Not all of this is flattering, but you can tell the big HS programs from programs that usually don't have a lot of players we are interested in. Not all coaches responded to all the questions. There is a whole lot more in the article, but I kept running into the 10,000 character limit.
Recruiting in Texas is just different. Everyone in the state will make sure that’s known. (Texas isn’t recognized for its modesty, after all.)
Texas’ 12 FBS programs are the most of any state. Nearly every Division I college football program recruits Texas in some form, but each region is different. What works in Houston might not work in West Texas. There are tens of thousands of players across more than 1,400 high schools, so college programs must be strategic. Every year, Texas is at or near the top of the list in producing college and NFL players.
The state is also unique for its power structure. The Texas High School Football Coaches Association is an influential and important group in Texas recruiting that has taken measures to make sure high school coaches remain the point of contact in players’ recruitments.
The state has also seen all kinds of change in recent years. More top high school players are leaving. Many of its Power 5 programs are in a downswing, and the University of Texas has yet another new head coach. Texas A&M’s move to the SEC forever changed the state’s recruiting landscape.
So what is recruiting in Texas really like? The Athletic spoke with a diverse group of 20 high school coaches spanning multiple regions of the state: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, East Texas, Central Texas, South Texas and West Texas.
Coach 2: (One of) the first things Jimbo ever did was meet with a 7-on-7 coach (in December 2017), so that kinda bothered a few people. But when he came by our school, he was nice, he was cool. He didn’t have that arrogance to him that he was too good for us. He was fine.
Coach 3: Top-notch. They’re going to know everything about the kids. … Great line of communication. … I feel very comfortable with the A&M staff. I can pick up the phone right now and they’re going to get back with me ASAP. They have walked out of (staff) meetings to talk to me.
Coach 9: I know he had the hiccup the first month on the job, but he figured out the lay of the land and the importance of Texas high school coaches. Jimbo and his staff are doing an excellent job. They’re doing things differently, they’re doing new things like changing the photo shoots for recruits and being open to all that.
Coach 10: They’re still trying to recruit more nationally. To be honest, they’ve been hard to get a hold of. They haven’t been as solid on the communication aspect as you’d like.
Coach 12: (Offensive coordinator and former longtime North Texas head coach) Darrell Dickey is a guy I’ve stayed in touch with for a long time. They do their homework. They dive deep into a kid and what he’s about as a football player. They do a great job of finding out if a kid really loves football, or if he’s about everything else. “Is this kid gonna last for us? Is he ate up with the game of football?”
Coach 14: He’s done a great job recruiting the state, bringing guys like Darrell Dickey, who have a lot of respect. He’s done a good job but they always feel like they’re in the shadow. Even though they’re in the SEC, it always seems like they’re kind of hidden. I think their attention is more on Houston than North Texas.
Coach 17: I have mixed feelings, because in the initial go, they were tied to Fast Houston 7-on-7 and all of that, but I think they have improved the relationship each year with the high school coaches by reaching out to them and talking to them. (Defensive coordinator Mike) Elko has our area, so he’s made sure to be in contact, even through COVID.
Coach 19: Phenomenal. They’ve been doing a great job of getting guys and creating a big buzz of trying to build a national power.
Coach 20: They’ve done a really good job of recruiting Texas and trying to really hone in on Houston, which is their closest big city. They’re attacking the DFW area too, East Texas. There’s enough talent in this great state to win it all if we can keep them home, whether it’s A&M or Texas or whoever.
Coach 3: How responsive they are. With A&M, it doesn’t feel like I’m being used. It doesn’t feel like, “Well, I’m only talking to them through the recruiting process and when we get our kid, we’re done talking to them.” There’s nothing like that. It’s a relationship.
Coach 4: Texas has always been open with us and East Texas. It all started when Charlie Strong hired (former Gilmer High coach) Jeff Traylor. That opened up the door. As far as Texas, recruiting East Texas, unless you were a big-time recruit, they really didn’t come down this way to try to find out what we really had. Now they have Chris Gilbert who can get into every high school in the state of Texas, that has changed. I’ve always been connected to Texas coaches, had a real good connection with the A&M coaches when (Kevin) Sumlin was there. It really just depends on the people that are there and how personable they are.
