Hard to recruit to North Texas? HS Coaches thoughts

BillySee58 · December 2, 2015

a coach at Arlington Bowie

Head coach at FW Poly

coach at life high school in Waxahachie

This is far from the first time our last staff has been talked about as not spending enough time at these high schools. Big reason why we had such a hard time getting kids who had options. The bar is set low for our next class in recruiting. They have to turn our reputation around to a lot of these high school coaches. Good news is won't take long if they can make good first impressions out there. Going to be a fun and busy next couple of months.

Harry · December 2, 2015

Good stuff Billy. Recruiting is going to be fun again. Can't wait!

UNTpolitico · December 2, 2015

Although i'm always skeptical we may have all the pieces in place. A great stadium and facilities, a great academic institution with a convenient location in an expanding community and hopefully a solid coaching staff that can recruit. I'm excited to see what we can do not only this year but next year especially.

TheWestie · December 2, 2015

Somebody please ask Fake John Walsh about this on twitter.

Edited December 2, 2015 by TheWestie

GMG24 · December 2, 2015

a coach at Arlington Bowie
Head coach at FW Poly
coach at life high school in Waxahachie

This is far from the first time our last staff has been talked about as not spending enough time at these high schools. Big reason why we had such a hard time getting kids who had options. The bar is set low for our next class in recruiting. They have to turn our reputation around to a lot of these high school coaches. Good news is won't take long if they can make good first impressions out there. Going to be a fun and busy next couple of months.

Billy I saw this and forgot to make a thread. Pretty embarrassing. Let's see how the next staff does, it's all about recruiting these days.

MeanGreenTexan · December 2, 2015

While I don't doubt there is/was an issue with reaching out to ALL high schools in the metroplex, I also think part of the problem with all of those guys we landed over the past several years with only 2-3 (at most) FBS offers was partially due to these same coaches saying, "Oh you want to look at <player X>? He's got several P5 schools sniffing around, he's not going to UNT... Why don't you come check out <player Y>. He's a great kid, he doesnt have any FBS offers, but he has offers from SFA & Lamar, and Army is looking. You know he has to be a great kid if a Service Academy is interested!"

H-towngreen · December 2, 2015

While I don't doubt there is/was an issue with reaching out to ALL high schools in the metroplex, I also think part of the problem with all of those guys we landed over the past several years with only 2-3 (at most) FBS offers was partially due to these same coaches saying, "Oh you want to look at <player X>? He's got several P5 schools sniffing around, he's not going to UNT... Why don't you come check out <player Y>. He's a great kid, he doesnt have any FBS offers, but he has offers from SFA & Lamar, and Army is looking. You know he has to be a great kid if a Service Academy is interested!"

Maybe the head coach should have tried to change that way of thinking

Mean_Green09 · December 2, 2015

If you think about the fact that Littrell was able to outsell himself over the likes of Meacham and Scott Frost you have to feel good. He should be able to easily sell this program. His offense combined with our facilities should be money in the bank.

I think recruiting under Littrell is going to change big time. Its going to be interesting to watch who fills out his staff. I think he is going to bring in some good young hungry assistants.

We will finally have an offense that appeals to recruits.

BillySee58 · December 2, 2015

If you think about the fact that Littrell was able to outsell himself over the likes of Meacham and Scott Frost you have to feel good. He should be able to easily sell this program. His offense combined with our facilities should be money in the bank.
I think recruiting under Littrell is going to change big time. Its going to be interesting to watch who fills out his staff. I think he is going to bring in some good young hungry assistants.
We will finally have an offense that appeals to recruits.

Great point. His track record and youth speak well to how he projects to have success here as a recruiter, but that's even more affirmation than if he had been given the job with no competition.

BillySee58 · December 2, 2015

While I don't doubt there is/was an issue with reaching out to ALL high schools in the metroplex, I also think part of the problem with all of those guys we landed over the past several years with only 2-3 (at most) FBS offers was partially due to these same coaches saying, "Oh you want to look at <player X>? He's got several P5 schools sniffing around, he's not going to UNT... Why don't you come check out <player Y>. He's a great kid, he doesnt have any FBS offers, but he has offers from SFA & Lamar, and Army is looking. You know he has to be a great kid if a Service Academy is interested!"

