This is a good article that is in today's Houston Chronicle about Texas recruiting. Since UL does recruit Texas, it should be of interest.

'T' in Texans stands for talent
Conference landscapes may have changed, but state will remain recruiting battleground
By DAVID BARRON
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
June 20, 2010, 10:22PM


RANKINGS
AP | USA Today Top 25 | BCS Even as some among the surviving members of the Big 12 grumble about the outsized influence of Texas on the league's operations, they continue to send recruiters in droves to scoop up players from the nation's most productive proving ground for college athletes.

The Big 12, in fact, can be divided into two almost-equal camps: Texas high school alumni and everybody else. In 2010, 48.1 percent of the 287 high school players signed by the 12 schools came from Texas, The next largest contributor was Florida with 18 players, followed by Kansas with 15 and California and Oklahoma with 14 each.

Most of the old Big Eight schools now routinely sign more players from Texas than they do from their home states. Over the last five years, only Colorado and Kansas State have signed more locals than Texans. Over the life of the Big 12, Kansas has signed more players from Dallas-Fort Worth alone than it has signed from its own state.

The survival of the Big 12 means those recruiting pipelines will survive, too. In fact, they likely would have survived out of sheer necessity even if the league collapsed as a result of the recent realignment circus.

"Kansas, Missouri, Iowa — they just don't have the population base. They have to come here," said Randy Rodgers, a former University of Texas recruiting coordinator who now consults for colleges and operates a scouting service.

The departure of Colorado and Nebraska, in fact, will make the league even more Texas-centric. Colorado is the only Big 12 school that over the last five years has recruited its own state and others, primarily California, more heavily than Texas. Nebraska has stepped up its inroads into Texas over the last five years but during the league's first decade generally focused elsewhere.

No void left to fill
Had UT, Texas Tech and Texas A&M decamped to the Pac-16, it would have opened up a new front in the year-round chase for top football talent.

California dominates the Pac-10 in similar fashion as Texas is the top feeder state for the Big 12 - 106 of 226 high school players signed by the Pac-10 schools in February were from California - so it would have been a tight fit for the Pac-10 schools to split their recruiting emphasis between California and Texas.

Other conferences such as the SEC, which signed only 14 Texas players in 2010, or the Big Ten, which signed 10, might have moved into Texas in larger numbers had the Texas schools moved west or had A&M joined the SEC.

Behind the Big 12, Conference USA signs the largest number of Texas high school players, owing to the presence of Houston, Rice, SMU and Texas-El Paso. Eighty-eight of 295 high schoolers who signed with C-USA in 2010 were from Texas, but just 12 signed with programs other than the four Texas schools.

Contrast that with Oklahoma State, which signed 20 Texas players in February and has signed 168 since 1996. That's more than Oklahoma, which has been mining Texas for top talent since its post-World War II renaissance under coach Bud Wilkinson.

New focus for Nebraska
Allen Wallace, the founding editor of SuperPrep magazine, said Nebraska's departure for the Big Ten likely will take it out of the running for many Texas recruits.

"They will have to focus more on the Midwest, but they have always recruited nationally," Wallace said. "They will probably emphasize California more, too."

Rodgers said Nebraska, which recruited the East Coast heavily during its Big Eight days, probably will be more of an east-west recruiter than a north-south one, so he agrees the Huskers' footprint in Texas likely will decrease.

Even though the Big 12 appears settled for now, given commissioner Dan Beebe's statement last week that the league does not plan to replace the two departing members, realignment continued with Utah moving from the Mountain West to the Pac-10.

That could affect Texas recruiting, too. The Utes have recruited Texas heavily since TCU joined the MWC, getting top quarterback Brian Johnson from Baytown Lee and signing eight Texas players in 2010 and five in 2009.

"Utah has had some pretty good outfits," Wallace said. "They could really boost their profile in California if they end up challenging for the Pac-10 title."

That, in turn, could have ramifications down the rest of the recruiting food chain.

Wallace, for one, is taking a wait-and-see approach on the future of the Big 12.

"Will it end up being a better conference?" he said. "They'll make more money, but I don't think you can lose Colorado and Nebraska without feeling the pain."

david.barron@chron.com



BIG 12 SHOWCASE
Since 1996, the inaugural year of the Big 12, the league has increasingly come to depend on Texas high school players. Totals represent only players signed out of high schools, not prep schools or junior colleges, and some players on signing lists did not necessarily go on to enroll at or play for their signing day school:

High school Texas high school Texas
Year players signed players signed percentage

