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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2013 15:20:59 GMT -6
Laredo is becoming more like El Paso, getting a lot of out of town folks. Difference from the RGV with Laredo and EP is that the RGV are multiple scattered towns, whereas Laredo and El Paso are one big city, so it is easier to correspond with needs or resources compared to the Valley. In the Valley, it is more political competing against another city in growth. That sounds about right. Strange that that doesn't happen elsewhere though; Dallas, Plano, Fort Worth, and Arlington aren't really competing with one another. I doubt too many people in Dallas are hurt that FC Dallas plays out in Frisco. I think the difference is that while the cities in the RGV are relatively close together, they still "feel" like separate cities. It's about 60 miles from Brownsville to McAllen/Edinburg, so if something goes up in McAllen, that's not going to help Brownsville at all (and will hurt if Brownsville was competing for the same thing.) The schools are what keeps the identitys in the RGV noticiable. But if you are an outsider and start a road trip from La Joya to Harlingen on US83 and are not paying attention to the road signs that tell you which city you are in or the water towers, you couldn't tell which town you are in.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2013 15:43:06 GMT -6
When was the last time El Paso had a team make it real deep in the football playoffs? I know they've had some baseball teams make it pretty deep and to the 'ship, but in football as well as other sports, you don't hear much from any of the schools out there. You would figure with being the 5th largest city in the state and with a pretty diverse population (much more than the other border metros like Laredo and the RGV) , you would hear more from a school or two or three on the state level on a consistent basis. As far it producing a little more college talent vs the South Texas area, again I think it has more to do with their population being more diverse (thanks to Ft Bliss among other economic drivers) and it is easier for cross country recruiters to get in and out of. If a scout from the University of Houston for example is headed to California to recruit the JUCO market, El Paso is an easy stop via multiple airlines on the way to LAX. Corpus, the RGV and Laredo on the other hand have most of their flights connect in the Houston or DFW airports which means layovers and wasted time which is valuable even in this day of You Tuba and recruiting services that are out there by the dozens. I can't remember the last time an EP team made it deep in the playoffs. Heck, it's rare that they make it past the area round, though Burges did it this year -- I think their chances of making the regional round have improved with the 2012 realignment since they don't see any DFW teams before that. Burges kind of sums up El Paso, with a couple of legit D-I players on an otherwise mediocre team. It's not to say there aren't good players there, but the depth of talent isn't anywhere close to being as good. Also, EP being the fifth-largest city in the state is kind of misleading. There's almost no suburban population to speak of there, so the metro area population basically equals the city population, as opposed to San Antonio or especially DFW/Houston. DFW is the fourth-largest metro in the country, Houston is #5, San Antonio is #25, Austin is #35... El Paso is #67. The McAllen metro area is #70, Corpus is #115, Brownsville is #126. McAllen/Brownsville combined (the RGV) is considerably larger than El Paso. I think you make a good point about its location, but the perception is that there's very little talent in the RGV. Even if there's a kid down there who might be worth a look, he's probably the only kid you're looking at, so if he turns out not to be all that then you just wasted a trip. That's probably why having UTEP around is important for the El Paso kids: yeah, there might not be that many players to look at, but UTEP's not really having to go out of their way to check them out. And, yeah, it probably helps that you can make a stopover there on the way from LA to Dallas or Houston; why not go talk to some high school coaches and see if they've got any talent on hand? In the RGV defense, the talent quality has improved by leaps and bounds in the last decade. The 50's and 60's saw quite a few valley players make their name on such teams rosters as Longhorns and Aggies. It kind of dipped in the 70's and made a brief rebound in the 80's and later dipped in the 90's. But as of late, it's increased and they've even did better a few years sending kids to Division one schools vs the Corpus area. I'm thinking a couple of years ago, Los Fresnos sent four or five kids to schools like Louisville, Kansas and UTEP and these kids started eventually for these schools. Part of it is some parents down there are making good money and enough so to get the training away from schoo that l their kids need and people (ex Pro's and college players with creditials) moving down that way to fill the market. When I was growing up down there, every sport had it's season and was done while the bigger metro areas in the state had the beginings of the select leagues going on and private training. And a summer camp was nothing more than glorified flag football or sandlot baseball. One thing that might help the RGV is UTPA getting a football team which has been tried, but failed to gain support. If you have a legit football program and others see you recruting kids in your area, it might peak interest in those schools to come to town and take a look. Of course that program needs a track record of success and UTEP has had it's moments, but to later regress. But it's enough to get others to take notice if they see UTEP pursuing a kid to maybe take a look at him too. It will be interesting to see how UTSA's football program has increased the takings of San Antonio area kids by others because now that another avenue has been opened for some kids to get looked at by their hometown school even tough they might not have the desire to go there at the end of the day. But I can almost be certain if a kid from San Antonio East Central for example shows up as being heavily looked at by UTSA, then schools like Texas State, maybe even the U of H might decided to give him a look. It still might be hard from him to ultimately get on the radar of a Big 12 or SEC school, but you never know.
