With arguably the most successful season for UH football in the rear view mirror, the program officially kicked off their 2016-17 campaign analogously to the way the previous one ended, with a bang. Thirty-five days after the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory, the No. 8 Cougars added 23 new members to the roster in a jam-packed National Signing Day.
With the help of a troupe of Houston’s finest that included D.J. Hayden, Case Keenum, Dallas Keuchel, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Andre Ward and J.J. Watt the program welcomed its newcomers on Houston Football digital platforms. What’s more important and deserves discussion however, is the quality of the class that the Cougars just brought in.
“I am very excited about this signing class. We made history. We have signed the highest-ranked non-Power 5 
recruiting class in the history of college football, and that should be commended,” said Houston head coach Tom Herman. “Our staff, support staff, coaches, everybody who has a hand in recruiting should be commended for that. That is something that we don’t take very lightly. We know that we are a lot better coaches when we have a lot better players.”
The class includes three players in the ESPN 300 – defensive tackle Ed Oliver, receiver Courtney Lark and quarterback D’Eriq King – and seven players ranked in the top 10 nationally at their positions – quarterback Kyle Allen (No. 1 quarterback in 2014), running back Duke Catalon (No. 10 running back in 2014), defensive back J.J. Dallas (No. 9 junior college cornerback), offensive lineman Keenan 
Murphy (No. 5 center), Oliver (No. 2 defensive tackle), offensive lineman Na’Ty Rodgers (No. 4 junior college offensive tackle) and defensive back Terrell Williams (No. 9 junior college safety).
Although this past season was a tremendous success, if delved into enough, one could find weaknesses in a few areas. There were separate occasions in the season when a lack of depth on the offensive front and in the backfield, a lack of receiving threats outside of Demarcus Ayers, and frequent mishaps in the secondary leading to big plays for opponents were issues for the team.
Then when you also consider the fact that seven defensive backs, six offensive linemen, the two lead running backs, and that one consistent receiving threat (Ayers) will not be returning next season, you have that much more cause for concern.
The worst part is those are sheer numbers and they don’t nearly quantify the loss of production the Cougars will need to replace. The devil can be found in the details when you consider the 2016 team will be without players who played pivotal roles in the 2015 run such as: William Jackson, Adrian McDonald, Trevon Stewart, Kenneth Farrow, Elandon Roberts and the aforementioned Ayers.
Herman however, says there is no need to fret and feels this incoming class will help in the remedy of those kinks in the team’s armor.
We have to recruit really good players, and we did that,” said Herman. “We addressed quite a few needs.”
Going over the roster spots filled in this incoming class, you can clearly see the coaching staff had an agenda to fill those voids. The class covers seven position groups with six defensive backs, four offensive linemen, four receivers, three quarterbacks, three defensive linemen, two running backs and one tight end.
With the difficult phase now in the past, the newcomers can begin getting acquainted and comfortable because the season is not so far away. 2016 Spring practice will begin March 7 and Houston will hold its 2016 Spring Game on Saturday, April 16 at TDECU Stadium.
This was another huge step in the right direction for the UH Football program but there is also an interesting nugget to keep in mind going forward. Herman was particularly proud of what they were able to accomplish this past signing day, because, of all the high school players that signed, all but one committed before last year’s stellar season even began.
That is important because these players had not yet seen the culture be completely revamped by Herman and his staff. They didn’t know this program would finish the season No. 8 in the AP Poll or that they were committing to a coach who would be the hottest commodity in college football after just one season. They committed to contribute to the H-Town Takeover, but the conquest of Houston is well taken care of, the Cougars are now looking to expand their territory.
Most of these guys committed on blind faith and because of “tremendous relationships with their recruiting coaches”. Now it’s up to Herman and his staff to make good on that blind faith by putting them in the best position to succeed and maximizing their potential. And if we learned anything from last year’s stellar season, we know that in that regard, they are all in good hands.
