Bobby B had a good ranked the recruits in this class. Bottom 3 of the 5 were receivers. If Tre'D wanted back in, i'd taken him in a heartbeat.
Now that the Texas Longhorns' 2016 class has signed, it’s time to take a closer look at the players the Longhorns inked. As some of you guys know, my personal rankings of recruits often differ from those at 247, other services, the Texas coaching staff and many others. So with the class complete, these are my final rankings (not 247s or anyone else's) of the Texas recruiting class from No. 1 to No. 24. For comparison's sake, I've also listed where each player is ranked in the 247Sports Industry Composite.
1. WR, Collin Johnson, 6-6, 200, San Jose (Calif.) Valley Christian (8)
2. DB, Brandon Jones, 5-11.5, 193, Nacogdoches (1)
3. LB, Jeffrey McCulloch, 6-2.5, 230, Aldine Davis (2)
4. DE, Andrew Fitzgerald, 6-5, 250, Flower Mound Marcus (9)
5. OG, Denzel Okafor, 6-4, 295, Lewisville (12)
6. DT, D'Andre Christmas-Giles, 6-3, 290, New Orleans St. Augustine (13)
7. DT, Chris Daniels, 6-3.5, 326, Euless Trinity (6)
8. ATH, Malcolm Roach, 6-3, 255, Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep (19)
9. LB, Erick Fowler, 6-1, 226, Manor (3)
10. OG, Zach Shackelford, 6-3, 290, Belton (24)
11. DT, Jordan Elliott, 6-3.5, 306, Houston Westside (4)
12. RB, Kyle Porter, 5-11, 208, Katy (10)
13. DB, Eric Cuffee, 5-11.5, 188, Waco (11)
14. DT, Marcel Southall, 6-2, 285, Duncanville (17)
15. TE, Peyton Aucoin, 6-4, 255, New Orleans Brother Martin (23)
16. OT, Jean Delance, 6-5, 291, North Mesquite (5)
17. QB, Shane Buechele, 6-2, 185, Arlington Lamar (7)
18. ATH, Demarco Boyd, 5-11, 228, Gilmer (18)
19. OG, Tope Imade, 6-4.5, 327, Arlington Bowie (22)
20. WR, Davion Curtis, 5-11, 180, Temple (21)
21. DT, Gerald Wilbon, 6-3, 311, Destrehan, La. (20)
22. WR, Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, 6-1, 172, Manvel (14)
23. DB, Chris Brown, 5-11, 183, Alief Elsik (16)
24. ATH, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, 6-5, 199, Southlake Carroll (15)
- Despite all the hubbub on signing day, I think the best player in the entire class was already on campus in Johnson. I mentioned this early in the recruiting process, but I want to reiterate that one school on the West Coast thought Johnson was the best receiver in the state of California. In a state with a ton of great receivers that's high praise. He was injured most of his senior year, so he never got to go to a national all-star game or put up big-time stats this year, so I think a lot of people just kept him ranked in a safe spot as opposed to actually considering him as a top prospect. From my viewpoint, I think his catch radius is other worldly, he's active attacking the ball and he truly cares about being great at the sport. He's such a mismatch when the ball is in the air and I think he's going to maximize his abilities.
- Texas is forced to play two-deep safety looks way too often in the Big 12, in part because they don't have a safety that can really fly. Jones could be that guy. Something to remember about Jones, too, is he's a playmaker. That's part of what makes him special.
- McCulloch makes a lot of off-schedule plays. What I like in particular is his wingspan and closing speed to the ball moving downfield. He really covers ground on bootlegs and roll outs and can affect the timing of QBs.
- You guys know how much I like Fitzgerald. I sang his praises when he committed. This is where I think he should be ranked. I think of all of the defensive linemen, he's the one who is absolutely going to play next year in part because I know he can hold up somewhat against the run as an end. He'll handle the run better from day one than just about every DE on campus.
- I think Okafor is the best offensive lineman in the class long-term. Long arms, quick feet and natural lower-body strength are a tough combination to beat.
- D'Andre Christmas-Giles is an ideal 3-technique for Big 12 play as a great up-field pass rusher. He knows how to use his arms and quickness is outstanding. The issue is he could end up the best player in the class or one of the worst if he doesn’t work hard to achieve his potential. This ranking by me is a bet that he'll push himself hard.
