AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas' recruiting class of 2013 is officially in the books. On to the next one.
Yes, the recruiting machine never ends. The Longhorns staff has already moved on and is ready to host its first junior day on Sunday.
But before the flurry of 2014 names, visits, offers and commitments consumes all our time and attention, let's pause for a moment and look back at how Texas' 15-man class came together.
How exactly did we get here? Let's review the highs, the lows and all the surprises of this 2013 class over the past year.
February 2012
It all started on Feb. 3, 2012, with Jake Raulerson. The Celina, Texas, lineman becomes the Longhorns' bell cow commit two days after the 2012 class signed. Ten more commits join the fold after Texas' two junior days, highlighted by QB Tyrone Swoopes and WR Ricky Seals-Jones. A dream class is coming together quickly.
March
Two more recruits join the class to put Texas at 13: C Darius James and TE Durham Smythe. The commitment run quiets down from there, as offered junior day visitors continue to weight their options. The Longhorns still have no defensive back commits, and UT looks into several out-of-state options including S Vonn Bell and CB Cole Luke.
April
Texas' 2012 signees, 2013 commits, top targets and hundreds of 2014 prospects descend on Austin for the April 1 Orange-White spring game. Among the big-time uncommitted visitors are Bell, Luke, ATH Dontre Wilson and CBs Maurice Smith and Antwuan Davis. A day after the game, Smith and Davis finally get offered. Both had said Texas was their dream school, yet both decide to take more time before reaching decisions.
May
Davis pulls the trigger and becomes commit No. 14. During the weekend of the state track meet, Texas brings in speedy WR Robbie Rhodes on an unofficial visit and offers. The visit doesn't sway him from his plan all along: Rhodes commits to Baylor a few weeks later. Wilson makes his much-anticipated decision at halftime of his spring game and picks Oregon over Texas.
June
Remember how Texas is Smith's dream school? He commits to Alabama. That doesn't even make the short list of surprises in June. Texas picks up a commitment from little-known S Erik Huhn after its first summer camp, but the class suffers a stunning loss two days later. Out of nowhere, Seals-Jones decides to decommit, citing a new interest in playing football and basketball in college.
For camp No. 2, Texas sneaks unknown junior college TE Geoff Swaim onto campus for an official visit. Swaim commits at the end of his visit. On the same night his commitment leaks, new Texas OG target Caleb Benenoch decommits from Michigan State. DE Daeshon Hall wraps up a crazy month by backing out of his Texas commitment during his summer vacation in Seattle. He pledges to Washington a day later.
July
Texas commits hit the big-time camps, and nobody faces more scrutiny than Swoopes. The dual-threat QB struggles in 7-on-7 play at The Opening and shows he's still a work in progress at the Elite 11 finals. After his performance at The Opening, Swoopes drops from 22nd to 100th in the ESPN 150 and is reclassified as an ATH prospect. Raulerson and DT A'Shawn Robinson both move up in the rankings. DE Torrodney Prevot, who had Texas in his top three early on, commits to USC.
August
Mack Brown and his staff drop a bomb on the state by sending out a flurry of 20-plus offers to 2014 prospects on Aug. 3. The change-up in philosophy on early offers yields promising results: Four juniors commit right away, and coveted QB Jerrod Heard joins by the end of the month. The big news for 2013 commits isn't good news: Huhn tears his ACL in his season opener, and James suffers a broken foot that holds him out until the state playoffs.
September
Two stunning decisions mark this month. First, Texas coaches decide they're officially done recruiting Seals-Jones, despite his father's public insistence that the Longhorns are still in the lead. Then, word gets out nine days later that A'Shawn Robinson's pledge might not be so solid: He takes an official visit to Florida State. After backing off RSJ, Texas takes a look at WRs Laquon Treadwell and Torii Hunter Jr. but decides not to offer either. ESPN 150 S Marcell Harris takes an official visit for the season opener.
October
ATH Chevoski Collins is Texas' first new commit in nearly four months. Texas hosts Luke on an official visit for its biggest home game of the season vs. West Virginia, but he ends up picking Notre Dame on Nov. 1. LB Deoundrei Davis continues the class' injury curse when a torn ACL ends his season. One of the few who isn't hurt, WR Jake Oliver, breaks Jordan Shipley's state high school record for career receptions. Texas continues looking into juco options and offers OT Desmond Harrison.
November
After telling Texas commits he was solid and vowing to Geno Smith, "I'll see you next year," Robinson visits again for the TCU game. Another key trip: Benenoch calls Texas his No. 1 school but then takes his UCLA official visit and is blown away. The injury bug strikes again, and this time it's RB pledge Kyle Hicks who suffers a torn ACL. As expected, Harris chooses Florida over Texas, Florida State and Oklahoma.
December
Hicks kicks off the month with a surprise by flipping from Texas to nearby TCU. Texas starts looking into junior college QBs and brings in three other juco prospects for banquet weekend along with OG/DT Andrew Billings. Smythe cancels his official visit that weekend and becomes decommit No. 4 soon after. The recruit who kicked that trend off makes his final decision: Seals-Jones picks Texas A&M over LSU. OC Bryan Harsin leaves, but no recruits back out of their pledges. Major Applewhite becomes playcaller and offers juco QB Nick Marshall.
January 2013
Texas beefs up its OL class with Harrison and former Baylor OG commit Rami Hammad but misses out on three juco targets: Marshall picks Auburn, LB De'Vondre Campbell goes with Kansas State (and later signs with Minnesota) and DE Za'Darius Smith signs with Kentucky. When Oregon's Chip Kelly leaves for the NFL, Applewhite successfully gets Texas back into the picture for Dontre Wilson. A'Shawn Robinson takes his official visit and says Texas is still No. 1 on his way home. New RB coach Larry Porter makes a splash by going after backs Mark Dodson, Peyton Barber and Alex Collins. None visit campus, but Porter has one more trick up his sleeve.
February
The Longhorns endure as wild a weekend as you'll find in recruiting. Wilson is down to Oregon and Ohio State but takes a last-second visit to Texas. He's expected to be the only visitor. Then LSU DE commit Frank Herron drives 10 hours from Memphis for a surprise visit, thanks in large part to his ties to Porter, and Texas also flies in WR/S Montrel Meander, a Washington State commit who'd said he wouldn't visit.
That same Saturday morning, Robinson informs Texas assistant Bo Davis he has decommitted. A day later, Robinson says he's no longer considering Texas or USC. Nick Saban has won him over, and he signs with Alabama. Herron reaffirms his LSU pledge and Meander flips to Texas after their visits. After pushing his decision back for months, Billings makes up his mind: He's going to TCU. Then he changes his mind and commits to Baylor.
Unlike last year, there are no signing day surprises. Texas inked a class of 15 that ranks No. 15 nationally and first in the Big 12. It's a small group, to be sure, but one that certainly wasn't lacking for drama.