Why so much emphasis on Texas recruiting.

[Deep Shoat]

Texas is one of the 3 states that produce the most Power 5 level recruits.  Florida and California are way to far away.

We need to recruit Texas because they are the closest state that produces significant numbers of recruits at the level we need.

This ain't rocket surgery.

[supersaint]

Read this article about former Hog coach Jim Washburn.  It will tell you all you need to know about Tx recruiting.

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.wholehogsports.com/news/2017/jun/21/state-hogs-nfl-vet-washburn-owes-everything-arkans/

[BigBrandonAllenFan]

Using Texas as your example is incorrect.  What about OU, OSU, TCU, etc.  What % of their rosters are from Texas?

Texas is one of the most talent rich states in the country.

Year in and year out Texas is THE most talent rich state.  Second to none in kids signed to college rosters.

[hogsanity]

there are SEC level players there, never have we had someone with legit pull in the state of Texas until now.  If we were ever going to succeed in our venture into Texas now will be the time.  Obviously if this CM thing fails we will know once and for all that we cannot get what we need from Texas.

Mark it down, if this fails, posters here will blame CM.

At some point it there has to be serious consideration given to the explanation that it is not the coaches, not the bad fortune to have had 7 lousy recruiting staffs in a row, but a problem with the program itself being a draw for the recruits needed to win in the sec.

[Kevin]

wow. really cannot believe this question was asked

[ChicoHog]

Texas produces the most D1 talent.

Florida and Cali are second and third.

Florida produces the most NFL talent.  Texas is third.

Louisiana produces the most NFL talent per capita.

Texas is not in the top 10.


So, something I have said for a while...Texas High School football is overrated.  I would take kids from South Louisiana and South Florida over a kid from anywhere in Texas.

Now, it isn't that simple, there are exceptions to the rule.  However, the type of speed and anger that a kid from Louisiana plays with is not what you get from a kid from Texas...as a rule.

Just my opinion.

Still we need to get kids from Texas, because there is some great talent there.  They just aren't as tough, as a rule, as a kid that plays out in the cane fields or the marsh.  Again, just my opinion.

I heard tom Luginbill (ESPN director of Scouting) on the radio yesterday and he mentioned that Ok St, Baylor, TCU and Arkansas hope to find the "under the radar" type Texas kids that aren't fully developed.  He said the biggest problem with Texas recruiting is so many of the kids reach their potential before they hit college because of the great facilities and training available to them in most Texas high schools.  That was a big problem Mack Brown had.  He recruited kids that had already reached their potential.  The Florida kids however, have much more upside and growth potential.  probably the same with the Louisiana players.  that's why I think the Texas talent is very over rated comparatively.  I'll take ten 3 star kids from Florida over ten 3 star kids from Texas any day, especially if they are defensive players and/or linemen.  I still think we need to keep our feet in Georgia, Florida and Louisiana for defensive talent and linemen.  Over the last few years the state of Georgia has pretty much caught up with the other big time states in producing NFL talent.

[texhog22]

I was born and raised in Arkansas. I have lived all my adult life in Texas and have also raised a family in Texas. Do you realize how many people in Texas are from Arkansas?? A freaking bunch!!!!

[Wildhog]

I heard tom Luginbill (ESPN director of Scouting) on the radio yesterday and he mentioned that Ok St, Baylor TCU and Arkansas hope to find the "under the radar" type Texas kids that aren't fully developed.  he said the biggest problem with Texas recruiting is so many of the kids reach their potential before they hit college because of the great facilities and training available to them in most Texas high schools.  That was a big problem Mack Brown had.  he recruited kids that had already reached their potential.  the Florida kids however, have much more upside and growth potential.  probably the same with the Louisiana players.  that's why I think the Texas talent is very over rated comparatively.  I'll take ten 3 star kids from Florida over 10 3 star kids from Texas any day, especially if they are defensive players and/or linemen.  I still think we need to keep our feet in Georgia, Florida and Louisiana for defensive talent and linemen. 

Yeah, I've been saying that for years.  You get 'em on campus and there's not much to do with 'em.  They're maxed out.

[311Hog]

Mark it down, if this fails, posters here will blame CM.