- Daniels has a surprising motor for a player of his size. But the thing that sticks out to me is his initial punch. He really seems to pop people on initial contact. That's a somewhat rare trait and can be credited to his natural strength. He’s an above-average athlete, too.
- If any player in this class reminds me of Hassan Ridgeway as a high school prospect, it's Malcolm Roach. He's so talented and is just getting accustomed to his size. I won't be surprised if he sees some time as a TE, a la Caleb Bluiett. Really good pass catcher.
- Fowler has a sixth sense for the pass rush. That's Fowler. He's relentless and instinctive. The reason he's ranked lower by me than others is I worry that he's a tweener physically. He plays more like a DE than a linebacker, yet he's 6-1, 222. Guys that size who make it are either special players or tweeners. There's usually little room for in-between.
- Shackelford is ranked the last player in this class by experts. But I think he and Johnson might be the first two to win a starting job. If Shackelford can take to the center position this spring, it could open a variety of possibilities for Texas on the offensive line. I'm fairly good friends with Bob Shipley, and Bob is a huge believer in Shack's mentality toward the game. He thinks Shackelford has that part down. Bottom line is, I will not be surprised if Shackelford wins the starting center job this spring.
- Elliott is talented. He’s talented in an almost Shaun Rogers kind of way. Not as good of a player as Shaun coming in but at least similar size-wise. He just needs to work hard. If he does, the sky's the limit.
- Porter is different than the other running backs Texas has on campus. He can easily play out of the slot or in one-back sets. He's a Shock Linwood starter kit to me.
- Cuffee is a versatile defensive back with long arms and good size. He’s more of a nickel or strong safety than a true corner to me. He has the talent to end up being an NFL player, but he's going to have to keep focused and keep improving his entire career. He's one of those guys who has to improve as a freshman and sophomore to end up being an NFL type.
- Delance has an abnormally long wingspan, good athleticism and strength when locked on. But here's why I've ranked him lower than most others. He simply needs to be quicker off the ball. You'll look at his highlights and everything looks fine. But in some game film and during Under Armour practices, he gets eaten up off the snap. That's why he may end up playing on the interior instead of the edge. If he can learn to get into his drop much more quickly, he could end up being terrific. But that is not always an easy thing to teach or learn.
- Buechele has the physical tools to easily be a Colt McCoy type. But will he put the time in and get the opportunity that McCoy did? We'll see.
- Here's how good Texas did on signing day on the defensive line: Southall would be the best defensive tackle more than half the other Big 12 schools signed. He’s a good combo of down-the-line run stopper and pocket pusher. Athletic.
- Watch Boyd's senior film. He reminds me of former Oklahoma H-back J.D. Runnels so much it's scary.
- I think Wilbon is a little more athletic than folks give him credit for, but he is primarily an interior run stopper.
- Aucoin is a willing blocker and said to have a good football IQ. Must add smart weight and Texas has to find a way to utilize him in the new offense.
- Imade is as naturally strong as any lineman Texas added on either side of the ball. Lateral quickness is the big question mark but that may not matter as much in the new scheme.
- Curtis is a flyer. He could actually end up playing more early in his career since he's one of just a few that already knows the new offense.
- I liken Brown to P.J. Locke. Very similar skill set with a lifelong love of the Longhorns, though I think Brown is a little behind Locke at the same stage of their careers.
- I struggle with Hemphill-Mapps because he was rarely utilized at Manvel. He has really good speed and body control. But is he a future starter? Not sure.
- Humphrey is a well-rounded, heady player but not sure what he does great quite yet or how he's going to fit. If he had a position set in stone, it'd be much easier to assess where I think he should be ranked.
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at Delance.
Kind of seemed like a shot at the upperclassmen. 
GOOD!!!! I ALWAYS hated that they moved the Texas-A&M game from Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving night back in 2008 in the first place. Now that we don't play A&M anymore & there are now Thanksgiving night NFL games, the thanksgiving night UT game is inconvenient AF to everyone.
. Knowitall that wants Strong gone. Will never forget him talking shyt about what linemen UT wasn't taking and was making a mistake. UT got every one of them and ended up with a sorry ass line.
That nikka is 6'4 & a trackstar? I've been so jealous that all of TCU & Baylor offensive skill postion guys were all track guys in high school.