When head coach Everett Withers went through his first spring practice back in 2016, he wasn’t sure if Texas State was good enough to win a single game.

From the very start, he was blunt — they weren’t good enough in any facet of the game. And he thought that the Bobcats’ recent history wasn’t as good as he felt it should’ve been based on the resources the university had.

For the most part, the results proved him right in year one. They weren’t good enough, deep enough or talented enough to compete with hardly anyone on the schedule or at least sustain any level of competition.

Last year, they just weren’t old enough. The talent was starting to show itself, albeit in spurts, but the on-field experience was still green, so the scoreboard and record read the same as the year prior.

“There were points in time last season where I started to notice some of our playmakers were able to make plays,” Withers said. “When you start noticing guys, they fit. First year, we didn’t have anyone that could go make a play.”

Now entering year three, Withers feels that they’re closer than ever before. Not gradually closer, actually closer. That highly touted 2017 recruiting class that ranked first in the conference now populates most of the depth on the two-deep while the roster as a whole is as close to being a full scholarship collection of players for the first time since before Withers’ arrival. It’s his team now.

Talking with Withers, there’s a newfound aura of optimism in his tone.

“Every time I’m in the building and the players are in the building, it just feels different,” Withers said. “It’s not drudgery to be over here. They’re going to work very hard in the weight room, but they’re here every day, they’re enjoying that grind. We practice hard, we compete hard, they enjoy practicing against each other.

“Are we closer? Yeah, we got to find a way to win some of those games and if we find a way to win some of those and we do win some of those and now they start getting the confidence, this is how it worked, and this is how it happened.”

Withers was always optimistic about the long-term plan to build Texas State into a consistent Group of Five conference title contender, but he never wavered from his blunt candor: it was going to take time, and it wasn’t going to be easy.

If Withers’ ambitious overhaul project is destined to work, this is the year that progress needs to be made. 

It’s hard to say that anyone from the outside looking in expects a bowl berth after two consecutive two-win seasons, especially because some of Texas State’s most talented players are still only sophomores.

There’s a sequence last season that stands out vividly in offensive coordinator Zak Kuhr’s mind. Against New Mexico State, down 10 in the fourth quarter, Kuhr dialed up a trick play that resulted in a 69-yard touchdown score. But it wasn’t the result of the play that stuck in Kuhr’s head, but the personnel.

Center Reece Jordan, a true freshman, snapped to quarterback Willie Jones III, a true freshman who handed it off to running back Jaylin Nelson, a true freshman, who hit receiver Caleb Twyford in stride for the score who was…you guessed it, a true freshman.

“It’s good to get a lot of those guys back who have experience and they are getting a lot better right now in spring and, playmaking-wise, that confidence to make plays,” Kuhr said.

Perhaps the most noticeable thing when looking around practice and up and down the roster is that this is the first year in which Withers has players committed under him. The majority were brought in by him, developed by him and now played most of their college football under his guidance.

“We’re getting close to kids understanding what our expectations are every day,” Withers said. “We’re getting closer talent-wise and I think we’re getting closer to getting able to compete in this league.”