Every week, college football insider Shehan Jeyarajah will come to you with a roundup of everything he thinks – and things he thinks he thinks right now – about college football in Texas this week. 

Become a DCTF Insider today for exclusive insight from the best team of reporters in the Lone Star State! CLICK HERE!

_____

3 things I know

1. Patrick Mahomes is the people’s champion

I dare you to find a single person who watched Patrick Mahomes play week-in week-out at Whitehouse or Texas Tech who didn’t think he had greatness within him. Even though historically terrible defense at Texas Tech prevented him from winning higher at this level, Mahomes threw for more than 11,000 yards and 93 touchdowns in just 32 career games. 

Finally on Sunday night, Mahomes brought home his first Super Bowl. Most shockingly, it was the first Super Bowl win ever by a starting quarterback that played his high school and college ball in Texas. 

One of the coolest parts of Mahomes’ story is that he brings together the state in a unique way. He’s an East Texas (Whitehouse) native who played college football in deep West Texas (Lubbock). His family even has ties to DFW because of his father’s time with the Texas Rangers. Mahomes winning a title is a win for the state. 

2. Texas State’s strategy demands immediate results

After a disappointing 3-9 start to the Jake Spavital era, Spavital sold out to try and get some immediate results. Eleven of the Bobcats’ 17 commitments are from the JUCO level, and that doesn’t count the three Power Five transfers joining the program too. 

Spavital was also aggressive from a staff perspective, pushing out three assistant coaches – including offensive coordinator Bob Stitt. Texas State will also likely start a new quarterback in 2020 after Gresch Jensen headed for the transfer portal. 

But while Spavital has made big moves for the short-term future of the program, but they come at a cost. Texas State isn’t an especially rich program and leaning heavily on JUCOs is a precarious path when it comes to roster management. Texas State has to start winning games in 2020 and 2021. 

3. Texas has to keep its best players in state

Mahomes is the first Texan from a Texas college to start at quarterback in the Super Bowl, but others have done it. Drew Brees played at Purdue. Nick Foles played at Arizona. 

On the eve of National Signing Day, the need to keep the players Texan players in the state is becoming more pressing. Our top two players in the state are headed to Ohio State and Alabama. Nine of the top 20 are going out of state. 

Texas produces more blue-chip talent than perhaps any state in America. But for the past decade, losing top players to the SEC and Ohio State has kept Texas football as a whole from reaching the highest levels of the sport. Jimbo Fisher and Tom Herman are addressing that somewhat, but the talent drain is perhaps the greatest issue facing Texas college football now. 

3 things I think I know

1. TCU’s quarterback room is confounding

Eighteen months ago, TCU had two blue-chip quarterbacks on campus, another committed and another walk-on who was promised a starting job in the Ivy League. In the months since, the room has completely fallen into chaos. 

All three of the quarterbacks who were on campus – Justin Rogers, Shawn Robinson and Michael Collins – are now gone. The only returner with any playing experience on the roster is Max Duggan, the projected starter. Backup Matthew Baldwin has never been healthy. 

TCU added the No. 1 dual-threat JUCO quarterback in America on Monday. Stephon Brown undoubtedly would not have come to TCU unless he felt like he could compete for immediate playing time. However, the results of the competition will only make the situation more precarious. 

2. Baylor could use a big signing day

While Baylor fields a small class, the Bears rank outside of the top 50 and last in the Big 12 in recruiting rankings. It would be the worst Baylor class since 2008, when the Bears ranked No. 58 in the rankings. 

Of course, like that 2008 class, there are sleepers. Baylor signed some guys named Robert Griffin III, Kendall Wright, Terrance Williams and Nick Florence in the 2008 class. Still though, Baylor is in a very different position now than it was a dozen years ago and the class rankings should reflect that. 

Dave Aranda has gotten two highly-touted recruits since arriving on campus: Quarterback Blake Shapen over USC and OL Micah Mazzccua over Michigan. Still though, getting a few more commits and flirting with a top 40 class would inspire some optimism for the future of the roster. 

3. UTSA really needed that defensive coordinator hire

New UTSA coach Jeff Traylor went young with his staff hires, largely picking up-and-comers off the Arkansas and McNeese State staffs. Only a couple of his assistants had significant experience at the SEC level. 

However, his pick at defensive coordinator is the opposite. Tyrone Nix is a 25-year coaching veteran who has been a defensive coordinator at both Ole Miss and South Carolina. He’s also had success at Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee in Conference USA. 

Nix adds a boost of on-field credibility to a young UTSA staff. His experience coaching at multiple levels of college football should make him a valuable asset for Traylor in his first year as a head coach.