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Post by Tom on Jun 7, 2013 17:04:10 GMT -6
That sounds about right. Strange that that doesn't happen elsewhere though; Dallas, Plano, Fort Worth, and Arlington aren't really competing with one another. I doubt too many people in Dallas are hurt that FC Dallas plays out in Frisco. I think the difference is that while the cities in the RGV are relatively close together, they still "feel" like separate cities. It's about 60 miles from Brownsville to McAllen/Edinburg, so if something goes up in McAllen, that's not going to help Brownsville at all (and will hurt if Brownsville was competing for the same thing.) The schools are what keeps the identitys in the RGV noticiable. But if you are an outsider and start a road trip from La Joya to Harlingen on US83 and are not paying attention to the road signs that tell you which city you are in or the water towers, you couldn't tell which town you are in. But that's the case in a lot of areas. For example, drive US 75 from Dallas to McKinney and you'll pass through Richardson, Plano, and Allen, but if you're not paying attention you won't know when you're moving from one to another. Only thing that keeps Plano and Allen separate from one another is the schools. I lived in the Valley for a year (granted, I was in Brownsville, which is kind of in its own world) and I know what you're talking about down there, though there IS a bit of a break between Weslaco and Harlingen if I'm remembering correctly.
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Post by Tom on Jun 7, 2013 17:15:31 GMT -6
I can't remember the last time an EP team made it deep in the playoffs. Heck, it's rare that they make it past the area round, though Burges did it this year -- I think their chances of making the regional round have improved with the 2012 realignment since they don't see any DFW teams before that. Burges kind of sums up El Paso, with a couple of legit D-I players on an otherwise mediocre team. It's not to say there aren't good players there, but the depth of talent isn't anywhere close to being as good. Also, EP being the fifth-largest city in the state is kind of misleading. There's almost no suburban population to speak of there, so the metro area population basically equals the city population, as opposed to San Antonio or especially DFW/Houston. DFW is the fourth-largest metro in the country, Houston is #5, San Antonio is #25, Austin is #35... El Paso is #67. The McAllen metro area is #70, Corpus is #115, Brownsville is #126. McAllen/Brownsville combined (the RGV) is considerably larger than El Paso. I think you make a good point about its location, but the perception is that there's very little talent in the RGV. Even if there's a kid down there who might be worth a look, he's probably the only kid you're looking at, so if he turns out not to be all that then you just wasted a trip. That's probably why having UTEP around is important for the El Paso kids: yeah, there might not be that many players to look at, but UTEP's not really having to go out of their way to check them out. And, yeah, it probably helps that you can make a stopover there on the way from LA to Dallas or Houston; why not go talk to some high school coaches and see if they've got any talent on hand? In the RGV defense, the talent quality has improved by leaps and bounds in the last decade. The 50's and 60's saw quite a few valley players make their name on such teams rosters as Longhorns and Aggies. It kind of dipped in the 70's and made a brief rebound in the 80's and later dipped in the 90's. But as of late, it's increased and they've even did better a few years sending kids to Division one schools vs the Corpus area. I'm thinking a couple of years ago, Los Fresnos sent four or five kids to schools like Louisville, Kansas and UTEP and these kids started eventually for these schools. Part of it is some parents down there are making good money and enough so to get the training away from schoo that l their kids need and people (ex Pro's and college players with creditials) moving down that way to fill the market. When I was growing up down there, every sport had it's season and was done while the bigger metro areas in the state had the beginings of the select leagues going on and private training. And a summer camp was nothing more than glorified flag football or sandlot baseball. One thing that might help the RGV is UTPA getting a football team which has been tried, but failed to gain support. If you have a legit football program and others see you recruting kids in your area, it might peak interest in those schools to come to town and take a look. Of course that program needs a track record of success and UTEP has had it's moments, but to later regress. But it's enough to get others to take notice if they see UTEP pursuing a kid to maybe take a look at him too. It will be interesting to see how UTSA's football program has increased the takings of San Antonio area kids by