National Signing Day.
It’s the one day every year grown-ups get incredibly excited over the futures of a bunch of high school students most people have never heard of … and may never hear about again.
Despite being a huge college football fan and pseudo-journalist, I’ve never understood the hype over an 18-year old holding a news conference and putting on a hat to declare where he (may) spend the next four years of his life.
That being said, this year signing day was actually an important day for the Houston Cougars. This one is bigger than most because it’s the first for new head coach Tom Herman. This is Herman’s first chance to put his stamp on the UH program.
When the ink dries on the letters of intent it appears there will be 21 new Cougars coming to Houston. And if you are ever on Twitter, you couldn’t miss the buzz surrounding these new Coogs.
From the new players…
#PaintHoustonRed #GoCoogs RT @JoshJones_23: My city was calling my name so I had to answer it pic.twitter.com/4Lstz8rVQr
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) February 4, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsTo the current players…
Congrats to the young dawgs! #RB‘S @TyreikGray @Kevrinjustice7 — FARROW II (@F_A_R_R_O_W_) February 4, 2015
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Coach Herman posted a customized Tweet to each recruit…
“@aqmayes: @MikeEke_10 Welcome to the family❗️ Your future is bright❗️ pic.twitter.com/egZRfBGv55”
— Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman) February 4, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAnd the University rolled out the red carpet with these snazzy Tweets to show off the new recruits to Cougar Nation…
Congratulations to @K_Eloph on becoming the newest member of the @UHCougarFB program #GoCoogs #UHNSD #PlantTheFlag pic.twitter.com/hrfpg18Iai — Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) February 4, 2015
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So what did Houston get in these 21 players?
The crystal ball is even murkier this season because you have a mix of guys recruited by the Tony Levine regime and the short time Herman had to attract “his guys” to Houston. Herman said early on signing day “It’s hard to go in three weeks and say ‘hey I know you’re not even broken up with your girlfriend yet but I want to speed date you right now.’”
Herman and his staff didn’t have to go far to “speed date.” Sixteen members of this class are from Texas, including four from Houston. The top of the list, according to the “experts,” is running back Tyreik Gray. He’s a member of the “ESPN 300” list and chose UH over Texas A&M and Arizona State. Gray is a triple-threat as a runner, receiver and kick returner. Check out his highlight reel:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cygagEh3lRw]Something else you see in this class is offensive linemen, four of them to be exact. That was a problem area for the Cougars in 2014, especially when it came to protecting the quarterback. Headlining the group is Kameron Eloph, an offensive guard out of Bossier City, Louisiana, and Joshua Jones from Richmond, Texas.
New offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, a former quarterback, knows where his team’s bread will be buttered:
Bring on the Big Men that make things happen! (@JoshJones_23 @jmw_williams @W_Noble). It all starts upfront! Congratulations fellas! #UHNSD
— Major Applewhite (@CoachApplewhite) February 4, 2015
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One thing you don’t see on this list of recruits is a quarterback. That surprised some people considering Herman’s success with QBs at Ohio State and Herman said a high school quarterback was a priority in this class. Plus Houston has a serious lack of depth at the position. Greg Ward, Jr., is a converted wide receiver who found some success as 2014 progressed. John O’Korn, who was once hailed as Houston’s savior behind center, is transferring. Another quarterback on the roster, Billy Cosh, has a Twitter profile that reads “Houston for now.”
The Cougars are bringing in a QB transfer from Utah. Adam Schulz started the final three games for the Utes in 2013. A native of Muskego, Wisconsin, Schultz is much more of a pocket passer than Ward or any of the three QBs Herman used at Ohio State last year.
A potential target for Ward and Schulz is another transfer, wide receiver Chance Allen. Originally from Houston, Allen signed with Oregon but saw little playing time in Eugene. He’ll likely have to sit this year but is someone to watch for as Herman and Applewhite begin to bring in their system.
Let’s not forget about the defense. The “Third Ward” crew now has nine new members. Here are two names to watch out for: defensive lineman Tyrell Thompson and linebacker Emeke Egbule (you know, common spelling). Herman said linebacker was one of the team’s major needs, and Egbule had 13.5 sacks last season.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2QnjsoYW9A]One thing that could surprise you in this group of 21 is three tight ends. Houston didn’t have a single scholarship tight end on the roster, and during his signing day news conference Herman said expect to see the tight end position play a role this season.
This is an exciting time for Houston football. A lot of eyes will be on the Cougars with Tom Herman coming to town fresh off a national championship in Columbus. Can Herman duplicate that success as a head coach in Houston? Time will tell, but now at least he has his first 21 building blocks.
But let’s try to hold off on the hype for these 18-year olds … at least until they step on campus.
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