Texas

Texas colleges spend big money on official visits for top high school football recruits

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2024

Texas colleges spend big money on official visits for top high school football recruits

DeSOTO — Claude Mathis has a rule for his players on the recruiting trail: If you’re going to commit to a school, you better visit it first.

As a former coach in the college ranks, most recently in charge of running backs at SMU, the head coach of DeSoto’s back-to-back state championship teams knows how it goes.

“I know how y’all roll out the red carpet,” Mathis said of college athletic department staff. “So I try to tell our kids and [DeSoto recruiting coordinator Kerry Sweeny] tries to tell our kids, ‘Go and find the best fit for you. Look at the position. Look at the coach. Look at how many they put out. Look at the scheme that you’re going to be in.”

During the uncertain and turbulent recruiting process, official visits are a 48-hour window for colleges to show what they have to offer and gain the trust of recruits and their families. And as Mathis said, top-tier programs in Texas and elsewhere will spend big money to make an impression.

Public records obtained by The Dallas Morning News show what some colleges are spending on transportation, meals, accommodations and “reasonable entertainment” for a player and up to four guests, with some exceptions. Barring a head coaching change, a player is allowed only one visit per school.

From June 23-25, Houston spent almost $47,000 to host nine prospective recruits, including DeSoto three-star offensive lineman Ronnell McLain, the 10th-best offensive lineman and 79th overall player on SportsDay’s top 100 recruits list.

Nearly six months later, he remembered going bowling with then-head coach Dana Holgorsen and his staff.

“They have a competitive edge,” McLain said of the coaches. “It was still like a visit, but they were still trying to beat me. I like that.”

The trip to Pinstripes, a chain of upscale bowling alleys and restaurants, cost $4,800, according to university documents.

It was an opportunity for coaches to talk with families about more than just football, Houston director of player personnel Casey Smithson said.

Houston attempts to illustrate what makes the university’s location distinct from many other major conference schools, he said, whether that means taking recruits to Astros games or allowing families to sample the cuisine from one of the country’s highest-rated food cities.

“Going to the Astros and eating dinner isn’t going to change a kid’s mind,” Smithson said. “But it is something cool.”

On McLain’s visit, the school spent over $5,000 on a “Taste of Houston” event at TDECU Stadium, catering barbeque, Mexican, seafood and more.

“The food was good,” McLain said, laughing. “I ain’t gonna lie. The food was good.”

The investment paid off with McLain, who committed to Houston a day after returning home. He stayed with the Cougars even after Holgorsen was fired and replaced with Willie Fritz.

“He was somebody we wanted [and] we didn’t want to lose,” Smithson said, crediting McLain’s loyalty to the relationship he built with offensive line coach Eman Naghavi, who has also remained on staff.

The same weekend McLain went to Houston, Texas’ athletic department spent nearly $868,000 to host at least 20 recruits, according to university records. Four of the six Dallas-area players listed as attendees by 247Sports signed with the Longhorns on early signing day: Duncanville defensive linemen Colin Simmons (No. 1 on SportsDay’s top 100) and Alex January (No. 21, Allen defensive lineman Zina Umeozulu (No. 5) and Lovejoy wide receiver Parker Livingstone (No. 15).

Texas Tech, meanwhile, spent nearly $194,000 on two visits in June attended by several area players, including eventual signees Ellis Davis of Prosper (No. 24 on the top 100), defensive lineman Cheta Ofili of Sachse (No. 35) and tight end Trey Jackson of South Oak Cliff (No. 55).

South Oak Cliff recruiting coordinator Michael Traylor, who has worked with some of the state’s most highly touted recruits, says these visits can be an eye-opening experience for players and their families.

“I do think it’s great exposure,” Traylor said. “Some of our kids have never been on a plane before. Some of them have been on a bus before. Just being able to travel, get that process where somebody’s waiting for you with car service and things of that nature. That’s a different level of living for a lot of the kids that we serve.”

He cautions families about adopting the mindset of taking as many “paid vacations” as possible. He’s had plenty of recruits call months after a visit, excited to commit, only to learn there’s no longer a spot available.

“A lot of times, they try to take advantage of what I would consider inner-city kids,” said Traylor, “and kind of just tell them anything.”