others because now that another avenue has been opened for some kids to get looked at by their hometown school even tough they might not have the desire to go there at the end of the day. But I can almost be certain if a kid from San Antonio East Central for example shows up as being heavily looked at by UTSA, then schools like Texas State, maybe even the U of H might decided to give him a look. It still might be hard from him to ultimately get on the radar of a Big 12 or SEC school, but you never know. IMO, having separate seasons for different sports is the way it should be, at least while the kids are below a certain age. I don't mind high school kids or even middle school kids committing to one sport year-round, but 8-year-olds shouldn't be doing it. At that age you have no idea which sport the kid's going to like or be the best at. Heck, even in high school, you've got Kohl Stewart, who's good enough to get a scholarship to play QB for the Aggies and got drafted to pitch for the Minnesota Twins. The Aggies and Longhorns (and the other big-name colleges) are kind of a separate issue from smaller schools, from low-level FBS down to D-II and NAIA. UT/A&M can afford to send a coach down to the Valley if there's a stud recruit (i.e. Bradley Stephens) down there, but UNT or A&M-Commerce probably wouldn't bother. For those schools, that's too much expense to look at one kid. You're probably right that UTPA getting a football program would help them.
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Post by stangs95 on Jun 11, 2013 6:45:24 GMT -6
Not really south Texas, more central Texas. Texas’ recruiting momentum following its Sunday minicamp continued with another new commitment on Monday night.
Marble Falls (Texas) wide receiver Garrett Gray gave the Longhorns his verbal pledge one day after landing an offer at the camp. He becomes the 15th member of Texas’ No. 3 ranked 2014 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver wowed Texas coaches from the very beginning of the day when he busted off a time of 4.4 seconds in his 40-yard dash. Gray went home with his offer, thought things over and was ready to pull the trigger late Monday.
Max Olson/ESPN New Texas commit Garrett Gray, who is 6-foot-4, insists he'll play receiver in college, unless he gains too much weight. “I’m amazing, man. I’m excited about it,” Gray said. “I was always real high on them. They made me feel like family, and they’re going to win. They offered me because they want to go three- and four-wide with their offense, and I went home and thought about it and reached my decision.”
Gray chose Texas over offers from Oklahoma State, UCLA, Cal and nearly a dozen other schools. He joins Lorenzo Joe (Abilene, Texas/Cooper) and Roderick Bernard (Houston/Sharpstown) as the third receiver in Texas’ class.
Though he visited Texas for a spring practice in March, Gray admitted there hadn’t been much contact between him and UT this spring. Once the Longhorns became interested in recent weeks, things moved quickly.
“It’s where I want to be,” Gray said. “I grew up around here and I love where I’m at. I want to be part of that program. They’re going to turn the corner, and I want to be part of that.”
As a junior, Gray caught 80 passes for 1,205 yards and 20 touchdowns for Marble Falls. Going with a UT program located 50 miles southeast from home made too much sense to Gray after he picked up the offer.
But going into the weekend, he sure wasn’t expecting to be a future Longhorn a few days later. It took a while for the offer to truly set in Sunday night, but after that Gray was ready. He’s proud of what he proved at the camp, especially with his 40-yard dash time.
That speed could make Gray an asset in a variety of roles for the Longhorns. Though he’s likely best suited to play outside receiver, he knows his quickness can make for lots of mismatches when a linebacker has to cover him.
“They told me my role depends on how I grow. If I put on 10 or 15 more pounds they’ll put me out wide, but I can play inside," Gray said. "Wherever they can find a mismatch, really. If I get to 240 or 260, they’ll put me at tight end and I can go against linebackers. That’s not Major Applewhite’s plan, but I can be a matchup problem out there.”
That’s not in Gray’s plans, either. He’s not expecting to bulk up and move inside.
“I’m a wideout,” he said. “I’ve proved my speed. Major Applewhite tells people you’ve got to see it to believe it.” Tags:Texas LonghornsFootball RecruitingGarrett Gray
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Post by CLEMENS_2016 on Jun 11, 2013 15:34:07 GMT -6
What I've learned over the years is this: Recruiting targets certain areas of population density. In Texas, DFW is No.1, Houston No.2 and the SATX at No.3. Central Texas is also a hotbed due to proximity of schools. UT, UNT, SMU, TCU, Baylor and A&M are all within an easy drive for a scout when Central TX is considered. South TX is not considered to be a D1 talent pool for some reason.
