WT Signing Day

[MooseLodge]

Dunnam from AHS is a D1 player. He was preferred walk-on at UTEP, but was a casualty of the 105 roster limits. Lots of high school athletes in the same shape.

[MooseLodge]

There are 249 6A schools in Texas. If each school only graduates 10 varsity players each, that's a pool of 2,490 potential recruits.

I believe there are approximately 22 college football schools (FBS, FCS, DII) in Texas. If divided equally that's 113 new receuits per school.

"The point", there are TONS of top tier recuits available. The issue is more about under-performing in recruiting or simply not recruiting.

One of my son's was "stolen" from D1's by a very good DII recruiter. He had already given a verbal. Even his HS coaching staff were turning away other recruiters when they called, advising them he had already committed. Yet this ONE DII recruiter did not let that stop him. And my son came home one day and said he changed his mind. The rest is history.

The talent is there. You just have to go after them with the heart and tenacity of a champion.

WT is after a lot of D1 portal players this spring. Is a FBS player outside of the 105 roster limit better than a good D2 player? Probably. An FCS player outside the 105? Debatable. There are a lot of talented players looking for a place to play right now. Obviously everyone is going to take the best gig they can get to promote themselves. The LSC is going to be home to a lot of former FCS players in the fall.

[ASUPops]

Agree but there are only a handful of 6A schools west of I-35. You have El Paso (yeah we aren't counting that), Frenship (which will be dropping to 5A next year), Midland/Odessa, and San Angelo Central. That makes life tough on WT if they are just going to be this regional university and you really gotta score with players from smaller classifications.

I only counted 7-10 kids from the 6A schools.

The point is they have to recruit North Central Texas. That used to be their bread & butter. They used to beat out both Commerce & Tarleton in North Central Texas.

[ASUPops]

WT is after a lot of D1 portal players this spring. Is a FBS player outside of the 105 roster limit better than a good D2 player? Probably. An FCS player outside the 105? Debatable. There are a lot of talented players looking for a place to play right now. Obviously everyone is going to take the best gig they can get to promote themselves. The LSC is going to be home to a lot of former FCS players in the fall.

I believe FCS players will not be new to the LSC. Many have come and gone with barely a ripple, let alone a splash. Meh.

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

The point is they have to recruit North Central Texas. That used to be their bread & butter. They used to beat out both Commerce & Tarleton in North Central Texas.

100% total agreement.

I did more research last night and saw there are just as a limited amount of 5A D1 schools west of I-35 as 6A.

It will be difficult to beat out Tarleton and Commerce now for most kids for obvious reasons.

Like I said and multiple have disagreed with me (which is of course, ok) but excuses are gone for this year at least as you can build the team you want if you are willing to go portal shopping.

Unless a LSC school just raids the second string from Georgia or Ohio State, then things should be fairly equal in portal shopping which will boil down to can you coach?

I may disagree with the ways but I am rooting for Lynn and WT to be successful.

If he cant get it done with 7+ wins this year, its time to cut ties.

Its starts at the top as most places.

If the President is incompetent in athletics knowledge/workings and passes that on down the chain, then it makes things extremely difficult.

[Purple Mav Man]

WT is after a lot of D1 portal players this spring. Is a FBS player outside of the 105 roster limit better than a good D2 player? Probably. An FCS player outside the 105? Debatable. There are a lot of talented players looking for a place to play right now. Obviously everyone is going to take the best gig they can get to promote themselves. The LSC is going to be home to a lot of former FCS players in the fall.

If I counted correctly, there were 34 incoming freshmen. Did the majority of them walk on if WT is going to be able to land multiple transfers? Do they have scholarship money remaining? I ask out of curiosity, not argumentative.

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

If I counted correctly, there were 34 incoming freshmen. Did the majority of them walk on if WT is going to be able to land multiple transfers? Do they have scholarship money remaining? I ask out of curiosity, not argumentative.

I have the same questions as far as the portal/existing team/incoming signees.

Does "no walk on" extend lower than FBS?

[OldBison]

Point is most kids west of I-35 arent going to be the top gets even for D2 unless you score kids that are missed from top tier lower classification schools. Hopefully the Gunter and Celina lineman signed fit that qualification.

