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?”