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Post by SCBuffaloes16 on Jun 11, 2013 20:08:45 GMT -6
What I've learned over the years is this: Recruiting targets certain areas of population density. In Texas, DFW is No.1, Houston No.2 and the SATX at No.3. Central Texas is also a hotbed due to proximity of schools. UT, UNT, SMU, TCU, Baylor and A&M are all within an easy drive for a scout when Central TX is considered. South TX is not considered to be a D1 talent pool for some reason. You are right man! CenTex is a good area for talent, and look no further than Copperas Cove and RGIII. And on other terms, I'm assuming you're C2016 under a new name right?
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Post by CLEMENS_2016 on Jun 11, 2013 20:30:53 GMT -6
Yes, it's me, I messaged you too.
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Post by Clemensbuff on Jun 12, 2013 6:40:07 GMT -6
Not really south Texas, more central Texas. Texas’ recruiting momentum following its Sunday minicamp continued with another new commitment on Monday night. Marble Falls (Texas) wide receiver Garrett Gray gave the Longhorns his verbal pledge one day after landing an offer at the camp. He becomes the 15th member of Texas’ No. 3 ranked 2014 recruiting class. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver wowed Texas coaches from the very beginning of the day when he busted off a time of 4.4 seconds in his 40-yard dash. Gray went home with his offer, thought things over and was ready to pull the trigger late Monday. Max Olson/ESPN New Texas commit Garrett Gray, who is 6-foot-4, insists he'll play receiver in college, unless he gains too much weight. “I’m amazing, man. I’m excited about it,” Gray said. “I was always real high on them. They made me feel like family, and they’re going to win. They offered me because they want to go three- and four-wide with their offense, and I went home and thought about it and reached my decision.” Gray chose Texas over offers from Oklahoma State, UCLA, Cal and nearly a dozen other schools. He joins Lorenzo Joe (Abilene, Texas/Cooper) and Roderick Bernard (Houston/Sharpstown) as the third receiver in Texas’ class. Though he visited Texas for a spring practice in March, Gray admitted there hadn’t been much contact between him and UT this spring. Once the Longhorns became interested in recent weeks, things moved quickly. “It’s where I want to be,” Gray said. “I grew up around here and I love where I’m at. I want to be part of that program. They’re going to turn the corner, and I want to be part of that.” As a junior, Gray caught 80 passes for 1,205 yards and 20 touchdowns for Marble Falls. Going with a UT program located 50 miles southeast from home made too much sense to Gray after he picked up the offer. But going into the weekend, he sure wasn’t expecting to be a future Longhorn a few days later. It took a while for the offer to truly set in Sunday night, but after that Gray was ready. He’s proud of what he proved at the camp, especially with his 40-yard dash time. That speed could make Gray an asset in a variety of roles for the Longhorns. Though he’s likely best suited to play outside receiver, he knows his quickness can make for lots of mismatches when a linebacker has to cover him. “They told me my role depends on how I grow. If I put on 10 or 15 more pounds they’ll put me out wide, but I can play inside," Gray said. "Wherever they can find a mismatch, really. If I get to 240 or 260, they’ll put me at tight end and I can go against linebackers. That’s not Major Applewhite’s plan, but I can be a matchup problem out there.” That’s not in Gray’s plans, either. He’s not expecting to bulk up and move inside. “I’m a wideout,” he said. “I’ve proved my speed. Major Applewhite tells people you’ve got to see it to believe it.” Tags:Texas LonghornsFootball RecruitingGarrett Gray So, he impresses himself it seems. Hopefully this young man learns a little bit more about humility along the way.