Of course, recruits can also flip before they sign (which Mathis and Traylor said they discourage), and college programs have to plan accordingly. Smithson acknowledged recruiting can be a fluid process, especially with colleges both gaining and losing more experienced talent in the transfer portal.

Former USC and Oklahoma cornerback Latrell McCutchin, for example, attended the same visit as McLain and also committed to the Cougars.

“The biggest thing we tell guys is, whenever we go through and we’re offering guys, we’re always evaluating them,” Smithson said, “just like they’re evaluating us and all the other schools that are recruiting them. So, it’s a tough process.”

If a school wants to sign three offensive linemen, he explained, it’s going to recruit more than three.

“Let’s say those numbers fill up,” he said. “There’s not much you can do until something changes.”

Traylor and Sweeny, the DeSoto recruiting coordinator, say they ensure their players are ready to ask questions during their visits and throughout the process. McLain, for example, knows what he wants to study and asked the staff at Houston about their kinesiology program.

“They have a good program,” he said. “It played a big part in my decision.”

Interactions with fellow recruits matter, too, Midlothian Heritage defensive lineman Temerrick Johnson said. Johnson, SportsDay’s No. 61 overall player in the Dallas area, visited Stillwater in mid-June and committed to Oklahoma State two weeks later.

“Those will be your teammates in the same class as you,” said Johnson, who signed with the Cowboys last Wednesday. “You might room with them. That plays a role too.”

The era of name, image and likeness deals has become another important consideration. Recruits across various sports have told The News they’ve listened to presentations about NIL opportunities on several of their visits.

In revenue sports such as football, Traylor said, potential deals from collectives can mean the difference between a family being able to travel to games or having to watch from home.

“Some of these kids are getting life-changing money,” he said. “Some of them are getting family-changing money.”

Mathis and Sweeny said families of current and former DeSoto players often call with NIL questions. Both coaches said they sometimes must talk with colleges to find the best deals on the table for their players.

“We make the tough phone calls that some parents are scared to take, or nervous to take,” Sweeny said. “We’re going to get those answers for our parents and kids.”

In the end, players and their families have various priorities and goals, and Sweeny and Mathis said a player has to make a decision for himself.

“We’re not just going to try to sign you to a school because of the logo,” Sweeny said. “What schools fit you?”

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Texas

Arizona State transfer RB Raleek Brown commits to Texas

Published

12 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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Arizona State transfer RB Raleek Brown commits to Texas

Recruiting a running back out of the NCAA transfer portal wasn’t clean and simple after the winter window opened last week, but the Texas Longhorns were able to land a huge commitment from Arizona State transfer Raleek Brown on Thursday.

The 5’9, 196-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining.

Texas offered Brown out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana (Calif.) when he was a top-100 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 3 running back nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Brown committed to home-state USC without taking any other official visits.

Brown’s career with the Trojans didn’t go as planned, however — after flashing as a freshman with 227 yards on 42 carries (5.4 avg) with three touchdowns and 16 receptions for 175 yards (10.97 avg) and three touchdowns, Brown moved to wide receiver as a sophomore and only appeared in two games, recording three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Wanting to play running back again, Brown transferred to Arizona State in 2024, but was limited by a hamstring injury to 48 yards of total offense.

In 2025, though, Brown finally had his breakout season with 186 carries for 1,141 yards and four touchdowns, adding 34 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Brown forced 53 missed tackles last season, 67 percent of the total missed tackles forced by Texas running backs, and more than half of his rushing yardage came after contact.

Brown ran a sub 4.5 40-yard dash and sub-11 100-meter dash in high school and flashed that explosiveness with runs of 75 yards and 88 yards in 2025, so Brown brings the speed that the Longhorns need with 31 yards over 10 yards, as well as proven route-running and pass-catching ability.

At Arizona State, the scheme leaned towards gap runs, but Brown has the skill set to be an excellent outsize zone back if Texas head coach Steve Sarksian decides that he wants to major in that scheme once again.

With one running back secured from the portal, the question becomes whether Sarkisian and new running backs coach Jabbar Juluke want to add a big-bodied back to the roster or are comfortable with rising redshirt sophomore Christian Clark and incoming freshman Derrek Cooper handling that role.

