ESPN: Chad Morris, SMU could change Texas recruiting

[Harry0569]

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncfrecr ... gLandscape

DALLAS -- Want to know the true impact of SMU’s hiring of Chad Morris? Have a conversation with the Mustangs' top-ranked 2015 recruit James Proche II.

The four-star wide receiver has a TCU offer and has received interest from Oklahoma and Texas. He also has an offer from Louisville, a bowl qualifier like the aforementioned teams.

But still, Proche is firmly committed to SMU. He doesn’t want to talk about the Big 12, Louisville or any other program showing interest.

“I’m 110 percent committed to this school and the team,” Proche said.

SMU coach Chad Morris, a Dallas native, is making waves with local recruits.
Which leads to the next question: “Why?” Not many are excited about joining a team that was 1-11 this season.

Morris’ hiring has completely turned the SMU world on its ear. In less than two weeks, Morris has won over not only committed players but also area high school coaches and once-fairweather fans. He also has a couple of big-name recruits giving the program a second look.

But will that buzz carry any weight in recruiting battles with Big 12 programs? Or help win them?

Adamson High School coach Josh Ragsdale believes it’s not as far-fetched as some might think.

“It’s a new era. This is what they needed,” said Ragsdale, who literally coaches minutes away from SMU but had minimal contact with former coach June Jones. “It’s good for SMU. It’s good for Texas high school football. It’s good for everyone.”

A native of the Dallas area, Morris has built a reputation of being a first-rate recruiter. That and an infectious personality has made Morris an instant fan favorite -- and a recruiting favorite. Three-star athlete Hunter Herndon, a dual-threat quarterback who will play tight end in college, became Morris' first pledge on Dec. 5 after switching his commitment from Rice to SMU following the Morris hire.

ESPN 300 wide receiver DaMarkus Lodge has completely reopened his recruiting since decommitting from Texas A&M in September. Lodge said SMU is as much of a contender as Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and other programs. And this was before Morris left Clemson -- a school Lodge once had high on his list because of Morris.

Four-star quarterback Chason Virgil is also considering SMU after parting ways with Mississippi State in November. Virgil has additional offers from Oklahoma, Louisville and Fresno State, but because of Morris and the new coaching staff, SMU is a legitimate contender to land him.

Proche said Morris’ approachability could be a major impact to an immediate rise in SMU recruiting. It only took one in-home visit from Morris to win Proche over and show Proche that he was different from Jones.

“Honestly I’d only talked to Coach Jones maybe twice,” said Proche, referring to a short summer camp discussion and again when he committed in June. “I instantly had a relationship with Coach Morris. I know he cares about his players.”

And Morris needs more Texas recruits to take notice.

SMU had 70 Texans on its 2014 roster. The number may seem large until you compare it to a school like Oklahoma State, which has only four fewer Texans. Of all the FBS schools in the state, SMU has the fewest number of in-state athletes.

A number that might be even more important to Morris: SMU had 34 out-of-state players on its roster -- one more than the total number of roster players representing the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Archie McDaniel was hired as an assistant coach under Morris. His first day in Dallas, McDaniel was networking at area schools, including Adamson.

“To have Will Muschamp come in and not have anyone from SMU come in, 10 minutes away … it’s real hard and dumbfounding to understand it all,” Ragsdale said. “The first question I asked [McDaniel] was how long he’d been at SMU.

“He said, ‘I flew in at midnight.’ You’ve got to love that.”

Although it’s been a short period of time, Morris’ attention to the DFW area has many saying Morris has done more for SMU recruiting in less than two weeks than Jones did in seven seasons. While that might be a stretch, it’s still positive feedback for Morris.

Proche described Morris as “the epitome of what SMU needs as a coach.” In addition to being an offensive-minded coach and a player’s coach, he’s also an instant motivator. The turnaround, Proche said, could be sooner than later.

And with quick turnarounds come more and more recruiting battles won. There’s no reason why SMU can’t be like TCU with a couple of winning seasons.

“I want to build something and not just be another number on a jersey,” Proche said. “I’m crazy excited. I don’t even think those words are sufficient enough to describe the feelings I have about the future of SMU.”

[Morris Code 11]

Been waiting all morning for someone to post this. Thanks!

[StallionsModelT]

James Proche might be my favorite player on this team and he hasn't taken a snap yet.

[malonish]

Like

[peruna81]

Is it possible to get excited about August from a story in December? Yes. Yes it is possible.

[LA_Mustang]

I know it's beating a dead horse but JJ had only talked with Proche twice?? My god. I really hope that guy felt good about himself cashing checks from SMU. On the flip side, we are very lucky to have a young man like Proche as a future Mustang. Talk about making a commitment and sticking with it.

[Harry0569]

[Puckhead48E]

Proche reminds me of that kid interviewed after the game in the end zone who ended up giving an insanely motivated and detailed description of why his team never lost confidence and won. The comment in another story I saw describing how the current commits have a group text going to discuss their lives and learn about each other, and how they are trying to bring others in...it shows not only that Morris and his staff are bringing in talented athletes...they are attracting talented students who want to win. Very impressive.

[Comet]

Fantastic article. I'm excited to see how Morris stacks up against Montgomery and Herman.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Like

This!

[EastStang]

JJ spent so much of his career looking for gems in the rough, that he forgot to pursue the players everyone liked. This showed how little he thought of our school and our program. Sooner or later that would catch up to him. Even if a team has no prospects, but its local, you send out your staff on Friday nights to just be seen at some high school football games. Take in a half at one game, go to another game for the second half. Coaches notice that you made the effort to be there.

[StallionsModelT]

JJ spent so much of his career looking for gems in the rough, that he forgot to pursue the players everyone liked. This showed how little he thought of our school and our program. Sooner or later that would catch up to him. Even if a team has no prospects, but its local, you send out your staff on Friday nights to just be seen at some high school football games. Take in a half at one game, go to another game for the second half. Coaches notice that you made the effort to be there.

its easier to recruit against no one than against some of the top programs in the nation. JJ and his staff didn't have the stomach for the fight.

[footballdad]

“Honestly I’d only talked to Coach Jones maybe twice,” said Proche, referring to a short summer camp discussion and again when he committed in June. “I instantly had a relationship with Coach Morris. I know he cares about his players.”

This is awesome. Jones chances of ever landing a D1 coaching gig are diminishing by the day. Can't wait till this gem makes it's way around and attaches itself to the real Jones legacy.

Amazing this kid stuck with his comittment, knowing how he must have felt about June. Would love to see him make an immediate impact next year to show other talented local kids what's possible.

[ponyinNC]

Proche committed to SMU...not Jones and staff.

Basically in spite of our lack of recruiting efforts

[couch 'em]

I get so angry at ponyboy every time I read about the fraud of Jones