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. 

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3 things I know

1. TCU’s new coaching structure is fascinating

Instead of firing offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie after a poor offensive season, TCU head coach Gary Patterson decided to completely restructure how his team works on offense. 

It’s well known that Patterson is a defensive coach who doesn’t really care to get involved on offense. However, he’s taking it even a step further by naming Jerry Kill a special assistant to the head coach in charge of offense. 

In this role, Kill will virtually oversee the offense in the way a coach will, but in an off-field role. Cumbie will report to him. We’ve never really seen a lead offensive coach take a fully off-field role before, but it’ll be fascinating to see whether this is a system that can produce results. If anything, it seems like a loophole to circumvent on-field coaching rules – but obviously it all depends on whether the setup can work. 

2. The Lone Star Clinic remains a great event

There are a handful of major high school coaching clinics around the state that college coaches speak at and they are incredible events. I went back to the Lone Star Clinic in College Station over the weekend for the second year in a row. 

This is one of the few events where you just see high-profile high school and college coaches walking around, talking ball and mingling. Baylor coach Dave Aranda made it a priority to make it here, even mentioning it during his first press conference. Texas offensive line coach Herb Hand got more out of it than perhaps anyone, as he was present in almost every session – and took particular interest in Texas A&M offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey’s event. 

Events like these are great because they remind us of the level of camaraderie that exists between football coaches, even when their schools are hated rivals. All this clinic is about is furthering the game even further. With representatives from four of the five Power Five schools in state, the level of football knowledge in the building is ridiculous. 

Keep an eye on TexasFootball.com for interviews and Q+As from the event in the coming weeks.

3. The NFL Combine missed big on some Texans

Twenty-eight players from the state of Texas are heading to the NFL Combine in preparation for the NFL Draft. However, perhaps as big a story is the guys who were unceremoniously left off the list. 

The biggest miss is obvious: North Texas quarterback Mason Fine should get an opportunity to throw in front of scouts. Obviously, his measurements weren’t ideal at the Shrine Bowl, but he still deserved a chance. Hopefully Denton will be accessible enough for NFL scouts to check out his Pro Day. 

Additionally, Baylor defensive tackle Bravvion Roy and SMU running back Xavier Jones not getting invites was insane to me. These were perhaps the two best players at their positions in the entire state last year. Both should easily be drafted. It’s insane to see some of the names who were invited to the Combine over them. 

3 things I think I know

1. SMU’s staff changes will pay off

SMU coach Sonny Dykes announced on Monday a few new shifts to his staff, including promoting Ra’Shaad Samples to running back coach and the promotion of offensive line coach A.J. Ricker to co-offensive coordinator. 

However, the biggest news was that running backs coach Chris Brasfield will move over to serve as full-time special teams coordinator. The Mustangs did not have a dedicated special teams coach, and it cost them in key spots during their 10-win campaign. Against Memphis in the biggest game of the year, the Mustangs gave up 31.4 yards per kickoff and a touchdown. 

SMU ranked No. 117 in special teams SP+ and No. 106 in net punting, not to mention incredible issues with just converting extra points. Having a coach dedicated to getting the special teams unit right will help. 

2. UTEP is in trouble

For the second year in a row, UTEP football ranked among the five worst teams nationally in the SP+ efficiency rating. For the second year in a row, UTEP football also ranks near the bottom in adjusted returning production. 

UTEP coach Dana Dimel pitched a four- to five-year rebuild when he took over the program before the 2019 season, but it’s hard to see where exactly the strides are coming. There are a few exciting new players growing – including quarterback Gavin Hardison, running back Deion Hankins and wide receiver Jacob Cowing – but that’s not enough to make a team. Plus, UTEP had the lowest average recruit rating among all FBS teams in this recruiting cycle.

Winning at UTEP is a tough ask, and it’s becoming even harder in the years since Texas State and UTSA started playing FBS football. But looking at all the indicators in place at UTEP right now, it’s hard to see the bright side. 

3. North Texas is building something special

The Mean Green’s 2019 season was a complete disappointment, but that doesn’t take away from what is happening in Denton. With Seth Littrell officially staying in town, North Texas put together the No. 1 class in Conference USA. 

Our staff rated North Texas’ class the No. 7 in Texas, ahead of Houston and well ahead of the rest of the C-USA teams in the state, and 247Sports rates it ahead of a handful of Power Five classes with Power Five-level players like Davontae McCrae, Detraveon Brown and Loronzo Thompson. 

North Texas has steadily been building up the talent on its roster since Littrell started with two classes outside of the top 100, but this is a huge step. The impact won’t be felt right away, but the talent level at UNT in 2021 and 2022 is going to start lapping the rest of C-USA.