Texarkana Texas head coach Gerry Stanford talks Derrick Brown and the new Texas Longhorns staff
2022 Texarkana Texas High EDGE Derrick Brown has solidified himself as one of the best defenders in the state of Texas.
The East Texas native has also emerged as one of the leaders of the 2022 recruiting class for the Texas Longhorns, tweeting this after the Horns’ disappointing loss to Arkansas.
However, before the Arkansas game even kicked off I talked to the head coach at Texarkana Texas High Gerry Stanford to get his thoughts on Derrick’s performance vs. Forney.
“I thought Derrick was extremely productive against Forney,” Stanford said. “He had 9 tackles (7 solo), 4 QB hurries, a touchdown, and a fumble recovery. When you play defensive end it’s really easy for the opposing staff to scheme around you, so for him to remain that productive speaks volumes.”
While Brown was productive on the defensive side of the ball, the play of the game happened on offense. Texas High was down 7 points near halftime and needed to convert a 4th & Goal, Derrick subbed in at wide receiver and ended up with a highlight grab that earned him an appearance on ESPN’s “You Got Mossed.”
“That was a gut-feel call to put him in at that moment,” said Coach Stanford. “We took a timeout to discuss the play and ended up with an RPO where if they doubled Derrick we would run it and if they gave us 1-on-1 coverage we were letting him make a play.”
In my Saturday recruiting notes I mentioned that the Texas staff is selling Derrick on the ability to start at EDGE and end up as an inside backer. Texas high uses Brown primarily as an EDGE but at times uses him as an off-ball linebacker.
“The last two years we’ve had Clayton (Smith) and Derrick who are both extremely intelligent football players,” Stanford said. “We’ve always felt that we could move both of them across our front to keep the offense off-balance.”
After talking with Coach Gerry Stanford about Derrick Brown specifically, I wanted to pick his brain about his impression of the new Texas staff.
“I’ve had a good relationship with Coach Kwiatkowski since he was at Washington,” said Stanford. “He is an incredibly thorough recruiter, he spends a ton of time getting to know the kid, their coaches, and their entire familial situation before offering them.”
In addition to his relationship with Pete Kwiatkowski, Stanford had positive things to say about Steve Sarkisian’s efforts recruiting the state of Texas.
“Coach Sarkisian and his staff have done a great job with their open-door policy with Texas high school coaches and recruits,” Coach Stanford said. “It is always an easy conversation with Coach Sarkisian and Coach Kwiatkowski and we appreciate what they’re doing for Football in the state of Texas.”
