I haven't had any problem with the way Choice evaluated and recruited at TB. Anyone bitching about him as a recruiter in aggregate is clueless. At TB? Okay, here are my thoughts:
1) Sarkisian apparently wants to take two RBs every cycle. While many RBs are warming up to the idea of sharing carries, the bluest of the blue still often bristle at that. 2 of the top 4 RBs in 2025 did not want another RB in their class (Dear/Kromah).
2) At one point or another, Gibson and Baxter were each the #1 RB in their class. Baxter showed flashes of being a star. If he can recover and stay healthy, he's got all conference potential. I realize that @Red Five would like to see Texas cut Gibson immediately, but I think the guy fits the mold of what they want running between the tackles if he can hold onto the ball.
3) Simon was also a top 5-7 back in the last class.
4) There were discussions of cutting Wisner lose and taking the commitment of someone else in his class. Choice fought to keep him and now that looks like a solid evaluation.
So the guy signed 3 guys in the top 150 of each cycle, all top 5-7 or better at TB in that class. One showed a lot of promise in a reserve role as a freshman. Another guy that was completely off the national radar just had an amazing season when injuries struck. The two new signees and Christian Clark are hard to have an opinion on, but there's plenty of reason to think Symon could be a big contributor.
Last year, two of the better RBs in college football were an unknown Texan playing for Boise State and a transfer from Sacto State at ASU. There are many years in which the highest rated RB recruit isn't considered a transcendent player. If you sign highly ranked guys with some raw guys mixed in and then they're all developing well, what else do you want? There isn't a Bijan Robinson in every cycle.
I hope this new guy is awesome or he signs the next Bijan, or both. That considered, until proven otherwise, I'd much prefer for Choice to have stuck around.