This is going to sound harsh but when you are signing a QB from Canyon High school that only had a 5-5 record and only 10 TD passes in 9 games played last year, someone tell me what I am missing here unless WT is going to adopt the poor mans Harding's or even ENMU's offense?

“Poor man’s offense” won a national championship in 2023 and signed the # 2 dual-threat QB in Oklahoma last week. Maybe the Buffs ought to join the Bisons and switch to the Flexbone.

[OldBison]

There are 249 6A schools in Texas. If each school only graduates 10 varsity players each, that's a pool of 2,490 potential recruits.

I believe there are approximately 22 college football schools (FBS, FCS, DII) in Texas. If divided equally that's 113 new receuits per school.

"The point", there are TONS of top tier recuits available. The issue is more about under-performing in recruiting or simply not recruiting.

One of my son's was "stolen" from D1's by a very good DII recruiter. He had already given a verbal. Even his HS coaching staff were turning away other recruiters when they called, advising them he had already committed. Yet this ONE DII recruiter did not let that stop him. And my son came home one day and said he changed his mind. The rest is history.

The talent is there. You just have to go after them with the heart and tenacity of a champion.

Well said, Pops!

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

“Poor man’s offense” won a national championship in 2023 and signed the # 2 dual-threat QB in Oklahoma last week. Maybe the Buffs ought to join the Bisons and switch to the Flexbone.

It was a compliment to Harding and a shot at WT that if they arent going to get the talent needed to compete then sign kids to run a safe offense and salvage winning seasons and the occasional playoff berth.

[ASUPops]

100% total agreement.

I did more research last night and saw there are just as a limited amount of 5A D1 schools west of I-35 as 6A.

It will be difficult to beat out Tarleton and Commerce now for most kids for obvious reasons.

Like I said and multiple have disagreed with me (which is of course, ok) but excuses are gone for this year at least as you can build the team you want if you are willing to go portal shopping.

Unless a LSC school just raids the second string from Georgia or Ohio State, then things should be fairly equal in portal shopping which will boil down to can you coach?

I may disagree with the ways but I am rooting for Lynn and WT to be successful.

If he cant get it done with 7+ wins this year, its time to cut ties.

Its starts at the top as most places.

If the President is incompetent in athletics knowledge/workings and passes that on down the chain, then it makes things extremely difficult.

Wasn't that the stated "requirements" for 2024? 🤔

[MooseLodge]

If I counted correctly, there were 34 incoming freshmen. Did the majority of them walk on if WT is going to be able to land multiple transfers? Do they have scholarship money remaining? I ask out of curiosity, not argumentative.

I have no idea on any of these questions. But I have a very reliable source that said that they are going after a number of D1 transfers in the spring. Since the portal window is currently closed, who knows what is going on.

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

Wasn't that the stated "requirements" for 2024? 🤔

Yeah but here we are. Also he had access to whatever he needed in the portal for this year which really didnt exist last year. Unless a team like UTPB picked up every second string Georgia, Texas, etc. player in the portal, then it should come down to coaching since every team has the same level playing field to the portal sans scholarships and NIL.

[huntnfish]

2nd string players from Georgia, Texas, etc. DO NOT end up in D2 anymore. In fact very little DI players end up in D2 anymore. Now with the 105 roster limit hitting soon. There will be ALOT more DI players at the D2 level but they will likely bye the 4th stringers from non power 5 and 3rd stringers from FCS

[ASUPops]

Yeah but here we are. Also he had access to whatever he needed in the portal for this year which really didnt exist last year. Unless a team like UTPB picked up every second string Georgia, Texas, etc. player in the portal, then it should come down to coaching since every team has the same level playing field to the portal sans scholarships and NIL.

Not a single LSC team got a single P5 "second string" player. Probably not even a snowballs chance at a "third string" from Texas or Georgia.

If an LSC lands a player from a P5, that player was wrongfully recruited by the P5 and never belonged. He was severely underwhelming, hence why he is okay with playing for a DII non-contender.

I'LL PASS!! I will put all my efforts on RECRUITING HS studs and potential studs. The guy 10 lbs too lite or 2" too short to be considered by FBS/FCS. And those diamonds at 2A, etc....