At some point it there has to be serious consideration given to the explanation that it is not the coaches, not the bad fortune to have had 7 lousy recruiting staffs in a row, but a problem with the program itself being a draw for the recruits needed to win in the sec.

we have had this conversation before i obviously know and agree that Arkansas has many recruiting issues alot cannot be solved by a coach, but for so long we have looked to Texas and recruiting there with longing, but we never hired anyone with "current" clout in the state until now.  We are bringing in a young guy and a young staff all with deep Texas ties. if they cannot create a successful Texas pipeline then IMHO it cannot be created.

[The_Bionic_Pig]

Texas > Louisiana because 90% of Texas ALREADY RUNS MORRIS SYSTEM.

Thsi isnt a big mystery, guys.

I agree Texas has great talent but we grow LB's here in Florida that can run down some of these Texas WR's

[Ugly Uncle]

Yeah, I've been saying that for years.  You get 'em on campus and there's not much to do with 'em.  They're maxed out.

I heard tom Luginbill (ESPN director of Scouting) on the radio yesterday and he mentioned that Ok St, Baylor, TCU and Arkansas hope to find the "under the radar" type Texas kids that aren't fully developed.  He said the biggest problem with Texas recruiting is so many of the kids reach their potential before they hit college because of the great facilities and training available to them in most Texas high schools.  That was a big problem Mack Brown had.  He recruited kids that had already reached their potential.  The Florida kids however, have much more upside and growth potential.  probably the same with the Louisiana players.  that's why I think the Texas talent is very over rated comparatively.  I'll take ten 3 star kids from Florida over ten 3 star kids from Texas any day, especially if they are defensive players and/or linemen.  I still think we need to keep our feet in Georgia, Florida and Louisiana for defensive talent and linemen.  Over the last few years the state of Georgia has pretty much caught up with the other big time states in producing NFL talent.

This is what I have been saying.

My nephew played high school ball and now coaches HS in South Louisiana.  He played his college ball in TX and then at LSU.

We've had this discussion.  Great coaches, great facilities, and great programs in TX.  They work hard, but they don't have to fight for anything.

His high school that is a 3a school in S. LA produces D1 talent every year.  Their weight room is terrible, they don't have a practice field, they play in extreme heat and humidity, and mosquitos are draining their blood.  The kids from some of the public schools between Lafayette and New Orleans are some of the toughest, meanest, fastest kids you will ever meet.  Fast is just fast, but mean and tough comes from not having anything and having to work to achieve anything.

There is a dog to these kids.  I feel like Texas (not all but most) if they get punched in the mouth they wilt...while kids from the deep south especially Louisiana are used to getting punched and they keep coming back for more.

No one has anything down there.  Poverty is unbelievable.  They fight to survive every day.  I'm not overstating how tough it can be for many of those kids.  If they have made it to college, they aren't going to quit now, because they have had to fight to rise above everyone else and won't back down. 

Bret recruited great kids from great families, but not many of them had any dog in them.  I feel like that is what we get from Texas.  They have topped out on potential already and they haven't had to fight their way up or out of anything.

Again, just my humble opinion.

[Ugly Uncle]

I agree Texas has great talent but we grow LB's here in Florida that can run down some of these Texas WR's

I mentioned South Florida with South Louisiana in an earlier post.  I certainly wouldn't want to leave out the type of players Florida can and does produce.

[311Hog]

This is what I have been saying.

My nephew played high school ball and now coaches HS in South Louisiana.  He played his college ball in TX and then at LSU.

We've had this discussion.  Great coaches, great facilities, and great programs in TX.  They work hard, but they don't have to fight for anything.

His high school that is a 3a school in S. LA produces D1 talent every year.  Their weight room is terrible, they don't have a practice field, they play in extreme heat and humidity, and mosquitos are draining their blood.  The kids from some of the public schools between Lafayette and New Orleans are some of the toughest, meanest, fastest kids you will ever meet.  Fast is just fast, but mean and tough comes from not having anything and having to work to achieve anything.

There is a dog to these kids.  I feel like Texas (not all but most) if they get punched in the mouth they wilt...while kids from the deep south especially Louisiana are used to getting punched and they keep coming back for more.

No one has anything down there.  Poverty is unbelievable.  They fight to survive every day.  I'm not overstating how tough it can be for many of those kids.  If they have made it to college, they aren't going to quit now, because they have had to fight to rise above everyone else and won't back down. 

Bret recruited great kids from great families, but not many of them had any dog in them.  I feel like that is what we get from Texas.  They have topped out on potential already and they haven't had to fight their way up or out of anything.

