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?”

Source link

Click to comment

Texas

Democrat James Talarico wins Senate primary in Texas

Published

9 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Democrat James Talarico wins Senate primary in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — James Talarico did not mention Donald Trump when he greeted exuberant supporters at his primary night celebration.

But the newly minted Democratic U.S. Senate nominee in Texas is now a front man for the political opposition to the Republican president, not just in his own state but around the country. With his victory over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the state lawmaker from Austin will test whether a smiling message of unity and change is enough to answer voters’ frustrations amid discord at home and now a war abroad.

READ MORE: What to watch in the consequential Senate primaries in Texas

“We are not just trying to win an election,” Talarico told supporters in the Texas capital early Wednesday. “We are trying to fundamentally change our politics, and it’s working.”

The campaign provided “Love thy Neighbor” signs to people in the crowd.

The question for Talarico as he heads into the general election campaign is whether he can generate enthusiasm from voters who opted for Crockett because they saw her as the more aggressive fighter against Trump. Crockett conceded to Talarico on Wednesday morning, saying that “Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person.”

Talarico will need all the help he can get in a Republican-dominated state where Democrats have gone decades without winning a statewide race. He will face either U.S. Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who advanced to a Republican runoff on Tuesday.

Conventional political wisdom has it that Talarico was the stronger Democratic candidate in November, especially if Republicans nominate Paxton, a conservative firebrand who has weathered allegations of corruption and infidelity over the years.

WATCH: What’s at stake for Democrats and Republicans in the Texas Senate primaries

Although Democrats are often choosing between moderate and progressive candidates in primaries, they faced a largely stylistic choice in Texas.

Talarico, 36, is a Presbyterian seminarian who quotes Scripture and rarely raises his voice. Crockett, 44, is an unapologetic political brawler who hammers Trump and other Republicans with acidic flourish.

Both have been reliably progressive votes in their current roles and telegenic faces across cable news and social media. Both represent generational change for a party with aging leadership. Each called for a more equitable economy and society. Each talked about bringing sporadic voters into their coalitions.

But Talarico’s broader argument is one that he could have made regardless of whether Trump was in the White House. Talarico’s campaign, he said often, is about addressing a country whose fundamental divide is not partisan but “top vs. bottom.” He regularly assails the rise in Christian nationalism. A former teacher, he has advocated for public education –- and against Texas conservatives’ policies to restrict curriculum and reshape how U.S. history is taught.

“He’s just a good friend and he’s a serious advocate for the disenfranchised and a serious policymaker,” said Lea Downey Gallatin, 40, an Austin resident who became friends with Talarico when they interned together for a congressman.

Crockett promised Democrats that she could increase turnout within the party’s base, while Talarico campaigned on the theory that he could pull new people into the party’s tent.

“I can’t tell you how many have come up to me, whispering that they’re not a Democrat,” Talarico said as he campaigned in San Antonio in the closing days of the primary campaign. “I can’t tell you how many young people have said it’s the first time that they’ve ever voted, and that they are participating for the first time.”

As he strolled through the city, Talarico posed for pictures and greeted the singer of a Tejano band playing nearby. He later spoke to hundreds of people at the historic Stable Hall, a 130-year-old circular structure built for showing horses and now a converted event center. Hundreds more, unable to get into the full event, wound around the corner and along the sidewalk for blocks.

Inside, Lori Alvarez, a 39-year-old who works for a disaster relief nonprofit, said she supported Talarico because “he really listens to what we need.”

“I think he’s going to be able to make change in Washington for us,” said the married mother of three young girls.

Yet that was not what attracted so many voters to Crockett.

Troy Burroughs, a 61-year-old Navy retiree, called Crockett “rugged” and “the only one I see fighting for us.”

He added: “I like how she doesn’t back down from anybody.”

Burroughs said some voters probably saw Talarico as more electable because he is more soft-spoken. But, he said, “We’ve got to get into the gutter with these folks, because that’s where they are.”

Talarico, meanwhile, keeps fighting his own way.

“Tonight, the people of our state gave this country a little bit of hope,” he said Tuesday, “and a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing.”

Barrow reported from Atlanta, Figueroa from Austin, Texas, and Beaumont from San Antonio.

