Signing day now means less than ever
FORT WORTH — It’s party time in Austin as for the sixth time in the last 12 years, the University of Texas has a top 10 football recruiting class.
Also, Mack Brown had the third-ranked recruiting classes in 2010 and ‘11, and the second-ranked class in 2012.
Those classes worked out so well Brown showed himself the door after the 2013 season.
Texas had the fourth-ranked recruiting classes in both 2018 and 2019. Those worked so well Tommy Boy Herman was fired after the 2020 season.
No team in college football dominates recruiting quite like Bevo, and now the Aggies want some of that over-promise/under-delivering action.
Wednesday, Dec. 15 was college football early national signing day, and both Texas and Texas A&M won the 2023, 2024 and 2025 college football national titles.
So did Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Central Florida, UCLA, USC, Cal, Cal Tech, Georgia, Georgia Tech, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Army, Navy, Air Force, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Illinois, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Washington, Washington State, and Kansas State. (Kansas settled for second.) In his fifth season in College Station, Jimbo Fisher is making a run into hallowed Mack Brown “Coach February” territory.
According to the Rivals recruiting rankings, Texas and Texas A&M “won” Wednesday.
Both boast recruiting classes ranked in the Top 5 by Rivals; according to the Rivals site that tracks its rankings back to 2002, this is the first time both UT and A&M have classes ranked in the top 10 in the same year.
Some recruiting services rank Jimbo’s class as No. 1 in the nation, a few others No. 3; either way, this should result in the coach agreeing to a new 14-year, $325 million contract extension by the end of the month.
(Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian netted a top class, something Charlie Strong and Tom Herman did, too. #TexasFight).
With the creation of the NCAA’s transfer portal, the power of winning signing day means less than ever. If a third, or a half, of these incoming classes actually stay three or four years, let alone produce, it will be the equivalent of the sun rising in the north.
“The way folks rate recruiting classes is way off,” TCU Coach Sonny Dykes said Wednesday at his signing day press conference.
“Because of transfers, how do you rank somebody’s class? Those days of being able to do that are over. The portal has made it different.”
What A&M and UT did on Wednesday by signing all of these several-starred kids may actually result in some tangible success in College Station and Austin beyond your standard 8-4 Kevin Sumlin record, or only losing to Oklahoma by less than double digits.
The way the fan bases are both (over) reacting, Texas and Texas A&M will not only make the College Football Playoff next season, but also reach the Super Bowl.
Ranking college football incoming classes was already the single most flawed evaluation process in all of big-time sports. Unlike in high school basketball, the football players seldom play against each other.
The amount of “tape” on a high school senior is so limited those conducting the rankings are merely taking a best guess that is based more on the schools that are offering scholarships than perceived ability.
Now, with the continued deregulation of college football and the obstacles taken away from transferring, the four- or five-star kid who just signed with your alma mater may be gone this time one year from now.
It’s the same for everybody, and the changes have made it more difficult for head coaches, a group that deserves almost as much sympathy as Jeff Bezos.
The “rules” in place are for show, and following Wednesday’s chaos of flips and signings was irresistibly entertaining.
Enjoy the fun, but don’t think winning signing day means your team will win the national title.