College Football

Texas Football Recruiting: How Jordan Pouncey Saved Herman on NSD

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:27 a.m. ET

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Fansided, James Caldwell/FanSided via Hook'em Headlines

Going into 2017 National Signing Day, no one knew how much impact Jordan Pouncey would have on Texas Football.

Interestingly, Jordan Pouncey was the first Longhorns recruit of the day and the last recruit to be made official. The strange timing helped save National Signing Day for Tom Herman.

ESPN.com filed an all-access report on Tom Herman’s first NSD as Texas Football coach. According to the report, Jordan Pouncey was the first player to fax in his Letter of Intent (LOI) at 6:47 a.m. CST. But, his announcement came several hours later.

There was a tug and pull because Herman wanted to announce Pouncey right away. But, the WR out of Florida wanted to release a video at 12:15 p.m. CST time. Herman obliged and it turned to be a very smart decision.

Jordan Pouncey Delivers In the Clutch

Over the course of a few hours, prized recruits from the state of Texas snubbed the Longhorns for out-of-state schools.

First it was UCLA. Then Arkansas. Then LSU. The only player Texas had left on the board was Pouncey. And, the public did not know that Pouncey was already official.

If Tom Herman announced Pouncey right away, it would have made a big splash in the early morning. But, the last image of 2017 NSD would have been three straight misses on Texas high school recruits.

Instead, Texas got the misses out of the way, then closed the day with Jordan Pouncey officially announcing that he was going to Texas. Patience paid off for Herman.

Herman Expects Pouncey to Be Part of Rebuilding Success

ESPN.com also documented the conversation between Herman and Jordan Pouncey early Wednesday morning. After receiving Pouncey’s LOI, Herman noted they are linked by history.

“We’re excited to have you help us get back to the national championship level,” Herman told Pouncey over the phone. “You’re officially my first signing at Texas. We’re forever linked together. We’re going to do big things together. I can’t wait.”

Of course, Pouncey was first to the fax machine because he had a one-hour timezone advantage over Texas high school recruits. But, Herman still recognized the significance of the moment.

Now, will Pouncey immediately contend for playing time with returning WRs and another incoming recruit Damion Miller? Based on how important Pouncey was to Tom Herman on NSD, it looks like Pouncey will have the opportunity to impact Texas Football right away.

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