Scoop27
02-03-2013, 02:40 PM
From The Houston Chronicle
AUSTIN - Just like always, Mack Brown created a buzz. When he visited West Mesquite High School last Monday, students bustled in the hallway, teachers angled for photos and coaches reeled off excited Twitter posts.
During his 15 years of recruiting the state of Texas, Brown has seen all of this before. So has West Mesquite football coach Mike Overton.
The difference was this time Brown's visit wasn't necessarily the highlight of the week.
A couple of days later Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin made a similar appearance at West Mesquite. And although Brown spent more than a decade as the unquestioned biggest star among recruiters on the state's high school campuses, Overton said it was difficult to determine who was the more popular attraction last week.
"Coach Sumlin has people stirred up," Overton said.
For Brown, that's just part of a new set of challenges as he heads into his 16th national signing day at UT. He remains one of the most magnetic - and most successful - recruiters college football has ever seen. But he has a lot more competition these days.
Competitors near, far
Due to the recent rise of programs like A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma State as well as more concerted efforts by out-of-state powerhouses to mine Texas for talent, Brown no longer has the pick of the state's litter.
During the first decade of the century when the Longhorns dominated recruiting lists, it was assumed that almost every one of the state's top recruits was UT's to lose. Now, after the Longhorns compiled a 22-16 record over the past three years, Brown and his staff are being forced to work harder than ever to get their share.
It's not as though UT isn't still attracting talent. As of Saturday, the Longhorns' 2013 class is ranked No. 17 nationally by Rivals.com and No. 11 by ESPN.
Those rankings, however, came before multiple recruiting sites reported Saturday that Arlington Heights defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson switched his commitment from UT to Alabama. Robinson was rated as one of the best players in the state.
With only 14 commitments so far, the group figures to be one of UT's smallest in years. That's due in part to the fact that last season's roster was laden with underclassmen and had an uncharacteristically small number of seniors to replace.
Brown said in December his message to potential recruits was that the Longhorns were in the middle of a resurgence and that young players would be well-served in being part of it.
"There's such a positive attitude" said Harker Heights coach Mike Mullins, who has two players committed to UT. "They're all about getting back to the top."
No resting on laurels
But Brown is learning that recruits like other program's messages, too. In fact, some coaches note Sumlin shares many of the characteristics that make Brown an effective recruiter.
Two years ago, Carthage coach Scott Surratt had a linebacker (Kendall Thompson) sign with UT. In both 2012 (athlete Edward Pope) and 2013 (defensive tackle Isaiah Golden), however, his top player chose A&M.
Surratt said that in terms of sales pitches, Brown and Sumlin were difficult to separate.
And that means Brown can't afford to relax.
"There's enough great players in this state to go around," Overton said. "But the competition for the top-tier athlete has become much more fierce."
AUSTIN - Just like always, Mack Brown created a buzz. When he visited West Mesquite High School last Monday, students bustled in the hallway, teachers angled for photos and coaches reeled off excited Twitter posts.
During his 15 years of recruiting the state of Texas, Brown has seen all of this before. So has West Mesquite football coach Mike Overton.
The difference was this time Brown's visit wasn't necessarily the highlight of the week.
A couple of days later Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin made a similar appearance at West Mesquite. And although Brown spent more than a decade as the unquestioned biggest star among recruiters on the state's high school campuses, Overton said it was difficult to determine who was the more popular attraction last week.
"Coach Sumlin has people stirred up," Overton said.
For Brown, that's just part of a new set of challenges as he heads into his 16th national signing day at UT. He remains one of the most magnetic - and most successful - recruiters college football has ever seen. But he has a lot more competition these days.
Competitors near, far
Due to the recent rise of programs like A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma State as well as more concerted efforts by out-of-state powerhouses to mine Texas for talent, Brown no longer has the pick of the state's litter.
During the first decade of the century when the Longhorns dominated recruiting lists, it was assumed that almost every one of the state's top recruits was UT's to lose. Now, after the Longhorns compiled a 22-16 record over the past three years, Brown and his staff are being forced to work harder than ever to get their share.
It's not as though UT isn't still attracting talent. As of Saturday, the Longhorns' 2013 class is ranked No. 17 nationally by Rivals.com and No. 11 by ESPN.
Those rankings, however, came before multiple recruiting sites reported Saturday that Arlington Heights defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson switched his commitment from UT to Alabama. Robinson was rated as one of the best players in the state.
With only 14 commitments so far, the group figures to be one of UT's smallest in years. That's due in part to the fact that last season's roster was laden with underclassmen and had an uncharacteristically small number of seniors to replace.
Brown said in December his message to potential recruits was that the Longhorns were in the middle of a resurgence and that young players would be well-served in being part of it.
"There's such a positive attitude" said Harker Heights coach Mike Mullins, who has two players committed to UT. "They're all about getting back to the top."
No resting on laurels
But Brown is learning that recruits like other program's messages, too. In fact, some coaches note Sumlin shares many of the characteristics that make Brown an effective recruiter.
Two years ago, Carthage coach Scott Surratt had a linebacker (Kendall Thompson) sign with UT. In both 2012 (athlete Edward Pope) and 2013 (defensive tackle Isaiah Golden), however, his top player chose A&M.
Surratt said that in terms of sales pitches, Brown and Sumlin were difficult to separate.
And that means Brown can't afford to relax.
"There's enough great players in this state to go around," Overton said. "But the competition for the top-tier athlete has become much more fierce."