I'm not doubting that those instances didn't happen or don't inherently happen when you're perceived as basically the worst local FBS program. But the thing is, most of these coaches have said how we didn't show up at all, for anyone.

Another thing the last staff was bad at was using the resources everyone has, like Twitter and the recruiting sites. So many times our staff wouldn't offer a kid until he had 15+ offers and plenty of P5s. We should see a lot of these kids early in their careers in spring practices and such before they blow up.

It is tough when coaches think just any borderline D1 kid would be a good fit and might feel miffed if you don't show interest. As long as you're being mostly honest and straightforward and not saying bad lies, doing your research on the kids before you show up to the school (think @GMG24 said we asked about the Coppell kid after he tragically passed), and actually keep showing up these schools aren't going to blacklist you because you don't offer a kid other FBS programs aren't.

NorthTexan95 · December 2, 2015

But we can't expect our coaches to go all the way south of the Metroplex to recruit! I mean, Waxahacie is soooo far away.

I've said in the past that this is a great job for someone who wants to work ... and that specifically means recruiting. I really don't know how coaches manage to hit all these high schools around the Metroplex ... and east Texas ... and Central Texas ... but it seems other schools do.

It sounds like the camps McCarney ran around the state helped but it wasn't nearly enough.

Edited December 2, 2015 by NorthTexan95

DeepGreen · December 4, 2015

Dickey was a recruiter. Stealth, but considering our facilities at the time, he did a good job. McCarney on the other hand. Like someone said on another thread, name programs are simply "spoon fed" recruits.

buff64 · December 4, 2015

Not being able to recruit to Denton (UNT) is bull crap. If you can recruit to Waco, Lubbock, Stillwater, or to Iowa State you can dang sure recruit to UNT.

GOMG2013 · December 5, 2015

It sounds like the camps McCarney ran around the state helped but it wasn't nearly enough.

I have attended the camp in katy the last 3 years. Lot's of kids from west houston attend that camp. I have seen several kids that were at those camps on the field at other D1 schools. Most of those kids I saw went out of state. I'm sure if UNT, a school in state would have offered, they would have considered.

Talent evaluation was a huge issue along with bad recruiting. I know college coaches don't like to use recruiting services, but all 3 stars in texas that have no in state offers, should get a look. Chuck Keaton had no offers in state and led Utah state to a winning season as a true freshman at QB.

Any kid from Texas on a G5 two deep school that is out of state should be considered a miss in recruiting for UNT.

Harry · December 5, 2015

I have attended the camp in katy the last 3 years. Lot's of kids from west houston attend that camp. I have seen several kids that were at those camps on the field at other D1 schools. Most of those kids I saw went out of state. I'm sure if UNT, a school in state would have offered, they would have considered.
Talent evaluation was a huge issue along with bad recruiting. I know college coaches don't like to use recruiting services, but all 3 stars in texas that have no in state offers, should get a look. Chuck Keaton had no offers in state and led Utah state to a winning season as a true freshman at QB.
Any kid from Texas on a G5 two deep school that is out of state should be considered a miss in recruiting for UNT.

so well said

GMG24 · December 5, 2015

I have attended the camp in katy the last 3 years. Lot's of kids from west houston attend that camp. I have seen several kids that were at those camps on the field at other D1 schools. Most of those kids I saw went out of state. I'm sure if UNT, a school in state would have offered, they would have considered.
Talent evaluation was a huge issue along with bad recruiting. I know college coaches don't like to use recruiting services, but all 3 stars in texas that have no in state offers, should get a look. Chuck Keaton had no offers in state and led Utah state to a winning season as a true freshman at QB.
Any kid from Texas on a G5 two deep school that is out of state should be considered a miss in recruiting for UNT.

you mean like Jett Duffey QB at Mansfield Lakeridge that our staff could have been on since his sophomore year but refused? I like it. I agree 100% on the 3 stars without a doubt. I hope the new coach comes in and puts the full court press on local 3 stars such as Denton Ryan DT, Ken McClaurin.