Again, just my humble opinion.

i am not sure if you have read the DUNE series but this is a basic tenant of it.  Adversity builds warriors.  If you want good gladiators find people who have had the hardest upbringing, live the hardest lives etc.  if it doesn't break you it makes you stronger.

what you are describing here is true of kids growing up in Mississippi, Bama, Florida etc.

[TexArkHogFan]

Yoakum, Texas is one of those small towns that "you can't get there from here".  We have already signed Silas Robinson, an offensive lineman and recruiting for a pair of four star twins.  That's three from one small school in Texas.  One of them just decommitted    from Nebraska and the other is committed to Texas A&M but both plan on visiting the Hogs in January.  Their coach really likes Coach Morris.  If we land the twins, that's half of what we got from the whole state of Arkansas.  I lived in New Boston for about 20 years.  They are classified 2A and about ten years ago they installed artificial turf.  Football is king in Texas.

[Exit Pursued by a Boar]

Alabama can poach recruits nationally because it has a reputation. We don't have that reputation.

As far as speed goes, you're generally born with it or you're not. I suppose some places find it and cultivate it more than others, but it can be found in lots of places.

That said, you recruit locally and where the percentages are. For Arkansas that means lock down the state. There will be as few as 3-4 good candidates in AR in dry years and as many as 8-10 in good years. The coach's job is to build relationships with in-state coaches so a) he can identify talent early and b) get that talent. Then he goes to populous cities near Fayetteville and tries to do the same thing: that means Tulsa, Memphis, KC, and even St Louis. You also go where the numbers are--Texas and to a lesser extent Louisiana. I expect Morris would do best in places north and east of the metroplex, but he has an advantage in Texas because he has built relationships all over the state for many years. 

This being his first year and having so little time and a reduced staff, it is probably a good thing that the numbers he has to get are so low. He can go for quality and make fewer reaches.

He also has an advantage in that next year's schedule is about as weak as an Arkansas coach can hope for. He should be able to win 6-8 games in the regular season.

Winning next year will make his recruiting job easier in future years and also result in fewer reaches, but the schedule won't get easier as the seasons pass. He had better develop the talent he does get.

EFBAB

[bphi11ips]

I mentioned South Florida with South Louisiana in an earlier post.  I certainly wouldn't want to leave out the type of players Florida can and does produce.

Ched - you've got to get that notion out of your head.  That was the Bielema scam.  Arkansas's roster is full of talent that Miami, Florida, Florida State, and LSU didn't offer.  That is why we have been taking a knife to a gun fight, especially on defense. 

[hogsanity]

we have had this conversation before i obviously know and agree that Arkansas has many recruiting issues alot cannot be solved by a coach, but for so long we have looked to Texas and recruiting there with longing, but we never hired anyone with "current" clout in the state until now.  We are bringing in a young guy and a young staff all with deep Texas ties. if they cannot create a successful Texas pipeline then IMHO it cannot be created.

I think he will improve Texas recruiting. I do not think it is the silver bullet that is going to fix the program.

[311Hog]

I think he will improve Texas recruiting. I do not think it is the silver bullet that is going to fix the program.

well i am glad i dont think a silver bullet is the plan i think it is to improve texas recruiting combined with his offense, and hopefully an improved defense and attention to special teams.

Will be interesting to watch it was going to be this strategy or Gus Bus, or bust

[Deep Shoat]

I think he will improve Texas recruiting. I do not think it is the silver bullet that is going to fix the program.

If getting back into Texas with a legit Texas connections staff doesn't fix the program, it can't be fixed.

Period.

[Wildhog]

If getting back into Texas with a legit Texas connections staff doesn’t fix the program, it can’t be fixed.

Period.

I don't think this is true at all.

Guess it depends on your definition of "fixed," though.

[hogsanity]

If getting back into Texas with a legit Texas connections staff doesn't fix the program, it can't be fixed.

Period.

took exactly 39 seconds for someone to disagree with that.

[Athog]

Man - your 20's are going to be tough.

Yeah it is going to be a long journey!!

[Deep Shoat]

I don't think this is true at all.

Guess it depends on your definition of "fixed," though.

Consistent national relevance. Year in and year out.  Likewe were before we stopped focusing on Texas.

[Deep Shoat]

took exactly 39 seconds for someone to disagree with that.

His disagreement doesn't invalidate my statement.

[hogsanity]

His disagreement doesn't invalidate my statement.

Not at all. I agree with your statement.

