overall prospect in the country said this week while preparing for Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl that he knew for the longest time he'd pick between Texas and Oklahoma.
It was a conversation he had with Mack during his junior day visit that convinced him Austin was a good place to call home.
“That family bond is there,” Perkins said. “You'll always have someone that will watch your back.”
For those who might claim that Mack is out of touch and not in-tune with the present-day high school recruit, Antwuan Davis begs to differ. The consensus national top 150 prospect from Bastrop is one member of the class who has been able to connect with Mack on a personal level.
“Not many people know that Coach Brown is funny,” Davis said. “He's a funny guy. Our sense of humor and how we interact is great. It makes him be a guy you want to go out there on the field for and take care of business.”
For the six future Longhorns gathered in San Antonio – seven once an injured Deoundrei Davis arrives this weekend – there doesn't seem to be any reservations about who is leading the program and where it's heading. That includes A'Shawn Robinson, who has said time and again that Mack, Bo Davis and the rest of the staff are the biggest reason why he, despite recent visits to other colleges, still considers himself a Texas commit.
“Talking to him, he's pretty firm,” Jake Raulerson said of Robinson. “I can tell. I've got a good feeling about him.”
Jake Raulerson at Celina
Jake Raulerson, the first commitment of Texas' 2013 class, gets more and more excited about being a Longhorn every time he visits Austin.
Raulerson is another recruit who hasn't had any doubts about his decision since he became the first verbal commitment in the class last February. Raulerson visited numerous schools across the country before picking the Longhorns, and with his arrival for the spring semester happening in a matter of weeks he's never been more convinced that picking Texas was the right decision.
“Every time I've gone back there it's reminded me of why I committed in the first place,” Raulerson said. “It gets better every time. I'm ready to get down there with those guys and work my butt off.”
Hard work is what will get the Longhorns back to the top, and one of the strengths of this class is that it's chock full of guys who are willing to pay the price to succeed. One of those talent maximizers is four-star wide receiver Jake Oliver, who wants other recruits to do what he did when picking a school.
“Picture yourself being there while you're at your school,” Oliver said. “What Texas did this past year or the year before has no bearing on what they'll be like when I'm there. People might say Texas has been down the last few years, but we've played for two national championships in the last seven years. There aren't many programs in the country who can say that”
Oliver isn't alone in his line of thinking.
“The offense was good and the defense kind of struggled a little bit,” Tyrone Swoopes said. “I think in the offseason we'll get it straightened out and we'll be back into a BCS bowl game.”
Despite the defense struggling, Manny Diaz still has plenty of support as the program's defensive coordinator. After pulling his name out of the running for the Florida International head-coaching job and opting to return to Austin to get the defense playing like it did in the second half of the Alamo Bowl win over Oregon State on a consistent basis, he's got some hungry players ready to come in and contribute.
“I have as much confidence in him as the confidence he has in us,” Davis said. “To not go to [FIU] and to stay here and fix what's wrong and make it right says a lot.”
While the Longhorns are going to wind up having some big misses in this class, not all hope is lost.
Texas can still finish with Waco High four-star lineman Andrew Billings and junior college offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, while quarterback, running back and wide receiver remain positions the staff continues to evaluate.
The Longhorns also have the nation's No. 2 class in 2014 with Denton Guyer quarterback Jerrod Heard, Fort Worth All Saints offensive tackle Demetrius Knox and San Antonio Brennan defensive end Derick Roberson leading the way.
Perhaps Mack Brown was giving coach-speak, or perhaps he was speaking the truth. Whatever the case may be, recruits are still buying what he's selling, hoping they can be the ones to turn around the fortunes of the program.
“We've had some rough patches,” Raulerson said. “But there's a lot more to come. There's better seasons to come.”
And for the current crop of recruits, they'd prefer for those better seasons to come with Mack Brown at the helm.
“He struggled this year, but every coach struggles,” Perkins said. “Every coach has their ups and downs. I've got his back.”
Mack Brown
Mack Brown may have struggled to put up wins in recent years, but he's still been able to land top-tier high school recruits.
This is a coach with a staff that managed to churn out the 3rd-ranked recruiting class in the country in 2011 after a 5-7 season. Whatever flaws Mack may have, being able to close the deal in recruiting isn't one of them.
The Longhorns have signed recruiting classes that ranked No. 2 (2010), No. 3 (2011) and No. 3 (2012), nationally since the BCS title game loss to Alabama after the 2009 season. Nevertheless, it's no secret that the tide might be turning – Texas’ 2013 class is currently ranked 21st by 247Sports.
Texas A&M is on an unprecedented role following a 10-2 mark in its first year in the SEC and the momentum created by Johnny Manziel's Heisman Trophy win. TCU has a head-to-head victory over Texas on the field and swiped a recruit from the Longhorns' 2013 class already.
There are only two five-star prospects in Texas in 2013, and Baylor has managed to land one of them in Robbie Rhodes, the talented wide receiver prospect who Texas would kill to have in the fold.
The circumstances around Mack might have changed, but the pitch he and his staff are giving to recruits across the state of Texas in an effort to replenish the talent pool hasn't.
