FOOTBALL: UTPB a step closer to kickoff after holding open tryouts - Odessa American: Utpb: "Justin Carrigan isn’t looking for talent that can help him win games this fall.
UTPB’s new head football coach and the fledgling Falcons program won’t play a down until 2016.
Instead, Carrigan is looking for players that can help build an upstart program from the ground up.
Carrigan said that much Saturday afternoon, looking over the group of more than 70 potential players that took part in the Falcons’ open tryouts at Permian High’s John Wilkins Field.
In that group, Carrigan hopes, were a few of those men who are going to help lay bricks and build a foundation as part of UTPB’s first football team.
“We’re looking for character,” Carrigan said after those Falcon hopefuls were dismissed. “We’re looking for guys that have the hard work, the blue-collar mindset, that aren’t looking for the glitz and the glamour of a great locker room or a super-nice uniform or anything like that.
“We want the guys that want to be a part of something different and understand that the lights aren’t going to be very bright. They’re not going to be on at all next year.”
Carrigan, who was named UTPB’s first football coach in January, coordinated drills along with his three assistant coaches Saturday as potential enrollees from across the state showcased their talents.
“It was better than what I had really expected,” Carrigan said of the turnout. “Numbers were good and the level of talent, I thought, was good.
“Houston, El Paso, East Texas — they really came a long way. I had a guy from Nacogdoches. It was pretty impressive.”
The next step, Carrigan said, is for the staff to call high school coaches and school principals to find out if those that shined on the field Saturday will fit with UTPB’s new program off of the field.
Providing a school transcript to Carrigan and the staff was part of each potential player’s registration for the tryout.
“We’ll see who, athletically, we like. And then the ones we think can help athletically, then we’ll start making phone calls and figure out if they match character-wise,” Carrigan said.
If so, then Carrigan will bring those players in to join the Falcons’ 26 signees from February, and next year’s recruiting haul, to make up UTPB’s inaugural squad in 2016.
“We tested them, height and weight and all that stuff. We got transcripts on all the guys,” Carrigan said. “We’ll go back and evaluate that and evaluate their character, we’ll call high school coaches and all that, and figure out who we want to be a part of the program.”
The Falcons coaching staff held a small tryout for students already enrolled at UTPB in April, but Carrigan said that Saturday marked the first time he and his staff worked with a group the size of a full football team on the field.
Since being brought in as head coach, Carrigan has added offensive coordinator Scott Preston and co-defensive coordinators Chris Mineo and Jacob Martin to his staff. Carrigan said he plans to bring in two more coaches to the staff, plus some graduate assistants.
The full staff has yet to be assembled, and the roster is far from filled, but Saturday proved to be a big step for the Falcons toward kickoff in 2016.
“It went really well,” Carrigan said. “It was good.”"
'via Blog this'
UTPB’s new head football coach and the fledgling Falcons program won’t play a down until 2016.
Instead, Carrigan is looking for players that can help build an upstart program from the ground up.
Carrigan said that much Saturday afternoon, looking over the group of more than 70 potential players that took part in the Falcons’ open tryouts at Permian High’s John Wilkins Field.
In that group, Carrigan hopes, were a few of those men who are going to help lay bricks and build a foundation as part of UTPB’s first football team.
“We’re looking for character,” Carrigan said after those Falcon hopefuls were dismissed. “We’re looking for guys that have the hard work, the blue-collar mindset, that aren’t looking for the glitz and the glamour of a great locker room or a super-nice uniform or anything like that.
“We want the guys that want to be a part of something different and understand that the lights aren’t going to be very bright. They’re not going to be on at all next year.”
Carrigan, who was named UTPB’s first football coach in January, coordinated drills along with his three assistant coaches Saturday as potential enrollees from across the state showcased their talents.
“It was better than what I had really expected,” Carrigan said of the turnout. “Numbers were good and the level of talent, I thought, was good.
“Houston, El Paso, East Texas — they really came a long way. I had a guy from Nacogdoches. It was pretty impressive.”
The next step, Carrigan said, is for the staff to call high school coaches and school principals to find out if those that shined on the field Saturday will fit with UTPB’s new program off of the field.
Providing a school transcript to Carrigan and the staff was part of each potential player’s registration for the tryout.
“We’ll see who, athletically, we like. And then the ones we think can help athletically, then we’ll start making phone calls and figure out if they match character-wise,” Carrigan said.
If so, then Carrigan will bring those players in to join the Falcons’ 26 signees from February, and next year’s recruiting haul, to make up UTPB’s inaugural squad in 2016.
“We tested them, height and weight and all that stuff. We got transcripts on all the guys,” Carrigan said. “We’ll go back and evaluate that and evaluate their character, we’ll call high school coaches and all that, and figure out who we want to be a part of the program.”
The Falcons coaching staff held a small tryout for students already enrolled at UTPB in April, but Carrigan said that Saturday marked the first time he and his staff worked with a group the size of a full football team on the field.
Since being brought in as head coach, Carrigan has added offensive coordinator Scott Preston and co-defensive coordinators Chris Mineo and Jacob Martin to his staff. Carrigan said he plans to bring in two more coaches to the staff, plus some graduate assistants.
The full staff has yet to be assembled, and the roster is far from filled, but Saturday proved to be a big step for the Falcons toward kickoff in 2016.
“It went really well,” Carrigan said. “It was good.”"
'via Blog this'
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