[Ugly Uncle]

Ched - you've got to get that notion out of your head.  That was the Bielema scam.  Arkansas's roster is full of talent that Miami, Florida, Florida State, and LSU didn't offer.  That is why we have been taking a knife to a gun fight, especially on defense. 

I'm not saying we got the cream of the crop out of there, but Alex Collins wasn't bad.  I'm just saying they can and have produced some nice talent in South Florida.

[bphi11ips]

I'm not saying we got the cream of the crop out of there, but Alex Collins wasn't bad.  I'm just saying they can and have produced some nice talent in South Florida.

I'm not talking about Alex Collins.  He had offers from Miami, Florida, and FSU.  Denver Kirkland had offers from FSU and Miami.  Jalen Merrick had offers from Alabama, Florida, FSU, Miami, Georgia (are you kidding me Anderson??).  Those guys are no brainers.  Maybe you have to take a few lesser players to keep a pipeline going.  I don't know.  But Arkansas has a lot of marginal talent for an SEC team because Bielema loaded up on guys from Florida whose best offers were G5 and bottom P5 teams.  I believe he did it for two reasons - he had disdain for Arkansas and Arkansas players in general, and he bought into his own hype about his Florida connections. 

I don't visit the Recruiting forum here a lot.  The guys in there are hardcore and are even snarkier than most on MMQB.  I have spent some time there twice, though, and got flamed both times.  First was when Petrino was recruiting all over God's Creation and signing 21 receivers. WTH??? I was asking.  The mantra at the time was that Petrino's classes were highly ranked four years later because no one understood his genius.  Okay.  We understood it in four years.

The second time was when Bret Bielema was beating G5 schools for players from South Florida and virtually ignoring Texas.  I liked his Midwest strategy and said he's the first Arkansas coach to get that a lot of great linemen (skilled players, too) come from north of Fayetteville.  CCM would do well to look north, too.  But I wondered out loud WHAT ABOUT TEXAS?  Texas is not what it used to be was the general response.  We can't get players from Texas now that A&M is in the conference (really?).  Okay, well Bielema needs to pull his head out and figure out where Arkansas's bread is buttered.  Then I came back to MMQB with a few burns.

Now I'm saying again - this can not he overemphasized - Arkansas is going to have to grab a couple of impact players out of Texas every year if it wants to compete in the SEC West. 

[Ugly Uncle]

I'm not talking about Alex Collins.  He had offers from Miami, Florida, and FSU.  Denver Kirkland had offers from FSU and Miami.  Jalen Merrick had offers from Alabama, Florida, FSU, Miami, Georgia (are you kidding me Anderson??).  Those guys are no brainers.  Maybe you have to take a few lesser players to keep a pipeline going.  I don't know.  But Arkansas has a lot of marginal talent for an SEC team because Bielema loaded up on guys from Florida whose best offers were G5 and bottom P5 teams.  I believe he did it for two reasons - he had disdain for Arkansas and Arkansas players in general, and he bought into his own hype about his Florida connections. 

I don't visit the Recruiting forum here a lot.  The guys in there are hardcore and are even snarkier than most on MMQB.  I have spent some time there twice, though, and got flamed both times.  First was when Petrino was recruiting all over God's Creation and signing 21 receivers. WTH??? I was asking.  The mantra at the time was that Petrino's classes were highly ranked four years later because no one understood his genius.  Okay.  We understood it in four years.

The second time was when Bret Bielema was beating G5 schools for players from South Florida and virtually ignoring Texas.  I liked his Midwest strategy and said he's the first Arkansas coach to get that a lot of great linemen (skilled players, too) come from north of Fayetteville.  CCM would do well to look north, too.  But I wondered out loud WHAT ABOUT TEXAS?  Texas is not what it used to be was the general response.  We can't get players from Texas now that A&M is in the conference (really?).  Okay, well Bielema needs to pull his head out and figure out where Arkansas's bread is buttered.  Then I came back to MMQB with a few burns.

Now I'm saying again - this can not he overemphasized - Arkansas is going to have to grab a couple of impact players out of Texas every year if it wants to compete in the SEC West. 

Yes sir.  I agree with you.

[BoogaHog]

I was born and raised in Arkansas. I have lived all my adult life in Texas and have also raised a family in Texas. Do you realize how many people in Texas are from Arkansas?? A freaking bunch!!!!

You are trying to reason with a bunch of dumbasses.

