With the de-commitment of Robert McKnight, the class now has 23 commits, with at least five of them being Juco signees or early high school graduates who will enroll in the spring, and those five should count against the 2016 class's numbers. In any case, in looking at the roster I counted somewhere in the neighborhood of 61-62 non-senior scholarship guys (I wasn't sure about the scholarship status of some of the special teams specialists), so if there are no transfers or players otherwise leaving the program there wouldn't seem to be a lot of room to add more than a tiny number to the 23 already currently committed, lest they run up against the 85-man scholarship limit and/or have to ask one or more of the incoming freshmen to take a greyshirt.
UTSA has been pretty fortunate in this recruiting cycle for a few reasons, mainly due to either the unusually good fortunes or instability of the coaching situations at some schools they most often compete with for recruits. TCU has a pretty loaded class with much higher-rated players than they usually sign, even in their best years, so TCU seems a lot less likely to poach a Roadrunner commit late in the cycle like they have several times before. Baylor's coaching situation and the interim year with Jim Grobe meant that staff all but skipped recruiting this season, since it was all but certain none of their coaches would still be there in 2017. So Baylor has offered a lot of guys since the hiring of Matt Rhule, and with San Antonio Reagan's now former HC on that staff they'll surely have a good handle on which SA-area recruits are good enough to play for them. BU has already offered recent WR commit Tariq Woolen and may target some others before Signing Day. Houston beat UTSA head-to-head for a few recruits but with Tom Herman's impending departure being the worst-kept-secret in college football since LSU fired Les Miles and UT's season imploded, the Cougars probably didn't contend as strongly for some mutually sought-after recruits as they otherwise would have.
Here's where things stand now on the offensive side, I'll take a look at the defensive side in another post.
Quarterback
Commits - 2: Frank Harris (Schertz Clemens) and Bryce Rivers (SA Stevens)
Needs - Likely none.
Dalton Sturm will be a senior in 2017, Manny Harris and Jaylon Henderson will both be in their third season on campus, and Bryce Rivers will be an early enrollee. I think Frank Harris was slated to do the same but someone else will have to confirm if that's still his plan. Also in the mix is talented walk-on Clay Roberts, who'll be a redshirt freshman in 2017. I think they're done at that position unless somebody transfers or if the staff doesn't like the idea of M. Harris or Henderson being a Sturm injury away from having to play and targets another 5th-year graduate transfer.
Running Back
Commits - 2: Anthony Smith (Keller Fossil Ridge) and Dadrian Taylor (Shiner)
Needs - 1
UTSA is graduating a lot of bodies at the position, and while Anthony Smith seems to have the requisite size and skill-set to get some snaps as a freshman, Taylor will need time to bulk up and may not even be a RB. Aside from Jalen Rhodes - who will be a junior in 2017 but feels like he's been at UTSA since 2009 - the returning RBs now on the roster (Brett Winnegan, Tyrell Clay, and Halen Steward) have a combined 62 career carries. With the surprise de-commitment of Robert McKnight, they could definitely target another RB to take his spot, hopefully someone who'll give the position an infusion of play-making ability and/or every-down RB size.
Wide Receiver
Commits - 1: Tariq Woolen (Fort Worth Arlington Heights)
Needs - at least one more, plus contingencies to have in place if Woolen gets the hard sell from some P5 programs late.
JaBryce Taylor and his 21 catches will depart, but the team returns the entire receiving corps aside from him, including the much-heralded OU transfer and native son Dannon Cavil, who appeared in five games this season but didn't record a catch. The needs at that position aren't so much for 2017 but for 2018, as six WRs will be seniors next season. Really any WR signed in 2017 will be an obvious redshirt candidate, and while the position returns a ton of experience next year I say there's no excuse in not signing at least two impact WRs from the current class, which has the deepest pool of WRs the state has produced in years.
