One Class Can Kill You - Reviewing the Texas 2019 Class

[Hornmatic 245]

On 2/5/2024 at 11:45 AM, closetojumping said:

We kind of touch on the issue of the impact of one recruiting class during various discussions on this board. I can't say that anyone is ever really convicted about the overall impact of a single class for a program.  That considered, I'll contend that the 2019 class for Texas played a helpful role in seeing Tom Herman pushed out the door slightly less than two years after that dipshit signed these guys. 

Folks will often cite the 2018 and 2019 as both being highly ranked (3rd each cycle) and both being significant bombs in terms of results. I understand the sentiment because neither covered itself in glory, but the 2018 class was actually decent and, if reranked, probably winds up remaining in the top 10-15 range.

We can argue personal opinions about the quality of the starting minutes from each player, but the top 9 players in the 2018 class all started an entire season or more for Texas. 3 of the top 9 were drafted. If Christian Jones is drafted, and it seems like he's probable in that regard, the 2018 class will have 6 NFL draftees. That doesn't include Cameron Dicker, who has a strong NFL career going at this point, or Cameron Rising, who Texas can't claim but will likely be drafted and was a solid evaluation, or Jamison, who played a lot in the back half of this season for the Carolina Panthers. Overall, that class yielded 18 full season or multi-season starters for Texas and landed 8 UT guys in the pros. 

That's not a great class, but that cannot be called a bad class, either. 

Now, 2019 was ranked on the same level as 2018. How did it do by comparison? 

The 2019 class yielded 6 full time starters plus Roschon Johnson. Unfortunately, some of those starters were starters out of pure necessity.

-Chris Adimora started a bunch in 2020 and was rarely ever a factor outside of that season.

-Marcus Washington was a starter because multiple WR prospects around him went down to injury, transfer, or were even worse than he was.

-Does Jacoby Jones get regular rotation time these days? I don't think so.

That leaves Whittington, Gbenda, and the lowest ranked recruit in that class, Tvondre Sweat, as quality starters. Roschon Johnson was also big time in this class.

So, you wind up with 2 NFL draftees (assuming Whitt is UFA) and 4 quality starter types out of a group of 24 signees. That is a truly pathetic class. 

-Texas signed 3 OLs in the 2019 class and none of them ever factored into the depth chart at Texas. Javonne Shepherd truly sucked.

Probably most importantly for Tom Herman is the way in which that class fell apart, which I think is a stronger indicator for killing a coach's tenure than just the talent quality in that class. I think is especially important going forward for programs because of the velocity in which a class can be disintegrated by the portal and NIL expectations/tampering. Consider this:

-Multiple players, with whom early expectations were high, never contributed. Bru McCoy, the highest ranked player in the class, injured his pussy and never played a down. Degabriel Floyd, who Texas needed at LB early, never played a down due to medial issues. They needed Caleb Johnson to come in a make an impact, instead they ran him off during his first spring. Derian Brown had the head injury and his football career was over before it started. Peter Mpagi had the major heart problems that ended his career before it started. That's 5 guys out of 24 who never saw their first fall in a fucking uniform and pads. 21% of the class never existed except on paper. 

-Tyler Owens, Jake Smith, Brayden Liebrock, and Kenyatta Watson were all highly rated (top 155 nationally or better) and all wound up being pure busts. 

Between the OL recruits creating a massive long term hole, the transfers & medical retirements in semester 1, and the terrible evaluations at the top of the class, half the class was garbage from day one. Most of the others ended up not being better than replacement value, with only two real stars and two other solid college players. With only decent production from the 2017 and 2018 classes heading into the 2019 and 2020 seasons, the problems with the 2019 class simply compounded the problems within the program. Given that Herman ended up being widely despised by almost everybody, him being fired in early 2021 made sense.

Whether it was Steve Sarkisian or anyone else, Herman especially, I'm not sure how anyone goes better than 7-5 in the 2021 season. Two transition classes (2017, 2021), two decent to solid classes (2018, 2020), and one enormous bomb of a class (2019) spelled trouble.

 

Yeah, I could read one of these for pretty much any year. I’d also be interested in the bad takes that were questioned from the beginning.
 

In some cases universally hailed prospects just bust, that’s life. But in other cases informed fans and recruitniks are waving flags in real time as bad offers and takes are made. 
 

I distinctly remember a cadre of fans perhaps led by ctj, I can’t remember, screaming from the hilltops about our Tyrone Swoopes take when JT Barrett was available. That wasn’t a second guess, it was very much a first guess and the difference in the two careers is one that Stevie could have seen coming. 
 

As an infrequent recruiting follower that info would be interesting to note. 

[statsman 5449]

7 minutes ago, Hornmatic said:

Yeah, I could read one of these for pretty much any year. I’d also be interested in the bad takes that were questioned from the beginning.
 

In some cases universally hailed prospects just bust, that’s life. But in other cases informed fans and recruitniks are waving flags in real time as bad offers and takes are made. 
 

I distinctly remember a cadre of fans perhaps led by ctj, I can’t remember, screaming from the hilltops about our Tyrone Swoopes take when JT Barrett was available. That wasn’t a second guess, it was very much a first guess and the difference in the two careers is one that Stevie could have seen coming. 
 

As an infrequent recruiting follower that info would be interesting to note. 

Aah,…Tyrone Swoopes. 
 
During the 2014 Texas Bowl, against Arkansas, I watched the LHN broadcast, with VY, Studdard, Robeson watching the game and commenting. In the second half, with it clear that Texas was going to score, wasn’t going to get first downs, or even positive yardage, Studdard glumly looked down and muttered, “Hell, he never won in high school; I don’t know how we expected him to win here”. 
That may have been Studdard’s last LHN appearance. 

[Funk Doctor Spock 12175]

On 2/5/2024 at 4:55 PM, The Dog said:

Kennedy Lewis transferred to UTSA 

What a shame...he could have shown Denver Harris around this coming season 

[Jersey Man10 3528]

Aah,…Tyrone Swoopes. 
 
During the 2014 Texas Bowl, against Arkansas, I watched the LHN broadcast, with VY, Studdard, Robeson watching the game and commenting. In the second half, with it clear that Texas was going to score, wasn’t going to get first downs, or even positive yardage, Studdard glumly looked down and muttered, “Hell, he never won in high school; I don’t know how we expected him to win here”. 
That may have been Studdard’s last LHN appearance. 

I wiped that game from my memory. Didn’t we have like 59 yards total and never crossed the 50 yard line until the 4th quarter or some shit?

[Tired Horn 738]

53 minutes ago, Jersey Man10 said:

I wiped that game from my memory. Didn’t we have like 59 yards total and never crossed the 50 yard line until the 4th quarter or some shit?

"Some Shit" adequately sums up that game, I think.