[Billy Bats]

Texas, Cali, Belgium, The Moon...recruit everywhere.  Get dudes.  Win games. 

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

oh boy...,.

impressive 16 to 1 smite ratio

That's like Michael Angelo telling Bob Ross, "Nice Painting"...

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Texas, Cali, Belgium, The Moon...recruit everywhere.  Get dudes.  Win games. 

Meh, Players from the moon have dramatically slower 40 times than advertised.

[Billy Bats]

Meh, Players from the moon have dramatically slower 40 times than advertised.

They can jump out of the gym though.

[ChicoHog]

This is what I have been saying.

My nephew played high school ball and now coaches HS in South Louisiana.  He played his college ball in TX and then at LSU.

We've had this discussion.  Great coaches, great facilities, and great programs in TX.  They work hard, but they don't have to fight for anything.

His high school that is a 3a school in S. LA produces D1 talent every year.  Their weight room is terrible, they don't have a practice field, they play in extreme heat and humidity, and mosquitos are draining their blood.  The kids from some of the public schools between Lafayette and New Orleans are some of the toughest, meanest, fastest kids you will ever meet.  Fast is just fast, but mean and tough comes from not having anything and having to work to achieve anything.

There is a dog to these kids.  I feel like Texas (not all but most) if they get punched in the mouth they wilt...while kids from the deep south especially Louisiana are used to getting punched and they keep coming back for more.

No one has anything down there.  Poverty is unbelievable.  They fight to survive every day.  I'm not overstating how tough it can be for many of those kids.  If they have made it to college, they aren't going to quit now, because they have had to fight to rise above everyone else and won't back down. 

Bret recruited great kids from great families, but not many of them had any dog in them.  I feel like that is what we get from Texas.  They have topped out on potential already and they haven't had to fight their way up or out of anything.

Again, just my humble opinion.

Agree 100%.  great post. 

[SooieGeneris]

I'd argue Louisiana is as fertile and as important as Texas, imo.

By that, one would think that LSU recruits entirely in their home state.

Thing is, they don't.

LSU recruits heavily in East TX, where most of the players are in TX, and signs several every year.

[Wooderson]

Louisiana footbal>Texas football when it comes to elite talent.  Yes, Texas puts the most kids into college.  By percentage Lousiana kids are by far more likely to be NFL caliber.  It's not debatable. 

Y'all are being sold a bunch of crap with this "We must recruit Texas".  It WILL fail.

[Ugly Uncle]

By that, one would think that LSU recruits entirely in their home state.

Thing is, they don't.

LSU recruits heavily in East TX, where most of the players are in TX, and signs several every year.

But folks from down there know that if LSU could just keep their own kids at home they would be a top 5 team every year.

Les Miles had burned several bridges with High School coaches down there.  Many of the High School coaches...of which my nephew is apart of...turned against Les because of how he had treated some of their kids.  I imagine he probably HAD to look elsewhere...though East TX has always been a hotbed for LSU.

[Batesville Hogfan]

I'd argue Louisiana is as fertile and as important as Texas, imo.

LA has 13 players who are 4-5 star players and TX has 51 in the 2018 class, according to rivals. I suspect if I had researched past classes it would have been similar. No way LA is as fertile as TX.

[LZH]

I agree Texas has great talent but we grow LB's here in Florida that can run down some of these Texas WR's

Agreed. Problem is that UCF and USF are beginning to pick up some of those just-under-the-radar speedsters that might have previously made their way to an Arkansas-type program.

[WJBilly]

Why does a frog bump his ass when he hops?

He wouldn'the if he had wings.

[DeltaBoy]

Simple there 100times more talent there!

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Using Texas as your example is incorrect.  What about OU, OSU, TCU, etc.  What % of their rosters are from Texas?

Texas is one of the most talent rich states in the country.  And we are right next door.  We must get 10-15 Texas players year in and year out.

Since 2002, we have never signed 10-15 Texas players each year. The most we ever signed in a single year since that time was 8 in each of 2003 and 2004. The next highest was 7 in each of 2006 and 2009. None of those from 2002-2016 were 5 star players. Only 10 from 2002-2016 were 4 star players. The vast majority were 3 star players over that time, 53 in fact. an average of 3.5 p/year.

