Matt Rhule reaffirmed his conviction to recruiting locally in the Lone Star state this week from the Texas High School Coaches Association convention in Houston. The first-year Baylor coach denounced IMG and schools of their ilk, preferring to bolster the talents of local high schools to the Division 1 level.
Photo via USA Today Sports Images
For those unfamiliar, IMG is a boarding school in Florida allowing student athletes a path to competitive glory. Texas high school coaches have spoken out in the past for poaching some of the best players in the state.
Rhule has a high school friendly staff – including former Cedar Hill head Joey McGuire- and publicly denouncing exterior recruits that could diminish the return of local talents was a clever ploy to satisfy the parochial culture of Texas high school football coaches.
Rhule made the bold statements at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention, and then clarified his comments on a podcast on Friday:
Matt Rhule clarifies his position on Academies (IMG) in "On Second Thought" podcast. #THFCA coaches & #Baylor fans should listen. Link below pic.twitter.com/kDF3nrejTA
— Lorena_Broadcast (@LorenaBroadcast) July 27, 2017
Coach Tom Herman also backed Rhule’s claims of ignoring football breeding programs:
“It doesn’t matter whether you go to IMG or you go to Carthage High School, we’re going to find you,” Herman said Sunday, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“I believe high school football is more than just getting recruited. It’s more than X’s and O’s. It’s about community, especially in this state. That community starts to get torn apart a little bit because people want to come in and recruit other players. I’ve got a problem with that.”
Could the comments come back and bite the program in the rear end?
It’s a possibility; IMG has numerous highly touted prospects located
Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports
across their campus. Baylor is the first Power Five program to publicly swear off stepping foot through the schools gates. The boisterous claim will certainly get people talking.
Brought to you by:
