Austin, Texas ? For one day at least, that old “Coach February” crack can really be a compliment.

Texas coach Mack Brown signed 25 high school players to national letters of intent Wednesday, another bumper crop of recruits that experts rank – again – among the best in the country.

As usual, Brown did it by grabbing most of his new talent from the fertile playing fields of Texas. Of the new class of recruits, only tight end Blaine Irby of Camarillo, Calif., is not from Texas.

“We can win all the games with players from Texas. We’ve proven that,” Brown said.

“It’s the single most dominating performance in Texas I’ve seen,” said Bobby Burton, editor-in-chief of Rivals.com. “They mopped up.”

Rivals and other recruiting analysts ranked the Texas group as fifth-best in the country or higher. Once labeled “Coach February” as a coach who did a better job signing talent than coaching it until he won the 2005 national championship, Brown says he treats recruiting as another season that must be won.

“We need to win 10 games every year. We can’t afford to have less than a really, really good class every year,” Brown said. “The true evaluation of this group will be how they do over four to five years and how they compete against other college programs.”

The players signed Wednesday include four defensive backs, where the Longhorns may need immediate help next season, five wide receivers and four offensive linemen, including Parade and USA Today All-American Tray Allen, a 6-foot-5, 310-pounder from South Grand Prairie.

A fifth offensive linemen, Matt Nader of Austin Westlake, signed a scholarship but will not play. Nader nearly died after collapsing during a game last season and doctors discovered a heart problem that will prevent him from playing again. He will act as a student coach, Brown said.