Over all that time (2002-2016) there were an average of 379 players available each year from the state of Texas that were ranked from being 5 star to 2 star players and we signed 5 of them on average each year over those years. By contrast, Okla State signed 13.7 p/yr, Oklahoma signed 9.5, TCU signed 16.5, Baylor signed 17.7, A&M signed 18.5 and Texas signed 19.1 p/year.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

They can jump out of the gym though.

Yeah, in warm-up's... By game time they're toast.

[bphi11ips]

Louisiana footbal>Texas football when it comes to elite talent.  Yes, Texas puts the most kids into college.  By percentage Lousiana kids are by far more likely to be NFL caliber.  It's not debatable. 

Y'all are being sold a bunch of crap with this "We must recruit Texas".  It WILL fail.

Pull much out of your posterior? 

According to statistics published in 2015, 256 NFL players were from Texas.  83 were from Louisiana.  83 were from ..... Virginia.  79 were from North Carolina.

Texas has 27 million residents.  Louisiana has 5 million.  37% of Texans are Hispanic.  The other 63% are almost all Caucasion and African American. Almost all of those live in eastern and north central Texas.  Per capita, Texas and Louisiana produce about the same number of NFL players. More of the fertile ground for Texas NFL players is within Arkansas's recruiting footprint.  Arkansas has recruited northern Louisiana well forever. It needs to continue doing that.  It needs to stop beating Tulane, ULL and Western Kentucky for southern Louisiana recruits.

Fortunately CCM doesn't read Wooderson on Recruiting.

[LZH]

Louisiana footbal>Texas football when it comes to elite talent.  Yes, Texas puts the most kids into college.  By percentage Lousiana kids are by far more likely to be NFL caliber.  It's not debatable. 

Y'all are being sold a bunch of crap with this "We must recruit Texas".  It WILL fail.

Wha....?

[bphi11ips]

Since 2002, we have never signed 10-15 Texas players each year. The most we ever signed in a single year since that time was 8 in each of 2003 and 2004. The next highest was 7 in each of 2006 and 2009. None of those from 2002-2016 were 5 star players. Only 10 from 2002-2016 were 4 star players. The vast majority were 3 star players over that time, 53 in fact. an average of 3.5 p/year.

Over all that time (2002-2016) there were an average of 379 players available each year from the state of Texas that were ranked from being 5 star to 2 star players and we signed 5 of them on average each year over those years. By contrast, Okla State signed 13.7 p/yr, Oklahoma signed 9.5, TCU signed 16.5, Baylor signed 17.7, A&M signed 18.5 and Texas signed 19.1 p/year.

2006 and 2007 were pretty good years.  So were 2010 and 2011.  Arkansas talent plus Texas talent is where Arkansas bread is buttered.  End of story.

[Mjs84]

There is a lot of talk about Coach Morris's ability to recruit in Texas and I wonder why that is so important. Texas has 77 players on their roster from Texas with the remainder (22) from 10 States (they finished 6-6) Arkansas recruited in 12 States & we know how that finished. Alabama, the most consistent team in Major college football recruited in 22 States with 13 players from Texas. Almost all of Coach Morris's SMU team came from Texas with and oddity of 1 from NJ. Alabama, the most consistently winning team in college football recruited in 22 different states. Maybe we don't reach out far enough. Have a great time tearing this apart.

1.  And most obvious, Alabama has national appeal.  Crimson tide can easily recruit almost any state based on the glory of playing for Nick Saban and is a playoff contender every season.

2. Texas, through whatever reason, has had terrible seasons since Coach Mack Brown was finishing his final years.  The Charlie Strong era was also a disaster, and it doesn't seem that is going to improve any time soon.  Personally, I think there is more of a leadership problem with the program and that's why they are having such a tough time winning games and being prepared on the field.  Arkansas is a better example to use in this case, because we have had decent talent and awful leadership playing and coaching simultaneously.  Think JLS years.  That team was preseason #8.  You can argue they were overated, but you have to agree, looking at the roster, it was a top 25 team.  Even Brets final year here, failed to utilize some of our talented players.  So, a good team can indeed be wasted by terrible coaching.  We have seen it personally.  No knock to Charlie Strong, for whatever reason, he just didn't get it worked out.  But it wasn't because of lack of talent. 

