Buoyed by a 13-1 season and a move to the Big East, the Houston Cougars corralled a class of 24 recruits that includes a highly touted receiver from California and a linebacker who transferred from LSU.

The signing class, announced Wednesday, is the first under new coach Tony Levine, who stepped in when Kevin Sumlin left for Texas A&M in December. Levine, Sumlin's right-hand man for four seasons, had to reassure recruits over the past month that the program was on solid ground.

"Right now in college football, the average stay at one school for a coach is three years," Levine said. "For me to be able to go into a home and tell a young man, and look him in the eye and say, 'When you get here in four months, I'm going to be the head football coach, and when you get your degree here in five years, I'm still going to be the head football coach.' I think that goes a long way."

Most of the rest wasn't a tough sell.

Houston was fresh off the most successful season in school history, fueled by the nation's most prolific offense. The Cougars won their first 12 games and came within one victory of the school's first Bowl Championship Series berth.

Star quarterback Case Keenum and the other Cougars did the rest, helping Levine rescue one of the most highly regarded recruiting classes in Houston history.

"I'm not sure what our current players told them," Levine said, "but we were able to maintain most of, if not all, of that class."

The LSU transfer is Trevon Randle, a 6-foot-2, 222-pound Houston-area native who was ranked as one of the nation's top outside linebackers coming out of high school in 2011. He redshirted in his first year at LSU, and will sit out the 2012 season.

Randle was one of five linebackers in the Cougars' incoming class.

"Their bodies are going to change and they can run and they're extremely physical and instinctive," Levine said of the linebackers.

Levine said Houston will move to a 4-3 alignment after two years playing a 3-4 under departed coordinator Brian Stewart, and Houston landed four defensive linemen. The standout of that group on paper is 6-2, 285-pound Donald Hopkins, from Lago Vista, Texas. Hopkins played in the Under Armour All-America game and was ranked among the nation's top defensive tackles.

"What we want to get here are taller, longer guys that can run," new defensive coordinator Jamie Bryant said. "When you start looking at most of what we signed, a few guys may not fit that, but you're never going to pass up a really good player just because he's not the tallest guy, just because he's not the fastest guy."

Houston added only two defensive backs, but versatile William Jackson could also end up in the secondary. The 6-2, 175-pound Jackson played both receiver and defensive back for Houston's Wheatley High School, and Levine joked that he'll let new receivers coach Jamie Christian and secondary coach Zac Spavital argue over who will get to use him more.

"He is a special talent," Levine said. "He has a chance, depending on who wins the arm-wrestling contest between coach Spavital and coach Christian, to catch a lot of balls or intercept a lot of passes."

While Levine vowed a new commitment to defense within the program, the Cougars will still try to wear down teams with their high-speed offense. Houston signed quarterback Rex Dausin to eventually pick up where Keenum left off.

The 6-3, 195-pound Dawson threw for 3,310 yards and 34 touchdowns and completed 65 percent of his passes last season running a similar offense for Warren High School in San Antonio. He'll be down on the depth chart in the spring, but certainly has the pedigree to take over the starting role in the future. His father and uncles were offensive linemen at Texas A&M, and one of his uncles had a brief stint in the NFL.

"On paper, coming out of high school, he resembles Case Keenum quite a bit," Levine said.

Record-setting receivers Tyron Carrier, Patrick Edwards and Justin Johnson are departing with Keenum, and Houston replenished with four receivers in the recruiting class. Heading the incoming group is California star Deontay Greenberry, the first Scout.com "five-star" player to ever select Houston. The 6-3, 185-pound Greenberry set state single-season records in receiving yards (2,165) and touchdown catches (33) for Washington Union High School in Fresno last year.

Rounding out Houston's class are three offensive linemen and a trio of running backs.