HOUSTON -- When five-star defensive tackle Ed Oliver committed to Houston in May, many fans and observers were skeptical that it would stick. History was on the naysayers' side; no five-star prospect in the ESPN 300 era had signed with a school outside a Power 5 conference before.
That changed on Wednesday.
Oliver, who never truly wavered on his commitment, made the biggest upset of the 2016 recruiting cycle official, signing his letter of intent with the American Athletic Conference team in his hometown. He is the No. 4 overall player in the ESPN 300 and held offers from Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Texas and Texas A&M, among many others.
The #HTownTakeover continues with H-Town product @Edoliver_11! Welcome to @UHCougarFB! pic.twitter.com/gwJQevdamV
— #HTownTakeover (@UHCougarFB) February 3, 2016
The 6-foot-2, 277-pound Oliver also received a welcome from Houston rapper Slim Thug:
Yo @Edoliver_11 - @slimthugga wants to welcome you to the #HTownTakeover pic.twitter.com/CjfyO3OC9K
— #HTownTakeover (@UHCougarFB) February 3, 2016
Oliver, the No. 2-ranked defensive tackle in the nation, headlines a Houston class that looks to be the only Group of 5 recruiting class in the top 40 of the ESPN Class Rankings
and has a chance to finish in the top 25.
The class has three ESPN 300 prospects (Oliver, D'Eriq King and Courtney Lark); before this cycle, Houston signed only two ESPN 300 prospects in the ESPN recruiting era (which began in 2006).