2010 287 138 48.1

2009 289 139 48.1

2008 278 126 45.3

2007 300 128 42.7

2006 310 148 47.7

2005 279 114 40.9

2004 270 121 44.8

2003 281 121 43.1

2002 299 140 46.8

2001 284 120 42.3

2000 277 121 43.7

1999 275 112 40.7

1998 252  95 37.7

1997 286 111 38.8

1996 275 101 36.7


BIG EIGHT INVASION
Over the last five years, Texans increasingly have displaced state residents from the old Big Eight territories on Big 12 signing lists. The number of players from each school’s home state is listed first, followed by the number of players signed from Texas. Totals represent only players signed out of high schools, not prep schools or junior colleges, and some players on signing lists did not necessarily go on to enroll at or play for their signing-day school:

In state-Texans In state-Texans In state-Texans In state-Texans

School 1996-2000 2001-05 2006-10 Totals

Colorado 23-14 30-24 20-9 73-47

Iowa State 31-9 33-25 21-31 85-65

Kansas 16-29 14-26 15-39 45-94

Kansas State 9-22 29-20 24-19 62-61

Missouri 42-19 43-30 38-42 123-91

Nebraska 31-11 23-12 18-29 72-52

Oklahoma 52-39 25-55 22-54 99-148

Oklahoma State 45-34 36-59 15-75 96-168



SCHOOL-BY-SCHOOL
Colorado

Colorado high school players signed, 1996-2010: 73.

Texas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 47.

By markets: Dallas-Fort Worth, 20; Houston, 19; San Antonio, 4; Austin, 2; Tyler-Longview, 2.

Three to remember: G Andre Gurode, North Shore; SS Michael Lewis, Lamar Cons.; RB Lawrence Vickers, Forest Brook.

Iowa State

Iowa high school players signed, 1996-2010: 85.

Texas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 65.

By markets: Dallas-Fort Worth, 30; Houston, 22; Austin, 5; Beaumont-Port Arthur, 2; Tyler-Longview, 2; San Ant., 2.

Three to remember: RB Ennis Haywood, Dallas Carter; CB Ellis Hobbs, DeSoto;
DE Jason Berryman, Kashmere.

Kansas

Kansas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 45.

Texas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 94.

By market: Dallas-Fort Worth, 50; Houston, 17; Waco-Temple-Bryan, 10; Tyler-Longview, 6; Austin, 4; Beaumont-Port Arthur, 2; Sherman-Ada, 2; San Antonio, 1.

Three to remember: DB Aqib Talib, Richardson Berkner; OL Anthony Collins, Beaumont Central; QB Todd Reesing, Austin Lake Travis.

Kansas State

Kansas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 62.

Texas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 61.

By market: Dallas-Fort Worth, 36; Houston, 16; Shreveport, 3; San Antonio, 2; Tyler-Longview, 2.

Three to remember: DB Jarrod Cooper, Pearland; LB Terry Pierce, FW Western Hills; QB Ell Roberson III, Baytown Lee.

Missouri

Missouri high school players signed, 1996-2010: 123.

Texas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 91.

Top markets: Dallas-Fort Worth, 44; Houston, 27; Tyler-Longview, 4; San Antonio, 3; Waco-Temple-Bryan, 3; Austin, 2; Beaumont-Port Arthur, 2; Corpus Christi, 2.

Three to remember: QB Chase Daniel, Southlake Carroll; LB Sean Weatherspoon, Jasper; OL A.J. Ricker, Klein.

Nebraska

Nebraska high school players signed, 1996-2010: 72.

Texas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 52.

Top markets: Dallas-Fort Worth, 22; Houston, 14; San Antonio, 3; Waco-Temple-Bryan, 3; Abilene-Sweetwater, 2; Beaumont-Port Arthur, 2.

Three to remember: DB Keyuo Craver, Harleton; WR Terrence Nunn, Cypress Falls; LB Cody Glenn, Rusk.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma high school players signed, 1996-2010: 99.

Texas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 148.

By market: Dallas-Fort Worth, 72; Houston, 28; San Antonio, 10; Tyler-Longview, 8; Austin, 6; Shreveport, 6; Beaumont-Port Arthur, 4; Waco-Temple-Bryan, 4; Abilene-Sweetwater, 3; Amarillo, 2; Odessa-Midland, 2.

Three to remember: DL Tommie Harris, Killeen Ellison; RB Adrian Peterson, Palestine; WR Mark Clayton, Arlington Houston.

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma high school players signed, 1996-2010: 96.

Texas high school players signed, 1996-2010: 168.

By market: Dallas-Fort Worth, 67; Houston, 46; Tyler-Longview, 16; Waco-Temple-Bryan, 13; San Antonio, 9; Beaumont-Port Arthur, 4; Amarillo, 2; Austin, 2; Sherman-Ada, 2; Shreveport, 2; Wichita Falls, 2.

Three to remember: WR Dez Bryant, Lufkin; TE Brandon Pettigrew, Tyler Lee;

OL Russell Okung, Fort Bend Bush.