Brendan Maloney – USA TODAY Sports
December 19th changed the landscape of the Texas Longhorns’ 2015 recruitment drive when five-star rated linebacker Malik Jefferson and his four-star rated wide receiver teammate DeAndre McNeal committed to the 40-acres over teams such as the UCLA Bruins and long-time Longhorns rivals the Texas A&M Aggies.
After earning these high-profile commits, the Longhorns have set their sights higher and hope to reel in some more of the nation’s highest rated talents.
Four-star rated cornerback Kris Boyd (Gilmer, Texas) looked set to announce his commitment to the Longhorns on Christmas Day, but he has recently announced that he will be delaying his announcement until the end of January.
This news bodes poorly for the Longhorns, who will be needing as much support in the secondary next season with Quandre Diggs departing after his Senior year. Boyd’s younger brother and teammate, Demarco Boyd, is a Longhorn 2016 target and seems to have much stronger feelings towards them.
Regardless of how high Demarco seems on the Longhorns, they will be hoping to have older brother Kris on-board to ensure no change-of-heart scenarios occur next season with the younger Boyd. With Kris Boyd being the No. 10 cornerback in the country, the Longhorns will be hoping the influence of the Jefferson/McNeal will help their cause in attracting such a high-potential player.
Boyd isn’t the only cornerback the Longhorns are attempting to lure to the 40-acres, with Davante Davis (Booker T Washington, Florida) announcing his commitment on Jan. 1. Davis’ commitment is now down to the Longhorns and the Florida State Seminoles.
The Seminoles are projected as having the edge, primarily due to location, but the Longhorns could snatch away another highly-touted player thanks to the influence of Jefferson/McNeal. The Longhorns are looking to claim at least two cornerbacks in this year’s recruitment drive and if they can lock up Boyd and Davis, then they’ll be set at the position heading into the 2015 season.
With McNeal and Armanti Foreman being the team’s highest-potential receivers next season, the offensive side of the Longhorns is beginning to take shape. But, there is still one more piece that could help the offense moving forward.
Four-star wide receiver Ryan Newsome (Aledo, Texas) announced that his top three teams are the Bruins, Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers. Many believe Newsome will commit to the Longhorns and the commitment of McNeal could go a long way. With three highly talented receivers on the team next season, the Longhorns could look to be far deadlier than they have been for a long time.
Head coach Charlie Strong’s teams are always built around defense, but with the talent the Longhorns are acquiring for their 2015 offense, it can be seen as a strong statement that the Longhorns will be gunning for a Big 12 title within the next two years.
Having finished the regular season at 6-6, a Texas Bowl win would give them a 7-6 record. Strong will be hoping to have a better showing next season and will be looking to build a powerful program from the ground up.
The one thing that isn’t completely known is who the Longhorns’ quarterback will be next season.
The Longhorns have current starter, Tyrone Swoopes, the highly-rated Jerrod Heard and No.1 New Mexico QB commit Zach Gentry for next season and while Swoopes started this season, there is no guarantee that he’ll be under center next year.
Many Longhorns fans have called for Heard to take the reins, but time will tell as to how any of the three quarterbacks perform with the team’s new talents.
One thing is for certain, the Longhorns aren’t going to be the same team next season and the rest of the Big 12 needs to take notice.
James Reeve is an NFL and NCAA Football writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook.
