Texas 2017 Recruiting Class Drops to Seven Commits with Loss of OG Xavier Newman

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

The rollercoaster ride for Texas head coach Charlie Strong and the Longhorn faithful took another dip on Sunday when Class of 2016 offensive guard Xavier Newman decommitted.

On the gridiron, the Longhorns just pulled back to .500 with a convincing 27-6 win over a scrappy Iowa State team on Saturday. The following day the Longhorns high from a nice Big 12 victory was slightly diminished with the news Newman was no longer part of the class.

Newman, listed at 6-2.5, 272 pounds, is considered a three-star recruit but has a long list of colleges seeking his talents on their respective campuses next season. At least 22 scholarship offers have been reported with the list including Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Colorado, Texas Tech, SMU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Iowa State, and Kansas State. Newman committed to Texas on April 20 after taking an unofficial to Austin the weekend of April 16.

The DeSoto High School star is also an Under Armour All-American Game invitee.

Newman posted his decommitment statement on Twitter:

One of the more surprising reflections of the loss of Newman is the current state of Texas’ recruiting class. The Longhorns now only have seven commitments, granted five of the seven are considered four-star talents, but the class is ranked No. 58 in the nation per 247Sports, sixth best in the Big 12. National Signing Day is not until February, but the average performance on the field and on the recruiting trail may give some a cause to worry. Recruits maybe backing off Texas in fear of Strong being dismissed at the end of the season.

Texas Longhorns 2017 Verbal Commitment List (7)

CB Kobe Boyce, 6-0, 163, Lake Dallas HS, Lake Dallas, TX

CB Josh Thompson, 6-0, 182, Nacogdoches HS, Nacogdoches, TX

DE Lagaryonn Carson, 6-4, 260, Liberty-Eylau HS, Texarkana, TX

DE Taquon Graham, 6-3, 255, Temple HS, Temple, TX

QB Sam Ehlinger, 6-1.5, 215, Westlake HS, Austin, TX

WR Damion Miller, 6-1, 193, John Tyler HS, Tyler, TX

ATH Montrell Estell, 6-2, 180, Hooks HS, Hooks, TX

Decommitted

OG Xavier Newman, 6-2.5, 272, DeSoto HS, DeSoto, TX

Photo credit: 247sports.com; Xavier Newman