Prep coaches laud UA-A&M series

BY RICHARD DAVENPORT

Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/219495/

The renewal of the Arkansas-Texas A&M football series should help the Razorbacks ’ recruiting efforts in Texas, high school coaches in that state said.

Former Southwest Conference rivals Arkansas and Texas A&M announced Monday a 10-year agreement to play each other at the Dallas Cowboys ’ new stadium in Arlington, Texas, beginning with the 2009 season.

There has been plenty of debate about the Razorbacks ’ ability to successfully recruit players from Texas since the Razorbacks left the Southwest Conference in 1991 to join the SEC. Many believe leaving the Southwest Conference hurt the Razorbacks’ ability to get top recruits from the state.

Coach Joey McGuire routinely turns out top prospects at Cedar Hill, which is about 17 miles south of Dallas. He said he believes the Hogs will benefit from playing every year in the Dallas area.

“A&M has already made a big push on the Metroplex,” said McGuire, who in five years at Cedar Hill has a 42-17 record with one Class 5 A state title. “I think it’s huge for Arkansas. They’ve already done a good job in Texas, but to have a game here for the next 10 years, I think it’s only going to help them.”

Some question whether having one game a season in Arlington will be enough to convince Texas athletes to choose the Razorbacks, but McGuire believes it can be a factor.

“Arkansas is still close enough to the Metroplex,” he said. “You start thinking my parents are going to get to see me whenever I’m at home in either Little Rock or Fayetteville, and then having a game here in the Metroplex is going to be huge.

“ Then [you ] have an opportunity to play in the new stadium, and that place is going to be incredible, so there’s a lot of things recruitingwise you can use on Metroplex kids.”

Coach Tom Westerberg has coached seven years at Allen, which is 26 miles north of Dallas, and compared the Arkansas-Texas A&M series to the Texas-Oklahoma series.

“I think it will be good,” said Westerberg, who attended A&M from 1982-1987. “I think with Oklahoma and Texas playing in Dallas and now Arkansas and A&M, I think all the exposure they get down in this area will be good for them.”

Westerberg said he believes Arkansas’ performance in the series will dictate how much success the Razorbacks have when it comes to luring recruits from the area.

“I think if they perform well in the game it will [help ],” Westerberg said. “I think if they come down and not do so well, I don’t think it will sway too many kids. I think you have to have pretty good success in that game.”

Frisco Centennial Coach Mark Howard, whose quarterback Ryan Mossakowski is being sought by many schools, including Arkansas, also thinks the series will improve the Razorbacks’ recruiting in Texas.

“Kids that are A&M fans or aren’t A&M fans and parents and relatives alike will get to see what kind of football is being played at Arkansas,” said Howard, whose school is about 28 miles north of Dallas. “If you’re successful, it’s going to draw people to your program.”

While the Razorbacks should reap benefits particularly in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, some coaches in the Houston area see the series doing the same there.

Rosenberg Terry High School Coach Tim Teyki lettered at A&M from 1974-1977 and said he is excited to see the renewal of the rivalry.

“How will it affect recruiting ? I mean, Arkansas speaks for itself,” said Teyki, whose school is on the outskirts of Houston. “You have a new coach, and it will introduce him and what he’s trying to do offensively and defensively.”

Katy Coach Gary Joseph has little doubt the renewal of the series will enhance Arkansas ’ recruiting efforts in the state.

“There’s no question,” said Joseph, whose school is about 16 miles east of Houston. “A lot of people follow A&M, so I think that’s going to be big because they may be watching A&M but they also get a chance to watch Arkansas play, too, and I think the style they’re going to be playing may intrigue a lot of kids, especially in that area [Dallas ].

“ I think it’s going to be a neat deal for them. It’s going to be a chance to get good exposure in the state, and having the game in that complex can’t do anything but help them.”