Charlie Strong says Texas won’t be a ‘gadget program’

Let the fun begin between Texas coach Charlie Strong and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin.

Strong was asked Wednesday at his National Signing Day press conference about recruiting against Sumlin and Texas A&M, and Strong offered a straightforward answer that stirred the hearts of every UT traditionalist.

Texas A&M has inherited some swagger over the last two years with Sumlin at the helm and Johnny Manziel playing quarterback. There's Sumlin tweeting "Yessir" every time a recruit verbally commits to A&M and the "Swagcopter" is the helicopter he's been using on recruiting trips. In November, Sumlin said the helicopter was undefeated when it came to commitments.

Heck, it even got a rewrap when Texas A&M broke out Zubaz-style shoes for the final game of the regular season in 2013. And with Manziel winning the Heisman Trophy and A&M's success in the SEC, the flashiest and most desirable program in the state suddenly wasn't in Austin.

As Mack Brown's replacement, Strong is obviously tasked with changing that perception, and he held his own in his first recruiting season in Austin. Texas snagged Rivals three-star DT Poona Ford on Wednesday to go along with 22 other commitments. The Longhorns' 2014 class boasts six four-star recruits and is No. 19 in the country. That's a far cry from Texas's No. 2 class in 2012, but it's better than its No. 24 class in 2013.

And we won't lie, a fun back-and-forth between Strong and Sumlin moving forward would be great for the rivalry. Without any future meetings between the two scheduled, the embers need to be stoked every now and then.

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Nick Bromberg

is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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