A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.

Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue.

Source link

Texas

Big top, bigger mission: Inclusive Omnium Circus makes Texas debut in Garland

Published

21 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Big top, bigger mission: Inclusive Omnium Circus makes Texas debut in Garland

Garland is about to witness a different kind of big top spectacle when Omnium Circus’ new show “I’m Possible” rolls into town for its first Texas performance on March 16 and 17 at the Atrium in Garland.

This inclusive circus was founded in 2020 by founder and executive director Lisa B. Lewis. She is no stranger to the circus world. Lewis grew up attending the circus with her grandfather, who was a Shriner. She would then later begin her own circus career at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Clown College.

A performer in a black suit rides inside a cyr wheel
against a stage lit in red. The letters of the OMNIUM
sign are in the background.

The idea for an inclusive circus came to her during one of her first experiences working as a clown. Lewis says that during her performance, she saw a row of grumpy teenagers.

“They had their arms folded like they were mad and grumpy, and then my partner, whom I was working with, began telling jokes in sign language,” Lewis said. “How he knew they were deaf, I don’t know. The group of teenagers immediately started laughing, and the energy of the entire section shifted.”

Lewis said that in that moment, something clicked in her head, and she realized the power of inclusion.

She would then go on to spread joy through the art of circus to special-needs kids. And then later, she created Omnium Circus.

“Circus elevates our belief in ourselves; it allows us to see the best of what humanity has to offer,” Lewis said.

A female with blue hair facing a man with a red hat
between them is a large bubble with... — A female with blue hair facing a man with a red hat
between them is a large bubble with smaller bubbles
inside of it. There is a golden light coming from
behind the bubbles.
Maike Schulz

Omnium is a Latin word meaning of all and belonging to all. The circus’ mission is to create joy and entertainment for all no matter the body you inhabit or the skin that you’re in.

The hour-long show in Garland will feature many inclusive acts, such as deaf singer-songwriter Mandy Harvey, an America’s Got Talent finalist and Golden Buzzer winner.

The show will feature two ringmasters: deaf ringmaster Malik Paris will conduct the sign-language portion of the show, while ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson will handle the vocal portion. Iverson is the first Black ringmaster for a major U.S. circus, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

A juggler wearing red and black gazes at his pins in
the air while cast members around him... — A juggler wearing red and black gazes at his pins in
the air while cast members around him look on in
amazement. The letters of the OMNIUM sign are in
the background behind the performers.

The show will also feature the six-time Paraclimbing World Cup champion, the world’s fastest female juggler, clowns from Dallas, plus more.

Details: March 16 at 7 p.m. and March 17 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.at the Atrium, 300 N. 5th Street, Garland. Tickets are $21.99 for youth and $27.19 for adults.

Source link

Texas

Texas GOP Sen. Cornyn tries to hold his seat for a 5th term while Democrats Crockett, Talarico face off

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Texas GOP Sen. Cornyn tries to hold his seat for a 5th term while Democrats Crockett, Talarico face off

DALLAS (AP) — Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is trying to hold on for a fifth term in Tuesday’s GOP primary, while Democrats will choose whether to send Rep. Jasmine Crockett or state Rep. James Talarico to a November general election where the party once again hopes it has a chance.

Texas is one of three states kicking off this year’s midterm elections, a slate of primaries that come as the U.S. and Israel are at war with Iran. The war, which began over the weekend, has killed at least six U.S. service members, spiraled into a regional confrontation as Iran retaliated and sent oil and natural gas prices soaring. President Donald Trump, who campaigned on an isolationist “America First” agenda and went to war without authorization from Congress, faces mounting questions over its rationale and an exit strategy.

Tuesday also is the final day of voting in North Carolina and Arkansas in primaries that mark the start of the 2026 midterms, as Democrats look to break the GOP’s hold on Washington and derail Trump.

Cornyn faces a challenge from MAGA favorite Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, and Rep. Wesley Hunt in a contest that’s expected to advance to a May runoff between the top two vote-getters. The three Republicans have campaigned on their ties to Trump, who has not endorsed in the race.