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Post by CC_Varmints on Jun 12, 2013 7:58:54 GMT -6
Not really south Texas, more central Texas. Texas’ recruiting momentum following its Sunday minicamp continued with another new commitment on Monday night. Marble Falls (Texas) wide receiver Garrett Gray gave the Longhorns his verbal pledge one day after landing an offer at the camp. He becomes the 15th member of Texas’ No. 3 ranked 2014 recruiting class. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver wowed Texas coaches from the very beginning of the day when he busted off a time of 4.4 seconds in his 40-yard dash. Gray went home with his offer, thought things over and was ready to pull the trigger late Monday. Max Olson/ESPN New Texas commit Garrett Gray, who is 6-foot-4, insists he'll play receiver in college, unless he gains too much weight. “I’m amazing, man. I’m excited about it,” Gray said. “I was always real high on them. They made me feel like family, and they’re going to win. They offered me because they want to go three- and four-wide with their offense, and I went home and thought about it and reached my decision.” Gray chose Texas over offers from Oklahoma State, UCLA, Cal and nearly a dozen other schools. He joins Lorenzo Joe (Abilene, Texas/Cooper) and Roderick Bernard (Houston/Sharpstown) as the third receiver in Texas’ class. Though he visited Texas for a spring practice in March, Gray admitted there hadn’t been much contact between him and UT this spring. Once the Longhorns became interested in recent weeks, things moved quickly. “It’s where I want to be,” Gray said. “I grew up around here and I love where I’m at. I want to be part of that program. They’re going to turn the corner, and I want to be part of that.” As a junior, Gray caught 80 passes for 1,205 yards and 20 touchdowns for Marble Falls. Going with a UT program located 50 miles southeast from home made too much sense to Gray after he picked up the offer. But going into the weekend, he sure wasn’t expecting to be a future Longhorn a few days later. It took a while for the offer to truly set in Sunday night, but after that Gray was ready. He’s proud of what he proved at the camp, especially with his 40-yard dash time. That speed could make Gray an asset in a variety of roles for the Longhorns. Though he’s likely best suited to play outside receiver, he knows his quickness can make for lots of mismatches when a linebacker has to cover him. “They told me my role depends on how I grow. If I put on 10 or 15 more pounds they’ll put me out wide, but I can play inside," Gray said. "Wherever they can find a mismatch, really. If I get to 240 or 260, they’ll put me at tight end and I can go against linebackers. That’s not Major Applewhite’s plan, but I can be a matchup problem out there.” That’s not in Gray’s plans, either. He’s not expecting to bulk up and move inside. “I’m a wideout,” he said. “I’ve proved my speed. Major Applewhite tells people you’ve got to see it to believe it.” Tags:Texas LonghornsFootball RecruitingGarrett Gray So, he impresses himself it seems. Hopefully this young man learns a little bit more about humility along the way. That Mac Davis song comes to mind....
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Post by Clemensbuff on Jun 12, 2013 8:52:21 GMT -6
ROFLMAO ccv
Good stuff!!!!
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Post by CrabFan-1977 on Jun 12, 2013 12:49:25 GMT -6
I took it as a misquote or misprint. I believe he either meant "it's amazing" or "I'm amazed". But I could be wrong. Maybe being a Texas fan I am hoping that is what he meant to say. Not that he really is all into himself like that.
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Post by stangs95 on Jun 12, 2013 17:54:57 GMT -6
He said "I'm amazed". It was a typo by the reporter writing the story.
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Post by Clemensbuff on Jun 13, 2013 6:43:39 GMT -6
I'm really glad to hear this. I didn't think a kid who played for this coach would act this way.
Sounds like a kid with a ton of skills......and blazing speed for his size! All the tools to be a bigtime college FB player
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Post by CLEMENS_2016 on Jun 16, 2013 9:16:29 GMT -6
Even though the El Paso schools traditionally do not do well in the playoffs they have a fairly good amount of recruitment. It's easy to fly in and out of there so maybe there is something to the accessibility theory. I grew up in El Paso and I have to say this... the problem with EP is that it's a remote location first and foremost, 2nd you can be the best athlete in the city (for that part you'd be the best athlete in all of West Texas since EP esentially is West Texas) and you'd be recruited by NM State, UTEP and if you're lucky TT and TCU because it just isn't a talent hot bed and 3rdly... other than military kids travelling in and out of there, the indigenous talent level is lacking. I left HS with offers to 5 schools- some decent, some outright offensive and I was lucky. Our coaches were the products of sadistic hordes of mongols in comparison to what todays kids are used too. Also the EPISD is under scrutiny by TEA for cheating on the required tests and graduation requirements. Recently everyone was voted out of office on the school board... obviously they're not prepping kids for college. As a former EL Pasoan I say this: "If my mother would move in with my family, we'd only have to go to visit my Father's gravesite ( I love you Dad and Happy Father's Day ), other than that EP Football is not on par with the rest of the state."
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