Teams other than Texas and Texas A&M recruiting the state more

Both Steve Sarkisian and Mike Elko said recently at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention that their main focus is in-state recruiting, that they want to start inside and work out and both went on and on about how important getting players at home is to their recruiting philosophy.

But a look at the Power Four schools in the state of Texas shows something altogether different at least at this point in the recruiting cycle.

Of Texas’ 21 commitments, 10 are in-state prospects. Of Texas A&M’s 27 pledges, only nine are in-state kids.

That paints a stark difference from the other Power Four programs as Baylor has 12 of 16 from the state of Texas, Texas Tech has 16 of 19, Houston is at 13 of 16, SMU has 15 of 21 and TCU’s entire recruiting class – every single player – is an in-state kid.

“We try to make our class, our recruiting class, primarily high school players and primarily Texas high school players,” Aranda said at the THSCA convention.

“To have a team made up of high school players, especially Texas high school players, is very essential to us.”

The Longhorns and the Aggies are trailing with in-state prospects especially compared to the other Power Four programs but it might not be lip service coming from Sarkisian and Elko on this topic.

Those two programs have a higher profile than the others so regional and national recruiting is essential. Texas has been to back-to-back College Football Playoffs and arguably has the best team in college football this season so there is a massive draw from elite players everywhere to play there. 

No one – not Texas, not anybody – is turning down Dia Bell, Tyler Atkinson, Richard Wesley, Derrek Cooper and James Johnson – just because they’re out-of-state players.

Elko and his coaching staff have done an excellent job tapping into old recruiting grounds from previous stops and Texas A&M – through NIL and an outstanding game-day atmosphere – has national reach. The Aggies have done particularly well in talent-loaded Georgia and California this recruiting cycle.

But it was TCU that most recently played for a national championship from the state of Texas when the Horned Frogs went to the title game in coach Sonny Dykes’ first season in 2022. And that roster – and this recruiting – class is loaded from top to bottom with in-state talent.

“We’ve always been, let’s go recruit guys that fit our profile,” Dykes said at the THSCA convention. “We’re different. We recruit different. We don’t park cars in our stadium. We just don’t do that. Some people do and some people have a lot of success doing that. We don’t. Our deal is just different.

“That’s not a slam on anybody. Everybody has to figure out who they are, what values are important in their program, what kind of people do they want to attract and they have to at that point decide, OK, here’s what we’re comfortable doing and here’s how we’re going to do it.”

What’s so interesting about the Power Four schools in Texas is every team is on different paths of the journey.

Texas is running toward playing for a national title. Texas A&M is feeling great in Elko’s second season. Aranda came back from a flaming hot seat for an 8-win season and momentum on the recruiting trail landing four-star edge rusher Jamarion Carlton and others. Dykes hardly has to leave the Metroplex to recruit.

Texas Tech has a phenomenal recruiting staff and deep NIL pockets to land five-star OL Felix Ojo and be seriously in it for 2027 five-star edge rusher LaDamion Guyton from Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military School among others. Houston kept five-star QB Keisean Henderson home.

SMU coach Rhett Lashlee put it as plainly as possible at ACC Media Days: The best high school players in the country are from Texas, many of them in Dallas, and his goal is to keep them home.

“The Texas high school football players are the best,” Lashlee said. “They’re the best-coached, they’re the best-talented, all four players we brought here to represent SMU are great college football players who played high school football in Texas. That’s going to continue to be our formula.”

That’s the goal for every coach in the state, some with more needs than others.