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Texas leaders react to fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Published

24 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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Texas leaders react to fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

article

Texas lawmakers are lighting up social media with opinions about the fatal shooting of a woman in a car in Minneapolis by an ICE officer on Wednesday morning.

Reports from officers differ drastically from those of uninvolved eyewitnesses — the official DHS stance is self-defense against a “domestic terrorist,” while bystanders tell a story of an innocent woman trying to leave peacefully.

The political internet arena Texas is divided along party lines. Republicans generally condemn Minnesota leaders’ reactions to the shooting, while Democrats are calling for ICE to be investigated for the possible murder of a civilian by an anonymous officer.

Texas Republicans react

Among the most vocal of the Texas GOP members after Wednesday’s shooting, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Houston) was quick to question Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s dismay at the incident. Hunt posted the following to X, formerly Twitter:

“We’ve hit a breaking point in this country when an ICE officer is rammed by a lunatic in an SUV and the Mayor of Minneapolis responds not with condemnation, but by telling federal law enforcement to “get the f*ck out!”

UNITED STATES – JANUARY 22: Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Hunt, currently in the running for U.S. Senate, later reposted a Fox News video of Gov. Tim Walz’ reaction. Hunt compared Walz to Jefferson Davis before posting a full statement later in the evening that reads, in part, as follows:

“The radical left isn’t turning the temperature down, they’re cranking it to 450 degrees. When leaders normalize this kind of rhetoric, the outcome isn’t hypothetical. It’s dangerous. It’s reckless. And it puts lives at risk. If violence follows, responsibility doesn’t belong to the officers enforcing the law, it belongs to the politicians who lit the fuse.”

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was more to the point with his criticism of Minnesota leaders, reposting a different video of Walz and referencing the recent fraud scandal within the state.

Walz in the video said Minnesota is “at war with the federal government.” Cruz replied, “Is that why y’all stole $9 billion?”

Texas Democrats react

The other side:

State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin), another candidate for the same U.S. Senate seat as Hunt, rang in from the other side of the aisle.

“At our town hall last night, I called for a full investigation into ICE,” Talarico said in his post on X. “Today, an ICE agent shot and killed a civilian. We should haul these masked men before Congress so the world can see their faces.”

State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, during a campaign event in Houston, Texas, US, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Talarico is jumping into the Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas, taking on a former

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, yet another Senate hopeful, also expressed his ire for the actions in Minneapolis.

“As a civil rights attorney, I’m outraged by today’s ICE shooting in Minnesota that took a woman’s life,” Allred said on X. “No family should lose a loved one this way. No community should live in this fear. ICE has become a rogue agency — operating recklessly, terrorizing communities, and now taking lives. To every community terrorized by these tactics: I see you. I stand with you. And I won’t stop fighting until you’re safe.”

Minneapolis fatal ICE shooting

The backstory:

An ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.

Federal officials are claiming the agent acted in self-defense, but Minnesota leaders disagree. The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. in the area of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue. The woman died at the hospital.

Witnesses told FOX Local that a woman got into a red vehicle and there was one ICE agent on either side of the vehicle trying to get in, and a third ICE agent came and tried to yank on the driver’s side door. One of the agents on the driver’s side door backed away, and then opened fire, shooting three times through the driver’s side window, witnesses said. One witness said the vehicle wasn’t moving toward the agents. However, federal officials said ICE officers were “conducting targeted operations” when “rioters” blocked officers. One of the “rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”

Officials said an ICE officer who was “fearing for his life” fired “defensive shots” to save himself and his officers, killing the woman.

A video of the shooting shows a red Honda Pilot blocking the roadway as an ICE squad approaches. When agents approach the vehicle, the Pilot attempts to drive away, moving towards an agent. When that happens, the agent fires three shots at the driver. Police say the driver was struck in the head. The agent appears to mostly avoid the vehicle as it speeds past and ends up crashing into a parked vehicle.

The Source: Information in this report comes from public statements made by Texas lawmakers on social media. Background comes from FOX 9 coverage in Minneapolis.

