Texas Football Recruiting: 5 2019 prospects to target before Early Signing Period
![AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 13: Collin Johnson #9 of the Texas Longhorns is congratulated by teammates after a first half touchdown against the Baylor Bears at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 13: Collin Johnson #9 of the Texas Longhorns is congratulated by teammates after a first half touchdown against the Baylor Bears at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/22d0053819a1ac506ed5f01493728f2f124ee45c3be5c93c9c71156ed5483a66.jpg)
There’s a large gap between the importance of landing the first three players for the 2019 Texas football recruiting class on this last compared to the final two. Texas does have a ton of depth lined up to make its way to the Forty Acres next year, and the talent from the 2018 class already bolstered that side of the ball this year.
The one position that the Horns do need a big boost at is running back for next season. Texas loses one of its most valuable offensive pieces from the 2018 campaign in the former grad transfer senior running back Tre Watson. The departure of Watson makes targeting four-star Bradenton, FL, running back Noah Cain much more significant.
Since the starting running back role next year will pretty much be left solely in the hands of former four-star recruit Keaontay Ingram, Texas needs to add more than one running back in the 2019 class. The only running back committed to the 2019 class currently is the 13th best rusher in the nation in four-star Buford, GA, native Derrian Brown.
Texas could add the seventh best running back in the nation for the 2019 cycle if it lands Cain. The decision date for Cain is set at Dec. 19, so we’ll find out of he chooses to come to the Forty Acres on the first day of the Early Signing Period. He seems to favor Texas first, with the LSU Tigers and Penn State Nittany Lions hot in pursuit.