Two weeks after being hired to lead the from-the-ground-up NCAA Division II UTPB football program, head coach Justin Carrigan welcomed his first batch of prep visitors.
The recruiting tools are at a minimum right now. “Not one thing is in place, other than myself, that says football,” he said. But an edited video that had been taken by a drone showing a bird’s-eye view of the UTPB campus allowed Carrigan to point out where certain amenities, such as a practice field, will eventually be.
A vision of the future. His main selling point.
On Wednesday, the Falcons, who are scheduled to play their inaugural game in the fall of 2016, received their first six commitments during National Signing Day.
“It’s unbelievable. To be able to sell them on the idea of redshirting for a year and seeing the big picture,” Carrigan said. “I don’t think it’s difficult to sell, but difficult for a 17- or 18-year-old kid to understand. We are in the now generation and we have to try and get these kids to see the big picture and beyond.”
The names that came across the fax machine on Wednesday — Hemphill High School offensive lineman Trey Harris, Abilene Wylie defensive back Ryan Baker, Abilene Wylie defensive end Logan Gilliam, and Canutillo trio Johnny Dunlap (offensive lineman), Javier Gomez (quarterback/athlete) and Benjamin Galaviz (athlete) — ride in on the initial wave.
Carrigan said the six were offered partial athletic scholarships, and there are a couple offers still on the table that weren’t answered Wednesday.
“We also have a list of guys that we are going to be bringing in the next few months,” Carrigan said, adding that tryouts are planned for some time this summer for those interested in walking on.
Though September 2016 seems well off into the distance, time, even now, is of the essence. In fact, it was just in October when UTPB announced it had raised the money necessary to kick start the football program and Carrigan was introduced Jan. 9. So the 35-year-old coach is aimed at having 70 players available by August, when fall practices are scheduled for this year.
“We just want guys that are good athletes, explosive, with good flexibility no matter what position,” Carrigan said. “At the end of it, we are looking for guys that want to be a part of something different and make a name for themselves.”
As far as filling out his coaching staff that, too, is a work in progress, but Carrigan said he is hoping to land a pair of defensive assistants in the next week or so.
“We are literally just getting started,” Carrigan said.
But at least there is a start.
From: http://www.oaoa.com/sports/local/article_7612daa4-ace7-11e4-8420-6b32cfbe71c4.html?mode=jqm
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