The class of 2020 saw 294 FBS signees from the state of Texas with 78 different D1 schools represented, and while the 2021 class is currently still in flux a bit due to COVID, so far of the 230+ confirmed FBS signees in the state 73 FBS schools are represented. To steal an @Ian Boyd analogy from earlier in the day, this makes Texas the biggest trough at the farm in addition to having the most mouths to feed.
Every school attacks recruiting Texas high school football differently, but you still wind up with somewhat clear groupings for each mouth at the trough. Schools like Kansas and Ole Miss carpet bomb the state with 120+ offers a cycle. Oklahoma State and Arkansas send out offers in high numbers but are able to consistently compete with in state schools Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech. Meanwhile, the schools we're breaking down in this article find their niche in striking in Texas when they have a clear position fit and typically wind up in the 20-50 offer range.
The ability to find value in Texas is a clear win for these programs on the trail, but for us these schools’ selective nature and evaluation track records give a strong indication of that player's talent level.
Below is a list of schools widely considered by Inside Texas to be "good early offer indicators" along with some of the 2022 prospects they offered early in the respective recruit’s timelines.
Boston College
Jeff Hafley had a very productive first year in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles went 6-5 with a near upset of #2 Clemson. On the recruiting trail BC finished in the Top 10 of the ACC for the first time since 2011. A member of that 2021 class was South Grand Prairie CB Jalon Williams who picked up offers from Northwestern (another school strong in evaluation in Texas), UT, Mississippi State, and Utah. Here are some 2022 players Hafley & crew have their eye on.
Mansfield Summit DL Joseph Adedire picked up his second offer from Boston College on February 2nd, shortly after this Baylor and Iowa State threw their hat in the ring.
Converse Judson ILB Treylin Payne only has a Power 5 offer from BC so far but I think that changes sooner rather than later after watching Payne drop into coverage making play after play on his junior HUDL. Those who followed my TXHSFB game threads likely will be reading this for a second or third time, but there is a ton of talent (as always) at Converse Judson and their 1st round playoff exit is going to allow for some major steals in recruiting.. I know Jeff Traylor at UTSA is licking his chops.
Utah
Those that follow recruiting especially on Inside Texas need no introduction to how savvy the Utes are in Texas. The 2020 class headlined by Ty Jordan (Rest in Peace, Ty), Graham Faloona, Ben Renfro, and Money Parks was a masterclass in finding value in Texas. While Utah is more offer heavy in Texas than Boston College and Iowa State, the Utes also have the network in place to strike first on prospects that other schools don't know exist...for example:
Mansfield Summit S Ahmaad Moses picked up his first D1 offer yesterday from Utah.. watch the first play of his HUDL and you'll immediately see why
Lamar Consolidated RB/WR Rayshawn Glover is another athlete that Utah was the first to offer. The Utes love undersized weapons that are able to carry and catch the ball and Glover clearly fits with what they're trying to do on offense. Glover getting offered in early February by Utah completely shifts the way we will view his recruitment compared to if a school like New Mexico was first to pull the trigger.
Arizona State
If you showed a casual fan Herm Edwards' 17-13 record in his 3 years at Arizona State they might be underwhelmed, but behind the scenes Edwards is recruiting like a mad man and setting the foundation for Sparky to become a true power player in the PAC-12. Herm promoting stud recruiter Antonio Pierce to Defensive Coordinator will help ensure the strides they've made in recruiting will be there to stay. Last cycle's coup for the Sun Devils in Texas was taking 4 star center prospect Ezra Dotson-Oyetade from emerging prospect factory Garland Lakeview Centennial as well as hyper-athletic South Oak Cliff linebacker Jaydon Williams.
Rowlett DE Michael Ibukun-Okeyode or as @Eric Nahlin reverently refers to him as "Charles Omeni2". The Sun Devils were the 2nd P5 school to offer MI-O and were only a couple weeks behind Oklahoma State who make it a priority to be the first to offer kids from Texas. MI-O clearly has the frame to add 40-50 productive pounds and has a good chance ending up in a Blue Blood's class come signing day.
Iowa State
Matt Campbell is very selective when it comes to recruiting the state of Texas; currently Iowa State has just 11 offers out in the state. However, his precise approach and proven ability to evaluate leads to a ton of insights each cycle. For example, two of the best recruits in East Texas this year picked up early offers from the Cyclones.
Newton RB DeAnthony Gatson is one of the rare cases of Iowa State being the first to offer a TXHSFB player. The Newton standout had his recruitment blow up after getting the call from Ames, proceeding to pick up offers from regional power players like TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma State in addition to a recent offer from Utah.
Tenaha ATH Jeremy Patton’s recruitment started with an early offer from Oklahoma State after his sophomore season. Iowa State then followed the Cowboy’s lead and gave Patton his 2nd P5 scholarship opportunity. The versatile athlete is about one or two offers away from getting bumped out of this tier after he picked up a recent offer from Michigan. Patton is aware his fit at the next level is LB, which only increases his value in college coaches eyes.
California
The Golden Bears are the newest addition to the list of programs to watch after last year's theft of national 150 prospect J. Michael Sturdivant and Justin Wilcox's overall competency building his program. The Sturdivant steal, 2020 IT board favorite Mason Mangum from Austin Westlake, and starting RG McKade Mettauer from The Woodlands are a few of the recent recruits that UC was able to grab from Texas.
