Lone Star loyalty: Why Texas high school coach connections still matter in the NIL era

David Wetzel was just leaving a meeting as president of the Texas High School Coaches Association in 2016 when he got a message. His alma mater, Baylor, was about to hire a coach. And a mutual friend slipped Matt Rhule his number.

Twenty-four hours later, the longtime high school football coach was up in Waco giving Rhule and his staff the lay of the land.

"I'm drawing the state of Texas on a napkin talking about recruiting, I'm on the board talking football," Wetzel said. "These guys are from the northeast, they've never been to Waco, they've got no clue."

Wetzel was eventually brought on as Rhule's director of high school relations, one of many roles he held under Rhule and Dave Aranda over seven years. But put more simply, Wetzel was Rhule's Texas Translator.

For generations, Texas high school football has been a unique source of pride in the state. No state produces more college and professional football talent, and coaches who know how to navigate it. The coaches with the knowledge, history and relationships to navigate all the complex dynamics are bestowed a distinction.

In the era of NIL and the transfer portal, high school recruiting has been…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/