Coach 6: When assistants roll over a bunch, you develop some inconsistency in relationships. I think Texas A&M has probably done a little bit better job of keeping the staff together. That’s helped them.
Coach 16: (Texas A&M defensive ends coach) Terry (Price) is aces. I can’t speak for everybody, but a phone call from Terry Price may be more about barbecue or an onside kick than recruiting. He’s the guy that keeps that going in the right direction. As far as a full-blown staff effort to recruit elite talent, it’s not close, Texas is way ahead of them.
Coach 2: It matters a lot because the SEC is putting people in the NFL. Those kids are looking on draft day and seeing what conferences are putting kids in the league.
Coach 5: Completely. Most of the time, our kids tend to choose the bigger splash offer instead of what could be a better fit for them. Anybody that’s a good player coming up that says, “If I get this Group of 5 offer, I’m gonna be so fired up,” I can’t remember a kid saying that. But Group of 5 sends people to the NFL every year. Same with FCS. We want to make sure we’re not in the dream-crushing business, but I don’t want to pass up opportunities because if you get an offer for an FBS or FCS school and you blow them off, there’s no guarantee a bigger school is going to offer.
Coach 7: It’s huge, and I think that’s why A&M has swung the pendulum, because of the perceived power of the SEC. Who wouldn’t want to play in the SEC?
Coach 8: Minimal. I don’t think that conversation ever came up with our players who are committed.
Coach 10: With them expanding the College Football Playoff, this is going to be the class that benefits from that. The Group of 5 schools will now have a chance to get some of these kids because they’ll have a chance to win their conference and play in the Playoff when it gets expanded.
Recruiting in Texas is just different. Everyone in the state will make sure that’s known. (Texas isn’t recognized for its modesty, after all.)
Texas’ 12 FBS programs are the most of any state. Nearly every Division I college football program recruits Texas in some form, but each region is different. What works in Houston might not work in West Texas. There are tens of thousands of players across more than 1,400 high schools, so college programs must be strategic. Every year, Texas is at or near the top of the list in producing college and NFL players.
The state is also unique for its power structure. The Texas High School Football Coaches Association is an influential and important group in Texas recruiting that has taken measures to make sure high school coaches remain the point of contact in players’ recruitments.
The state has also seen all kinds of change in recent years. More top high school players are leaving. Many of its Power 5 programs are in a downswing, and the University of Texas has yet another new head coach. Texas A&M’s move to the SEC forever changed the state’s recruiting landscape.
So what is recruiting in Texas really like? The Athletic spoke with a diverse group of 20 high school coaches spanning multiple regions of the state: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, East Texas, Central Texas, South Texas and West Texas.
What have been your impressions of how Jimbo Fisher and his staff recruit the state of Texas since arriving at Texas A&M?
Coach 1: The thing I like about him and I see them having success with is, if you’re not about ball, you’re not going to last. When he came in there, he changed the culture a lot. It’s more of a blue collar-type culture. … They have gotten a lot of five-star kids in Texas, but I don’t think they go after every five-star kid. I think they’re very particular.Coach 2: (One of) the first things Jimbo ever did was meet with a 7-on-7 coach (in December 2017), so that kinda bothered a few people. But when he came by our school, he was nice, he was cool. He didn’t have that arrogance to him that he was too good for us. He was fine.
Coach 3: Top-notch. They’re going to know everything about the kids. … Great line of communication. … I feel very comfortable with the A&M staff. I can pick up the phone right now and they’re going to get back with me ASAP. They have walked out of (staff) meetings to talk to me.
Coach 9: I know he had the hiccup the first month on the job, but he figured out the lay of the land and the importance of Texas high school coaches. Jimbo and his staff are doing an excellent job. They’re doing things differently, they’re doing new things like changing the photo shoots for recruits and being open to all that.
Coach 10: They’re still trying to recruit more nationally. To be honest, they’ve been hard to get a hold of. They haven’t been as solid on the communication aspect as you’d like.
Coach 12: (Offensive coordinator and former longtime North Texas head coach) Darrell Dickey is a guy I’ve stayed in touch with for a long time. They do their homework. They dive deep into a kid and what he’s about as a football player. They do a great job of finding out if a kid really loves football, or if he’s about everything else. “Is this kid gonna last for us? Is he ate up with the game of football?”