South Oak Cliff CB Kyron Chambers received his first offer from California after his sophomore season and picked up offers from Arizona State & Oklahoma State soon after. Chambers has a good frame along with intangibles at the CB position that clearly profile to him being a Power 5 starter.
Every school attacks recruiting Texas high school football differently, but you still wind up with somewhat clear groupings for each mouth at the trough. Schools like Kansas and Ole Miss carpet bomb the state with 120+ offers a cycle. Oklahoma State and Arkansas send out offers in high numbers but are able to consistently compete with in state schools Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech. Meanwhile, the schools we're breaking down in this article find their niche in striking in Texas when they have a clear position fit and typically wind up in the 20-50 offer range.
The ability to find value in Texas is a clear win for these programs on the trail, but for us these schools’ selective nature and evaluation track records give a strong indication of that player's talent level.
Below is a list of schools widely considered by Inside Texas to be "good early offer indicators" along with some of the 2022 prospects they offered early in the respective recruit’s timelines.
Boston College
Jeff Hafley had a very productive first year in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles went 6-5 with a near upset of #2 Clemson. On the recruiting trail BC finished in the Top 10 of the ACC for the first time since 2011. A member of that 2021 class was South Grand Prairie CB Jalon Williams who picked up offers from Northwestern (another school strong in evaluation in Texas), UT, Mississippi State, and Utah. Here are some 2022 players Hafley & crew have their eye on.
Mansfield Summit DL Joseph Adedire picked up his second offer from Boston College on February 2nd, shortly after this Baylor and Iowa State threw their hat in the ring.
Converse Judson ILB Treylin Payne only has a Power 5 offer from BC so far but I think that changes sooner rather than later after watching Payne drop into coverage making play after play on his junior HUDL. Those who followed my TXHSFB game threads likely will be reading this for a second or third time, but there is a ton of talent (as always) at Converse Judson and their 1st round playoff exit is going to allow for some major steals in recruiting.. I know Jeff Traylor at UTSA is licking his chops.
Utah
Those that follow recruiting especially on Inside Texas need no introduction to how savvy the Utes are in Texas. The 2020 class headlined by Ty Jordan (Rest in Peace, Ty), Graham Faloona, Ben Renfro, and Money Parks was a masterclass in finding value in Texas. While Utah is more offer heavy in Texas than Boston College and Iowa State, the Utes also have the network in place to strike first on prospects that other schools don't know exist...for example:
Mansfield Summit S Ahmaad Moses picked up his first D1 offer yesterday from Utah.. watch the first play of his HUDL and you'll immediately see why
Lamar Consolidated RB/WR Rayshawn Glover is another athlete that Utah was the first to offer. The Utes love undersized weapons that are able to carry and catch the ball and Glover clearly fits with what they're trying to do on offense. Glover getting offered in early February by Utah completely shifts the way we will view his recruitment compared to if a school like New Mexico was first to pull the trigger.
Arizona State
If you showed a casual fan Herm Edwards' 17-13 record in his 3 years at Arizona State they might be underwhelmed, but behind the scenes Edwards is recruiting like a mad man and setting the foundation for Sparky to become a true power player in the PAC-12. Herm promoting stud recruiter Antonio Pierce to Defensive Coordinator will help ensure the strides they've made in recruiting will be there to stay. Last cycle's coup for the Sun Devils in Texas was taking 4 star center prospect Ezra Dotson-Oyetade from emerging prospect factory Garland Lakeview Centennial as well as hyper-athletic South Oak Cliff linebacker Jaydon Williams.
Rowlett DE Michael Ibukun-Okeyode or as @Eric Nahlin reverently refers to him as "Charles Omeni2". The Sun Devils were the 2nd P5 school to offer MI-O and were only a couple weeks behind Oklahoma State who make it a priority to be the first to offer kids from Texas. MI-O clearly has the frame to add 40-50 productive pounds and has a good chance ending up in a Blue Blood's class come signing day.
Iowa State
Matt Campbell is very selective when it comes to recruiting the state of Texas; currently Iowa State has just 11 offers out in the state. However, his precise approach and proven ability to evaluate leads to a ton of insights each cycle. For example, two of the best recruits in East Texas this year picked up early offers from the Cyclones.
Newton RB DeAnthony Gatson is one of the rare cases of Iowa State being the first to offer a TXHSFB player. The Newton standout had his recruitment blow up after getting the call from Ames, proceeding to pick up offers from regional power players like TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma State in addition to a recent offer from Utah.
Tenaha ATH Jeremy Patton’s recruitment started with an early offer from Oklahoma State after his sophomore season. Iowa State then followed the Cowboy’s lead and gave Patton his 2nd P5 scholarship opportunity. The versatile athlete is about one or two offers away from getting bumped out of this tier after he picked up a recent offer from Michigan. Patton is aware his fit at the next level is LB, which only increases his value in college coaches eyes.
California
The Golden Bears are the newest addition to the list of programs to watch after last year's theft of national 150 prospect J. Michael Sturdivant and Justin Wilcox's overall competency building his program. The Sturdivant steal, 2020 IT board favorite Mason Mangum from Austin Westlake, and starting RG McKade Mettauer from The Woodlands are a few of the recent recruits that UC was able to grab from Texas.
South Oak Cliff CB Kyron Chambers received his first offer from California after his sophomore season and picked up offers from Arizona State & Oklahoma State soon after. Chambers has a good frame along with intangibles at the CB position that clearly profile to him being a Power 5 starter.