“I think our standard hasn't changed,” Mack said. “I'm telling kids that we're about to be really good and you'd better jump on board.”
The Longhorns have had plenty of talented recruits jump on board in the class of 2013, with 13 current verbal commitments in the fold. That said, they've also had some jump out of the boat.
Yet perhaps the true recruiting brilliance of Mack Brown and this coaching staff is found in the fact that despite losing its only running back commitment (Kyle Hicks), its only tight end commitment (Durham Smythe), its only defensive commitment (Daeshon Hall) and the state's other five-star prospect (Ricky Seals-Jones), the Longhorns still field a class that ranks No. 21 nationally by 247Sports and No. 10 overall in the 247Composite rankings.
Kent Perkins at Lake Highlands
Kent Perkins points to Texas' family atmosphere as a big reason why he chose the Longhorns.
In the midst of a 22-16 record over the past three seasons Mack and his staff are still managing to convince some of the state's top talent to head to the 40 Acres with some tried-and-true recruiting methods.
One of those is the family atmosphere Texas has become famous for under Mack, and that's what helped sway Kent Perkins. The No. 39 overall prospect in the country said this week while preparing for Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl that he knew for the longest time he'd pick between Texas and Oklahoma.
It was a conversation he had with Mack during his junior day visit that convinced him Austin was a good place to call home.
“That family bond is there,” Perkins said. “You'll always have someone that will watch your back.”
For those who might claim that Mack is out of touch and not in-tune with the present-day high school recruit, Antwuan Davis begs to differ. The consensus national top 150 prospect from Bastrop is one member of the class who has been able to connect with Mack on a personal level.
“Not many people know that Coach Brown is funny,” Davis said. “He's a funny guy. Our sense of humor and how we interact is great. It makes him be a guy you want to go out there on the field for and take care of business.”
For the six future Longhorns gathered in San Antonio – seven once an injured Deoundrei Davis arrives this weekend – there doesn't seem to be any reservations about who is leading the program and where it's heading. That includes A'Shawn Robinson, who has said time and again that Mack, Bo Davis and the rest of the staff are the biggest reason why he, despite recent visits to other colleges, still considers himself a Texas commit.
“Talking to him, he's pretty firm,” Jake Raulerson said of Robinson. “I can tell. I've got a good feeling about him.”
Jake Raulerson at Celina
Jake Raulerson, the first commitment of Texas' 2013 class, gets more and more excited about being a Longhorn every time he visits Austin.
Raulerson is another recruit who hasn't had any doubts about his decision since he became the first verbal commitment in the class last February. Raulerson visited numerous schools across the country before picking the Longhorns, and with his arrival for the spring semester happening in a matter of weeks he's never been more convinced that picking Texas was the right decision.
“Every time I've gone back there it's reminded me of why I committed in the first place,” Raulerson said. “It gets better every time. I'm ready to get down there with those guys and work my butt off.”
Hard work is what will get the Longhorns back to the top, and one of the strengths of this class is that it's chock full of guys who are willing to pay the price to succeed. One of those talent maximizers is four-star wide receiver Jake Oliver, who wants other recruits to do what he did when picking a school.
“Picture yourself being there while you're at your school,” Oliver said. “What Texas did this past year or the year before has no bearing on what they'll be like when I'm there. People might say Texas has been down the last few years, but we've played for two national championships in the last seven years. There aren't many programs in the country who can say that”
Oliver isn't alone in his line of thinking.
“The offense was good and the defense kind of struggled a little bit,” Tyrone Swoopes said. “I think in the offseason we'll get it straightened out and we'll be back into a BCS bowl game.”
Despite the defense struggling, Manny Diaz still has plenty of support as the program's defensive coordinator. After pulling his name out of the running for the Florida International head-coaching job and opting to return to Austin to get the defense playing like it did in the second half of the Alamo Bowl win over Oregon State on a consistent basis, he's got some hungry players ready to come in and contribute.
“I have as much confidence in him as the confidence he has in us,” Davis said. “To not go to [FIU] and to stay here and fix what's wrong and make it right says a lot.”
While the Longhorns are going to wind up having some big misses in this class, not all hope is lost.
Texas can still finish with Waco High four-star lineman Andrew Billings and junior college offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, while quarterback, running back and wide receiver remain positions the staff continues to evaluate.
The Longhorns also have the nation's No. 2 class in 2014 with Denton Guyer quarterback Jerrod Heard, Fort Worth All Saints offensive tackle Demetrius Knox and San Antonio Brennan defensive end Derick Roberson leading the way.
Perhaps Mack Brown was giving coach-speak, or perhaps he was speaking the truth. Whatever the case may be, recruits are still buying what he's selling, hoping they can be the ones to turn around the fortunes of the program.
“We've had some rough patches,” Raulerson said. “But there's a lot more to come. There's better seasons to come.”
And for the current crop of recruits, they'd prefer for those better seasons to come with Mack Brown at the helm.
“He struggled this year, but every coach struggles,” Perkins said. “Every coach has their ups and downs. I've got his back.”