Charlie Strong Reels In The Shark

When conductor Charlie Strong and his Texas recruiting train rolled past 10:00 a.m., after what was already a tremendous recruiting day, they weren’t done landing elite prospects. The Longhorns’ 2016 recruiting class grew to 23 when Aldine Davis (Houston) linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch announced his commitment to Texas live on ESPNU.

McCulloch, rated as the No. 169 prospect overall in the Rivals250, picked Texas over finalists Alabama, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Texas A&M. He was a part of a massive official visit weekend January 15th, but Texas’ recruiting success leading up to his announcement didn’t affect his decision because it was already made.

“No. I believed in Coach Strong’s vision for the team,” said McCulloch when asked live on ESPNU if Texas’ recruiting success recently affected his decision. “I believe that he’s a championship winner… I believe in his mission at Texas and I believe we’ll get it done.”

The four-star linebacker said he came back home to make his announcement, instead of doing it at the Under Armour All-American Game, to share the moment with those that have supported him and been so important to him. And being true to Texas and his roots was important as well.

“I’ve always been a Texas fan. I love my state. I love where I’m from, and I wouldn’t turn my back on this place,” he said live on ESPNU. “I’m going to Texas for a reason and that’s to bring it back to where it should be.”

Although McCulloch is rated by Rivals.com as an inside linebacker, he’s a unique linebacker prospect because of his athleticism and versatility.

“We have McCulloch as an inside linebacker, unlike everybody else," Rivals.com analyst Jason Howell said. "He's very active in the middle and is a guy you can really count on every play to be where he's supposed to be. He gets really deep in his drops and is more fluid and comfortable in coverage than a lot of guys his size.”

McCulloch is rated as the No. 7 prospect in Texas, according to the Orangebloods.com LSR 100.