Texas Football: 3 worst 2021 recruiting misses for Tom Herman

Where did it all start going wrong for head coach Tom Herman and the 2021 Texas football recruiting class last offseason?

Facing a difficult decision as to what to do with fourth-year head coach Tom Herman in the very near future, Texas athletic director Chris del Conte has a lot of factors to consider before making any official move and/or declaration. One of the factors to consider pertaining to the hot seat for Herman this year has to do with the status of the 2021 and 2022 Texas football recruiting classes.

The Longhorns once had a very promising 2021 recruiting class in store, and the 2022 class still has a ton of potential to finish among the top two or three in the entire country. But the 2021 class has lost a lot of momentum in the last couple of months. Between a huge and detrimental decommitment, and quite a few costly misses among top targets for this cycle, the Longhorns don’t have a very bright outlook for their 2021 class just a couple of months ahead of the Early Signing Period.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2021 Texas recruiting class currently sits at No. 17 in the nation, and holds steady in the second spot in the Big 12 behind the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas currently holds 17 commits in their 2021 class, with the highest rated being the elite five-star Denton-Ryan athlete Ja’Tavion Sanders.

It is a long way between Sanders and the second highest rated commit in the Longhorns 2021 class after the decommitment of the highly coveted four-star Denton-Ryan athlete Billy Bowman Jr. Back on Oct. 7, Bowman Jr. rescinded his commitment to Texas and looks to now be trending to land with the rival Sooners.

Which other costly misses for this cycle have hurt Herman and the Longhorns less than eight weeks from the first day of the Early Signing Period? Here’s a look at the three most detrimental misses for their 2021 class.