Despite small size, Herman happy with Horns’ class

AUSTIN — Texas emphasized quality over quantity with its 2020 signing class.

The Longhorns’ current crop of recruits is ranked No. 11 in the 247Sports composite rankings. But UT’s class contained just 17 commitments as of Saturday, Feb. 1, four fewer than any school among 247’s top 15.

But a comparatively light December meant coach Tom Herman and his revamped staff had room to add some potential impact signees during national signing day on Feb. 5.

“We will probably sign four-ish more in February,” Herman said Dec. 18, the start of the early signing period. “We knew, though, that this was going to be a small class with only 10 scholarship seniors, so we knew it would be about quality, not quantity.”

Adding depth along the defensive line has been a high priority for Herman, position coach Oscar Giles and new defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Texas has locked in on Bastrop Cedar Creek five-star tackle Alfred Collins and Manor four-star end Princely

Umanmielen, a pair of talented in-state recruits.

The Longhorns added only two defensive lineman in December in early enrollees Sawyer Goram-Welch (Longview) and Vernon Broughton (Cypress Ridge), so landing even one of Collins and Umanmielen would be a boost for this class.

Umanmielen was on campus Saturday for an official visit, which would allow Texas to make one more lasting impression in an effort to beat out Auburn, Baylor and Florida in this recruiting war.

“We’ve got two defensive linemen that we covet very, very highly that won’t sign until February,” Herman said in December. “So they (Goram-Welch and Broughton) will not be the only two defensive linemen that we sign in this class.”

Texas also is looking to add another receiver to help replace seniors Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson and make up for the decommitment of Temple four-star Quentin Johnston, who eventually signed with TCU.

Carthage wideout Kelvontay Dixon could bring his track starspeed to the Forty Acres. But Herman’s

new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and recently promoted receivers coach Andre Coleman also could look for a more experienced replacement

on the transfer market.

“Our plan is to find the right four or five guys in February,” Herman said. “We know we need some immediate help at some positions too, so the grad transfer market is also something that would also take some of those numbers up. We won’t fill up in February because we’re going to wait and see on some of these grad transfers.”

The Longhorns also have made a strong push for Duncanville cornerback Ennis Rakestraw. The three-star prospect has some high-profile suitors, most notably Alabama, though his recent official visit and proximity to Texas could turn the tide in the Longhorns’ favor.

Another strong recruiting haul should amplify the Longhorns’ momentum after routing Utah in the Alamo Bowl on New Year’s Eve. And with a talented core of returning play-makers on both sides, Texas could be poised to recover from a disappointing campaign.

“It was definitely an energybooster,” sophomore linebacker and Alamo Bowl MVP Joseph Ossai said of beating Utah. “I’m glad we did what we did because now we have that confidence, and it can boost us into the offseason.”