Coach 14: He’s done a great job recruiting the state, bringing guys like Darrell Dickey, who have a lot of respect. He’s done a good job but they always feel like they’re in the shadow. Even though they’re in the SEC, it always seems like they’re kind of hidden. I think their attention is more on Houston than North Texas.
Coach 17: I have mixed feelings, because in the initial go, they were tied to Fast Houston 7-on-7 and all of that, but I think they have improved the relationship each year with the high school coaches by reaching out to them and talking to them. (Defensive coordinator Mike) Elko has our area, so he’s made sure to be in contact, even through COVID.
Coach 19: Phenomenal. They’ve been doing a great job of getting guys and creating a big buzz of trying to build a national power.
Coach 20: They’ve done a really good job of recruiting Texas and trying to really hone in on Houston, which is their closest big city. They’re attacking the DFW area too, East Texas. There’s enough talent in this great state to win it all if we can keep them home, whether it’s A&M or Texas or whoever.
What is the biggest difference between Texas and Texas A&M in how they recruit your players?
Coach 2: With the new staff at Texas, I don’t know that there’s a huge difference (between A&M and Texas). With the last staff, there was an arrogance. When Tom Herman came in the office, I gave him a prospect sheet and he sat down and he’s got his legs crossed like he’s running stuff. Then he leaves and the same prospect sheet is still sitting there. He just left it there, didn’t even take it with him. Stuff like that pissed me off.Coach 3: How responsive they are. With A&M, it doesn’t feel like I’m being used. It doesn’t feel like, “Well, I’m only talking to them through the recruiting process and when we get our kid, we’re done talking to them.” There’s nothing like that. It’s a relationship.
Coach 4: Texas has always been open with us and East Texas. It all started when Charlie Strong hired (former Gilmer High coach) Jeff Traylor. That opened up the door. As far as Texas, recruiting East Texas, unless you were a big-time recruit, they really didn’t come down this way to try to find out what we really had. Now they have Chris Gilbert who can get into every high school in the state of Texas, that has changed. I’ve always been connected to Texas coaches, had a real good connection with the A&M coaches when (Kevin) Sumlin was there. It really just depends on the people that are there and how personable they are.
Coach 6: When assistants roll over a bunch, you develop some inconsistency in relationships. I think Texas A&M has probably done a little bit better job of keeping the staff together. That’s helped them.
Coach 16: (Texas A&M defensive ends coach) Terry (Price) is aces. I can’t speak for everybody, but a phone call from Terry Price may be more about barbecue or an onside kick than recruiting. He’s the guy that keeps that going in the right direction. As far as a full-blown staff effort to recruit elite talent, it’s not close, Texas is way ahead of them.
How much does conference affiliation matter in a recruitment?
Coach 1: When you talk about the SEC, I think it’s big. When you talk about your four-star and five-star kids, and I have a choice to go between the SEC and the Big Ten, they’re going to choose the SEC. Same with the Big 12 vs. the SEC. I think the Big 12 has been hurt the last couple of years on the number of kids who have been drafted.Coach 2: It matters a lot because the SEC is putting people in the NFL. Those kids are looking on draft day and seeing what conferences are putting kids in the league.
Coach 5: Completely. Most of the time, our kids tend to choose the bigger splash offer instead of what could be a better fit for them. Anybody that’s a good player coming up that says, “If I get this Group of 5 offer, I’m gonna be so fired up,” I can’t remember a kid saying that. But Group of 5 sends people to the NFL every year. Same with FCS. We want to make sure we’re not in the dream-crushing business, but I don’t want to pass up opportunities because if you get an offer for an FBS or FCS school and you blow them off, there’s no guarantee a bigger school is going to offer.
Coach 7: It’s huge, and I think that’s why A&M has swung the pendulum, because of the perceived power of the SEC. Who wouldn’t want to play in the SEC?
Coach 8: Minimal. I don’t think that conversation ever came up with our players who are committed.
Coach 10: With them expanding the College Football Playoff, this is going to be the class that benefits from that. The Group of 5 schools will now have a chance to get some of these kids because they’ll have a chance to win their conference and play in the Playoff when it gets expanded.