3.  Texas football is a religion.  It's important you understand that before proceeding.  Think Dallas Cowboys.  Also, highschool football in Texas is the most competitive in the country.  Let's also not forget the sheer size of the state with such a large population.   It just so happens to be our neighbor.  The word here is proximity.  Being close to Texas makes us appealing for athletes who may have had more exposure to the razorback brand growing up.  It increases the likelihood that they know somebody from Arkansas or has family here, or used to live here, whatever.  So, there are enough talented kids, (because of interest and size) coming out every year.  Some will go bama, some will stay home, some will OU, but we need lots of the talent coming here as well. Texas is the most logical source of football talent to be had in the state of Arkansas.  Bless the players who stay home to become Hogs, but we need more than the state can produce to be competitive. It would take 3 states alone to produce the number of qualified talent coming from Texas needed to fill enough spots on our roster.  So, of we aren't getting it from the Lone Star state, we are probably not getting it from mizzou, ok, lousianna combined.  Florida is a hotbed but it's really for away and the kids won't all like the cold.   We get a few Louisiana players annually, but LSU has been very competitive and the best ones stay home. Texas is very important for razorback recruiting because of its talent, size, and exposure to the brand.  No other state can provide that.

[Mjs84]

LA has 13 players who are 4-5 star players and TX has 51 in the 2018 class, according to rivals. I suspect if I had researched past classes it would have been similar. No way LA is as fertile as TX.

It is per capita, but I think that's where people get confused.  Focusing on Texas is not putting too many eggs in the same basket. Focusing on Lousianna is.

[bphi11ips]

1.  And most obvious, Alabama has national appeal.  Crimson tide can easily recruit almost any state based on the glory of playing for Nick Saban and is a playoff contender every season.

2. Texas, through whatever reason, has had terrible seasons since Coach Mack Brown was finishing his final years.  The Charlie Strong era was also a disaster, and it doesn't seem that is going to improve any time soon.  Personally, I think there is more of a leadership problem with the program and that's why they are having such a tough time winning games and being prepared on the field.  Arkansas is a better example to use in this case, because we have had decent talent and awful leadership playing and coaching simultaneously.  Think JLS years.  That team was preseason #8.  You can argue they were overated, but you have to agree, looking at the roster, it was a top 25 team.  Even Brets final year here, failed to utilize some of our talented players.  So, a good team can indeed be wasted by terrible coaching.  We have seen it personally.  No knock to Charlie Strong, for whatever reason, he just didn't get it worked out.  But it wasn't because of lack of talent. 

3.  Texas football is a religion.  It's important you understand that before proceeding.  Think Dallas Cowboys.  Also, highschool football in Texas is the most competitive in the country.  Let's also not forget the sheer size of the state with such a large population.   It just so happens to be our neighbor.  The word here is proximity.  Being close to Texas makes us appealing for athletes who may have had more exposure to the razorback brand growing up.  It increases the likelihood that they know somebody from Arkansas or has family here, or used to live here, whatever.  So, there are enough talented kids, (because of interest and size) coming out every year.  Some will go bama, some will stay home, some will OU, but we need lots of the talent coming here as well. Texas is the most logical source of football talent to be had in the state of Arkansas.  Bless the players who stay home to become Hogs, but we need more than the state can produce to be competitive. It would take 3 states alone to produce the number of qualified talent coming from Texas needed to fill enough spots on our roster.  So, of we aren't getting it from the Lone Star state, we are probably not getting it from mizzou, ok, lousianna combined.  Florida is a hotbed but it's really for away and the kids won't all like the cold.   We get a few Louisiana players annually, but LSU has been very competitive and the best ones stay home. Texas is very important for razorback recruiting because of its talent, size, and exposure to the brand.  No other state can provide that.

Excellent post.

[Ugly Uncle]

Pull much out of your posterior? 

According to statistics published in 2015, 256 NFL players were from Texas.  83 were from Louisiana.  83 were from ..... Virginia.  79 were from North Carolina.

Texas has 27 million residents.  Louisiana has 5 million.  37% of Texans are Hispanic.  The other 63% are almost all Caucasion and African American. Almost all of those live in eastern and north central Texas.  Per capita, Texas and Louisiana produce about the same number of NFL players. More of the fertile ground for Texas NFL players is within Arkansas's recruiting footprint.  Arkansas has recruited northern Louisiana well forever. It needs to continue doing that.  It needs to stop beating Tulane, ULL and Western Kentucky for southern Louisiana recruits.

Fortunately CCM doesn't read Wooderson on Recruiting.

I agree with what you said...but Louisiana actually produces much more NFL per capita according to this study.

https://fansided.com/2014/08/04/states-produce-nfl-players-per-capita/