Longhorns' title more likely will pay dividends next year

AUSTIN, Texas -- A national championship pays huge dividends in recruiting, right?

Well, the Texas Longhorns will have to wait and see.

While recruits officially sign with colleges today, coach Mack Brown already had non-binding oral commitments from nearly every player he expects to sign long before Texas beat Southern California in the Rose Bowl.

The national title may help him land one last top-flight recruit, but recruiting experts say the real dividends are likely next year.

"If you know anything about how Texas recruits, you know they had 20 or so guys locked in months ago," said Jeremy Crabtree, recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.

One player still on the radar is defensive back Jonas Mouton, a defensive back from California who is considering Texas, Michigan and USC.

"We'll see how they do when they get to show off that national championship ring," Crabtree said. "You do get a bounce from it."

Brown said last week he's already seen a bit more excitement when he meets and greets on the recruiting trail.

"There's a few more requests for autographs and handshakes," Brown said.

But the national championship on the field doesn't guarantee the No. 1 recruiting class next year.

Florida hasn't won a national championship since 1996 but will sign a stellar class today because of what Crabtree calls a "perfect storm": an exciting young coach in Urban Meyer, a rich talent base in the Sunshine State and first-class facilities at a well-respected academic program.

"Everything he did was right this year," Crabtree said of Meyer.

One of Brown's biggest priorities this year was to sign a quarterback, considering Vince Young is leaving for the NFL.

Brown succeeded in getting a top-flight player on campus before he even had the signature. Jevan Snead, one of the highest-ranked players in this recruiting class, has already enrolled at Texas and will compete with redshirt freshman Colt McCoy in spring practice.

By getting one class done early, Brown can concentrate on the next one and keep the cycle going. Other schools, like USC, like to keep some slots open, figuring to get a chance at that one big-time recruit who waits until the last minute.

Rivals.com ranks Texas' pending class No. 3 with Southern Cal No. 2 and Florida No. 1.