Crockett and Talarico each argue that they are the stronger general election candidate in a state that backed Trump by almost 14 percentage points in 2024 and where a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race in over 30 years.

Voters also are choosing House candidates using new congressional district boundaries that GOP lawmakers — urged on by Trump — redrew to help elect more Republicans.

Cornyn fights to hold seat, Crockett and Talarico race for Democrats

Cornyn hopes to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history not to be renominated.

His cool relationship with Trump is part of why Cornyn is vulnerable. He and allied groups have spent $64 million in television advertising alone since July to try stabilize his support.

Paxton began campaigning in earnest only last month but has made national headlines for filing lawsuits against Democratic initiatives. He has remained popular in Texas despite a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, of which he was acquitted, and accusations of marital infidelity by his wife.

Senate GOP leaders, who are backing Cornyn, worry that Paxton’s liabilities would require the party to spend substantially to defend the seat if he is the nominee — money that could be better used elsewhere.

READ MORE: Lawsuit by Trump ally Paxton asserts unproven claim of autism risk from acetaminophen

Paxton has run ads touting his support from Turning Point USA, the group founded by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as well as Kirk’s praise for Paxton before he was assassinated in September.

Hunt’s entry into the race in October made it trickier for any primary candidate to win at least 50%, the threshold needed to avoid a May 26 runoff.

All three Republicans have run ads boasting of their coziness with Trump.

On the Democratic side, the party’s first major contest of 2026 offers a choice between stylistic opposites as it hungers for its first Senate win in Texas since 1988.

Talarico, a seminarian who often references the Bible, has held rallies across the state including in heavily Republican areas. Crockett, who has built a national profile for zinger attacks on Republicans, has focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas.

Talarico had outspent Crockett on television advertising by more than four to one as of late February. He got a burst of attention last month from CBS’ decision not to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert. Colbert said the network pulled the interview for fear of running afoul of Trump’s FCC. Talarico’s campaign announced it raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after the interview — which was streamed online — was pulled from TV.

Key House primaries

Texas Republicans’ unusual, mid-decade redistricting was aimed at helping Trump’s party pick up five Democratic-held seats in an effort to avoid losing control of the House. It set up some intraparty conflicts between Democratic incumbents, and what are expected to be some of November’s most competitive races.

In the 34th District, former Rep. Mayra Flores is attempting a comeback. Flores made history in a 2022 special election as the first Republican to win in the Rio Grande Valley in 150 years, but she lost her bid for a full term later that year. She faces Eric Flores, a lawyer endorsed by Trump, for the nomination to run against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez.

In the 23rd District, Rep. Tony Gonzales is considered vulnerable after fellow Republicans called on him to resign over an affair with a staffer who killed herself. He is being challenged by gun manufacturer and YouTube influencer Brandon Herrera, who calls himself “the AK guy.” The district includes Uvalde, site of a deadly 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw is challenged in the 2nd District by GOP state Rep. Steve Toth, who was endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz.

Former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira is running in District 21, in southwest Texas, for the seat held by Republican Rep. Chip Roy, who is running for state attorney general. Teixeira, a Republican, played for four MLB teams, including the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees when they won the 2009 World Series.

Democrat Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy winner, is running in South Texas’ 15th District against physician Ada Cuellar. The nominee will face two-term Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz.

In the 33rd District, Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson faces former Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and 2024 Senate nominee. Johnson, a first-term congresswoman, is seen as vulnerable partly because Allred previously represented part of the district, which weaves through the Dallas and Fort Worth areas. He also retains a national fundraising network from his Senate campaign.

And Democratic Rep. Al Green also is fighting to stay in office after his Houston-based 9th District was drawn to be lean Republican. Green, 78, is now running in a newly drawn 18th District against Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee, 37, who won a January special election for the current 18th District. The new one includes two-thirds of Green’s old district.

Abbott and Hinojosa seem bound to face off for governor, while Roy seeks Paxton’s office

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is running for reelection and faces a likely matchup with Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa.

Four-term U.S. Rep. Chip Roy is seeking the GOP nomination for state attorney general, with Paxton running for Senate. Roy has been a prominent member of the conservative Freedom Caucus.

A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.

Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue.

Source link