GrandGreen · December 5, 2015

I think Mac and staff probably relied too much on his camps to recruit and may not have spent the needed time to build relationships with high school coaches. However, there is a lot of truth as indicated above; that some HS coaches believe that NT should snap up their borderline college players while busy trying to get their real college level talent somewhere with a bigger name.

Having said that I wonder why NT hasn't been a lot more successful establishing better relations with area coaches. There is not a reason in the world that NT shouldn't be at the top of the list of G5 schools with area recruits. UH is on a roll now, but I can't think of any other G5's that should be in a better position to recruit Texas than NT.

UNTLifer · December 7, 2015

you mean like Jett Duffey QB at Mansfield Lakeridge that our staff could have been on since his sophomore year but refused? I like it. I agree 100% on the 3 stars without a doubt. I hope the new coach comes in and puts the full court press on local 3 stars such as Denton Ryan DT, Ken McClaurin.

Yes to Duffy. That young man is special.

GMG24 · December 7, 2015

Yes to Duffy. That young man is special.

we better get Littrell on the phone tomorrow am because he is scheduled to sign Wednesday and be enrolled in January at Tech

eulessismore · December 9, 2015

Well, if anyone was saying the problem was the high school coaches not wanting us as a destination for their student athletes, that's just wrong. I remember a quote from former Euless Trinity HC Steve Lineweaver, saying about one player (a late qualifier, but...), "I'd love to see him play just up the road". HS coaches want their kids to play in college, and some local ones see things about UNT where a kid could succeed who might not elsewhere.

97and03 · December 9, 2015

Well, if anyone was saying the problem was the high school coaches not wanting us as a destination for their student athletes, that's just wrong. I remember a quote from former Euless Trinity HC Steve Lineweaver, saying about one player (a late qualifier, but...), "I'd love to see him play just up the road". HS coaches want their kids to play in college, and some local ones see things about UNT where a kid could succeed who might not elsewhere.

I think that kind of proves the point in a way. Would be say the same about a 5 star guy with 25 options? No. Yes they want their kids to play in college. The point made is that they view UNT as a place to push for the marginal talents to get offers while ignoring NT for their top guys.

southsideguy · December 9, 2015

hard to recruit anywhere when no effort was made in recruiting.

untjim1995 · December 9, 2015

Well, if anyone was saying the problem was the high school coaches not wanting us as a destination for their student athletes, that's just wrong. I remember a quote from former Euless Trinity HC Steve Lineweaver, saying about one player (a late qualifier, but...), "I'd love to see him play just up the road". HS coaches want their kids to play in college, and some local ones see things about UNT where a kid could succeed who might not elsewhere.

Of course the coaches want that--it means their kids are probably getting some or all of their college paid for and it helps with their own resume. The biggest problem that UNT has with recruiting is that Texas HS players and coaches only look at us as a fallback school. They look at the old SWC schools as the top-tier places to get kids to go, for athletics or academics. Then you get the public G5s--Texas State, UTSA, UTEP, and UNT. Right now, the programs at the other three are bad, too, which helps, but they all have very good talking points to make in attacking us while recruiting the same kids. UTEP has scoreboard on us for the last two season, gets solid OOC teams on the schedule to play in El Paso, and show off their school at the Haskins Center in El Paso during recruiting in the new year in front of large crowds. UTSA doesn't have scoreboard this year--and that is huge for us--but they do get very good programs to San Antonio for games at the Alamodome. San Antonio, for some people, has a cool vibe, too, because of the tourism angle (not me, but others view it this way). Texas State has the biggest hurdle to overcome in SBC membership and a poor set of teams to play regularly. We shouldn't lose any battles to them or UTSA, in my opinion. I'd go after their commitments or those that they offered and hammer them with Littrell's OU playing career, Tech coaching career under Leach, and his UNC play calling this past season. I'd also go after any Texas kid that has committed to a team in the SBC in Louisiana or Arkansas.

Edited December 9, 2015 by untjim1995