Tight End
Commits - 3: Michael Goff (SA Johnson), Chance McLeod (Victoria East), and Robert Ursua (Palomar CC)
Needs - none, but another well-rounded TE would be nice
Three tight ends is about as many as you'd ever expect or want to sign in a single class, but only Shaq Williams (who had 13 catches in 2016) and redshirt freshman Jack Giblin will return next season, so it'll be a very inexperienced group. 27-year-old Navy vet and Juco signee Ursua seems the most likely of the three commits to see the field next season, and the most likely to be a college-ready blocker. I wouldn't count on Goff or McLeod to be ready to play next season, but one of them may have to. If there were room in the class for another TE, I would hope to see the staff evaluate someone like Army commit Rhett Read (Jewett Leon) or Texas Southern commit Jadon McConnell (La Porte). The former has played in both a wing-T system and as a slot in a spread offense and offers maybe the best combination of size, blocking and receiving ability that could still be attainable in-state, while the latter would bring college-ready size and a real mean streak as a blocker but likely wouldn't offer much as a receiver. I'm also a big fan of Atascadero, California prospect Elijah Cooks, a 6'5" 215-pound receiver who had over 900 receiving yards as a senior and projects to TE at the next level, but so far his only offers are somehow Wyoming and San Jose State.
Offensive Line
Commits - 4: Josh Dunlop (Dodge City CC), Dominic Pastucci (Pflugerville Hendrickson), Keeyon Smart (Kilgore JC), and Brian Thomas (Baton Rouge Scotlandville)
Needs - at least one, preferably an interior line prospect
I don't know how the staff projects its four current OL commits - two Jucos and two high school seniors - but Rivals lists all four as offensive tackle recruits. Judging by some of the names who were being courted heavily by the staff just before the start of the dead period, it seems obvious that they want at least one more OL in the class.
UTSA has forever been in need of legitimate tackles, and with Jevonte Domond, Cody Cole, and Gabe Casillas graduating, and Reed Darragh graduating after 2017, both short-term and long-term depth will still be an issue. Depth on the interior of the offensive line isn't as much of an issue for 2017 with experienced C/G players Juan Perez, Stefan Beard, Kyle McKinney and Austin Pratt all returning, but those four will be seniors and there's naught but unproven talent behind them, like 2015 signees Clayton Woods (who played in six games as a true freshman but none in 2016) and Alex Snow (who hasn't seen the field yet). I'm sure I could come up with more and better names if I searched long enough, but for an interior OL spot I'd evaluate someone like Plano's Gerard Wheeler, a two-year starter at LT for one of the state's largest high schools and a first team all-district O-lineman who moves well for a 6'3" 285-pound guy and seems certain to play guard at the next level.
UTSA has been pretty fortunate in this recruiting cycle for a few reasons, mainly due to either the unusually good fortunes or instability of the coaching situations at some schools they most often compete with for recruits. TCU has a pretty loaded class with much higher-rated players than they usually sign, even in their best years, so TCU seems a lot less likely to poach a Roadrunner commit late in the cycle like they have several times before. Baylor's coaching situation and the interim year with Jim Grobe meant that staff all but skipped recruiting this season, since it was all but certain none of their coaches would still be there in 2017. So Baylor has offered a lot of guys since the hiring of Matt Rhule, and with San Antonio Reagan's now former HC on that staff they'll surely have a good handle on which SA-area recruits are good enough to play for them. BU has already offered recent WR commit Tariq Woolen and may target some others before Signing Day. Houston beat UTSA head-to-head for a few recruits but with Tom Herman's impending departure being the worst-kept-secret in college football since LSU fired Les Miles and UT's season imploded, the Cougars probably didn't contend as strongly for some mutually sought-after recruits as they otherwise would have.
Here's where things stand now on the offensive side, I'll take a look at the defensive side in another post.
Quarterback
Commits - 2: Frank Harris (Schertz Clemens) and Bryce Rivers (SA Stevens)
Needs - Likely none.
Dalton Sturm will be a senior in 2017, Manny Harris and Jaylon Henderson will both be in their third season on campus, and Bryce Rivers will be an early enrollee. I think Frank Harris was slated to do the same but someone else will have to confirm if that's still his plan. Also in the mix is talented walk-on Clay Roberts, who'll be a redshirt freshman in 2017. I think they're done at that position unless somebody transfers or if the staff doesn't like the idea of M. Harris or Henderson being a Sturm injury away from having to play and targets another 5th-year graduate transfer.
