Nahlin is likewise none too pleased with Hand's latest OL recruiting efforts --
" ....... Herb Hand arrived in Austin with promise and the reputation for being a very good recruiter. My guy in the Southeast who is a straight-shooter had me feeling confident about the hire. From what I know of Hand, he’s likable, relatable, and genuine. That almost always translates in recruiting.
I have pretty good insights into Hand from people who know him much better. I know he crushed the Calvin Anderson recruitment. I know he crushed the Parker Braun recruitment, coaxing him away from the nearby Florida Gators. He’s 2/2 on high profile grad transfer pursuits. Texas shunned other grad transfers it could have had, as well.
Hand’s track record in high school isn’t nearly as good.
The 2019 class consisted of: Tyler Johnson, Javonne Shepherd, Isaiah Hookfin, and Willie Tyler.
Johnson was a Texas lock from the get-go. I wrote that in these very pages before Hand arrived. Shepherd was a major risk. The staff knew that in real time but didn’t recruit the cycle like they truly understood it. Shepherd wasn’t treated like found money, he was treated like an important piece — like a need. Hookfin was a really good late find who almost got off the hook. Props for reeling him in. That could end up being a very big development. Tyler was a post-NSD find who was necessary because they didn’t recruit the regular cycle very well.
The 2020 class consisted of: Logan Parr, Jake Majors, Jaylen Garth, and Andrej Karic.
From a difficulty of recruiting standpoint, this is like landing three Tyler Johnsons and an Isaiah Hookfin. Parr, Majors, and Garth were layups. Karic, like Hookfin, was a good recovery for a lower profile player.
It’s a solid class, good floor, okay ceiling, and pretty good on paper, but I’m skeptical the best class they could compile just so happens to be the easiest.
At least having that class sewed up early allowed for Hand to get a very good jump on the Class of 2021!
[here he walks thru all the 2021 whiffs, with a pargarapgh on each -- Donovan Jackson, Reuben Fatheree, Savion Byrd, Bryce Foster, Matthew Wykoff, Jonah Miller, and Tommy Brockermeyer]
To a degree I sympathize with Hand. I often write, as recruiters, position coaches are beholden to program perception. But what the hell did we witness versus OU last year? There is a real cost associated with that performance. Some of that blame again lays at Herman‘s feet for the predictability of his offense but recruits don’t care, and if they did, predictable offense doesn’t help the case.
Hand currently has Katy Taylor’s Hayden Conner committed. Conner is a good tackle/guard option, but he’s a player who should be setting the floor of a stellar o-line class, not the ceiling, and certainly not the entire load bearing wall.
It’s still early-ish but Herman’s and Hand’s backs are up against the wall. They not only need to win to help land some elite talent, they need to evaluate extremely well in the event they don’t.
Recruiting: A Byrd in Hand, Chips off the old Brock, Foster Home, etc. - Inside Texas