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Texas investigations into Charlie Kirk posts spark free-speech lawsuit

Published

2 days ago

January 7, 2026

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Texas investigations into Charlie Kirk posts spark free-speech lawsuit

A Texas teachers union has sued the state over what it said was a trampling of educators’ free speech rights when hundreds came under investigation for their comments after the killing of Charlie Kirk.

The Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers filed the federal lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency and its commissioner Mike Morath on Jan. 6, the union said. The suit claims investigations into at least 350 teachers after Kirk’s death were “unlawful” and that a letter issued by Morath to superintendents around the state targeting “reprehensible and inappropriate content on social media” prompted punishment and retaliation against teachers.

Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The cofounder of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth-focused organization, Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump. Shooting suspect Tyler Robinson has been charged with his murder.

After Kirk’s death, a wave of backlash came in response to online posts condemning his views or otherwise criticizing him. Right-leaning public figures and prominent social media accounts called for firings of people whose posts they deemed inappropriate.

Morath’s letter on Sept. 12 directed superintendents to report “inappropriate conduct being shared” to the Texas Education Agency’s Educator Investigations Division, which investigates teachers for allegations of misconduct, the Texas AFT said in its suit, which was reviewed by USA TODAY. The union said teachers were investigated not for speech made in classrooms, but for posts made on their personal, often private social media pages.

“In the months since, the consequences for our members have run the gamut from written reprimands and administrative leave to doxxing and termination from their jobs,” AFT Vice President and Texas Chapter President Zeph Capo said at a news conference.

The Texas Education Agency didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Jan. 7.

Lawsuit claims teachers were disciplined for exercising free speech

The lawsuit filed by the Texas AFT claims that teachers in public schools have a constitutionally protected right to free speech, and that their speech in their personal capacity, such as on social media, is protected. The suit claims that teachers’ rights were violated when they were investigated or faced disciplinary action for their posts about Kirk. It also alleges that the policy to report teachers for “inappropriate” content was unfairly vague.

“These teachers were disciplined solely for their speech, without any regard to whether the posts disrupted school operations in any way,” the lawsuit reads.

Teachers whose cases are mentioned in the lawsuit were kept anonymous, Capo said, to protect them from further harassment. Many teachers are fearful to express any more opinions, effectively silencing their speech, he said.

One of the teachers, who made a post described in the lawsuit as one that “simply raised questions about the circumstances of Mr. Kirk’s death and did not promote violence in any way,” was shared by a lawmaker who used it as part of an election campaign and called for the teacher’s dismissal. The high school English teacher, who has taught for 27 years, was placed on administrative leave and later fired. She settled a wrongful termination claim with the school district, the lawsuit said.

Another teacher of 16 years and a military veteran who previously won “Teacher of the Year” in his school district and made posts criticizing Kirk for his views on Black Americans is under an ongoing investigation by the state agency, the lawsuit said.

“We denounced Charlie Kirk’s assassination, we denounced violence after Uvalde. We denounce violence,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “What happened in the next few days (after Kirk’s killing), wasn’t about violence or denouncing violence, it was about muzzling the expression of constitutionally protected nonviolent speech.”

Dozens lost jobs over posts about Kirk

In the wake of Kirk’s death in September, USA TODAY counted dozens of examples of people who lost their jobs, were suspended or investigated over posts or comments they made about the conservative podcaster, including educators, lawyers, doctors, first responders and others.

They include a dean at Middle Tennessee State, Laura Sosh-Lightsy, who was fired for a social media post saying she had “zero sympathy” for Kirk; a Marine who called Kirk a “racist man” who was “popped”; and Jimmy Kimmel, whose ABC show was temporarily suspended after he made comments about Kirk.

Some educators who lost their jobs filed lawsuits alleging their free speech rights were violated. A teacher in Iowa who compared Kirk to a Nazi; a South Carolina teacher’s assistant who posted a Kirk quote and said she disagreed with him but called the death a “tragedy”; and an employee of an Indiana university who said Kirk’s death was wrong and condemned some of his beliefs all filed suits on free speech, according to reporting from the USA TODAY Network. Each case kicked up a flurry of social media outrage and calls for the educators’ firings.

In Tennessee, a tenured theater professor at Austin Peay State University was reinstated after originally being fired for comments he made online after Kirk’s killing, the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, recently reported.

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