Running Back
Commits - 2: Anthony Smith (Keller Fossil Ridge) and Dadrian Taylor (Shiner)
Needs - 1
UTSA is graduating a lot of bodies at the position, and while Anthony Smith seems to have the requisite size and skill-set to get some snaps as a freshman, Taylor will need time to bulk up and may not even be a RB. Aside from Jalen Rhodes - who will be a junior in 2017 but feels like he's been at UTSA since 2009 - the returning RBs now on the roster (Brett Winnegan, Tyrell Clay, and Halen Steward) have a combined 62 career carries. With the surprise de-commitment of Robert McKnight, they could definitely target another RB to take his spot, hopefully someone who'll give the position an infusion of play-making ability and/or every-down RB size.
Wide Receiver
Commits - 1: Tariq Woolen (Fort Worth Arlington Heights)
Needs - at least one more, plus contingencies to have in place if Woolen gets the hard sell from some P5 programs late.
JaBryce Taylor and his 21 catches will depart, but the team returns the entire receiving corps aside from him, including the much-heralded OU transfer and native son Dannon Cavil, who appeared in five games this season but didn't record a catch. The needs at that position aren't so much for 2017 but for 2018, as six WRs will be seniors next season. Really any WR signed in 2017 will be an obvious redshirt candidate, and while the position returns a ton of experience next year I say there's no excuse in not signing at least two impact WRs from the current class, which has the deepest pool of WRs the state has produced in years.
Tight End
Commits - 3: Michael Goff (SA Johnson), Chance McLeod (Victoria East), and Robert Ursua (Palomar CC)
Needs - none, but another well-rounded TE would be nice
Three tight ends is about as many as you'd ever expect or want to sign in a single class, but only Shaq Williams (who had 13 catches in 2016) and redshirt freshman Jack Giblin will return next season, so it'll be a very inexperienced group. 27-year-old Navy vet and Juco signee Ursua seems the most likely of the three commits to see the field next season, and the most likely to be a college-ready blocker. I wouldn't count on Goff or McLeod to be ready to play next season, but one of them may have to. If there were room in the class for another TE, I would hope to see the staff evaluate someone like Army commit Rhett Read (Jewett Leon) or Texas Southern commit Jadon McConnell (La Porte). The former has played in both a wing-T system and as a slot in a spread offense and offers maybe the best combination of size, blocking and receiving ability that could still be attainable in-state, while the latter would bring college-ready size and a real mean streak as a blocker but likely wouldn't offer much as a receiver. I'm also a big fan of Atascadero, California prospect Elijah Cooks, a 6'5" 215-pound receiver who had over 900 receiving yards as a senior and projects to TE at the next level, but so far his only offers are somehow Wyoming and San Jose State.
Offensive Line
Commits - 4: Josh Dunlop (Dodge City CC), Dominic Pastucci (Pflugerville Hendrickson), Keeyon Smart (Kilgore JC), and Brian Thomas (Baton Rouge Scotlandville)
Needs - at least one, preferably an interior line prospect
I don't know how the staff projects its four current OL commits - two Jucos and two high school seniors - but Rivals lists all four as offensive tackle recruits. Judging by some of the names who were being courted heavily by the staff just before the start of the dead period, it seems obvious that they want at least one more OL in the class.
UTSA has forever been in need of legitimate tackles, and with Jevonte Domond, Cody Cole, and Gabe Casillas graduating, and Reed Darragh graduating after 2017, both short-term and long-term depth will still be an issue. Depth on the interior of the offensive line isn't as much of an issue for 2017 with experienced C/G players Juan Perez, Stefan Beard, Kyle McKinney and Austin Pratt all returning, but those four will be seniors and there's naught but unproven talent behind them, like 2015 signees Clayton Woods (who played in six games as a true freshman but none in 2016) and Alex Snow (who hasn't seen the field yet). I'm sure I could come up with more and better names if I searched long enough, but for an interior OL spot I'd evaluate someone like Plano's Gerard Wheeler, a two-year starter at LT for one of the state's largest high schools and a first team all-district O-lineman who moves well for a 6'3" 285-pound guy and seems certain to play guard at the next level.
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