The state of Texas is the king of college football. At least over the last seven years. I consider that sentence to be a fact. Why? Name another state that has had a team in the NCAA ranks in a national title game more often. You can’t. 

Mary Hardin-Baylor began the streak in 2016 with a national title that has since been vacated. The Crusaders returned to the title game in 2017, but that year belonged to Texas A&M-Commerce, who won the first NCAA championship in program history. 2018 was the year of the Cru again with a win over Mount Union. 

2019 is the only time in the last seven years that a Texas team wasn’t at least a national finalist. Sam Houston had a magical run to the FCS title during the spring 2020 season before UMHB returned to the top of the Division III world in 2021. TCU’s appearance against Georgia Monday night was not the result we wanted, but it kept our state’s impressive streak alive.

Southland Conference

• Lamar coach Peter Rossomando added the third member of his coaching staff by naming Lorenzo Jackson as the Cardinals' defensive line coach. Jackson spent last season coaching the defensive line at Mississippi College. Before arriving in Mississippi, he spent two years as a graduate assistant at Ohio State, assisting with the defensive line. Jackson is no stranger to Texas and has spent time as a graduate assistant at North Texas after starting his coaching career at Grambling.

• According to sources, UIW head coach Clint Killough is expected to hire Saskatchewan d-line coach Ben Olson to the same position with Cardinals, North Texas defensive senior analyst Sam Bennett as linebackers coach, Pittsburg State cornerbacks coach George Sanders as defensive backs coach, and promote Blair Cavanaugh to Special Teams coordinator.

• Lamar added wide receiver Jah’mar Sanders and offensive lineman Knox Boyd to its 2023 recruiting class this week. Sanders is a transfer from New Mexico, while Boyd is transferring to Beaumont from Charlotte.

• Houston Christian announced the addition of two transfers to the Huskies 2023 class on Sunday. Former 3-star defensive back Justin Macias Jr. is headed to Houston after spending the last two years at Louisiana-Monroe. Offensive lineman Kameron King is transferring to HCU from Southern Miss.

• Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on Tuesday that former Texas A&M and Auburn quarterback Zach Calzada plans to transfer to UIW. Sources indicate that Calzada is interested in UIW. However, nothing is official at this time. Calzada has two years of eligibility left after redshirting in 2019.

Western Athletic Conference

• Stephen F. Austin defensive line coach Caid Faske is departing for a defensive coordinator position. Faske will assume the role of defensive coordinator at NCAA Division II Colorado State-Pueblo. He joins former Western New Mexico head coach Philip Vigil, who became the head coach at CSU-Pueblo last week. Faske and Vigil are both members of the Colby Carthel coaching tree, working together at SFA. Following his playing career at West Texas A&M, Faske joined the Buffs staff under then-head coach Don Carthel in 2012. Faske spent nine of his 11 seasons as a college football coach with Colby Carthel.

• Oliver Luck is back in college football and will become the executive director of the ASUN-WAC partnership. The two conferences have joined forces for football to ensure an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs following the defections of Sam Houston of the WAC and Jacksonville State of the ASUN to Conference USA. The WAC also lost Lamar and UIW last July. Tarleton president James Hurley and Eastern Kentucky president David McFaddin will serve as co-chairs of the league. Luck has previously served as an NCAA executive and was athletic director at West Virginia before serving as commissioner of the XFL until the league disbanded due to the pandemic. ESPN was the first to report.

Lone Star Conference

• Midwestern State is losing two assistant coaches to Colorado State-Pueblo. Offensive line coach Garrett Graf will serve as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Thunderwolves' new head coach Philip Vigil. MSU wide receivers coach Joshua Atkinson will assume the same position at CSU-Pueblo. Vigil has focused on coaches from Texas while building his staff in Pueblo. Former SFA defensive line coach Caid Faske was named defensive coordinator on Wednesday.

• Texas A&M-Kingsville announced Thursday they reached an agreement on a contract extension with head coach Mike Salinas. The contract was extended through the 2026 season. He has led an incredible turnaround at Kingsville since his arrival before the pandemic. Salinas led the Javelinas to their best season since 2016 and an appearance in the Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl last year.

• MSU defensive end Melik Owens was named the defensive Most Valuable Player of the Podyum All-Star Bowl. The Podyum Bowl is held in Miami and invites the top sub-FBS prospects for a week of practice, followed by a game that gives scouts from the NFL, CFL, indoor football, XFL, and international teams in attendance.

American Southwest Conference

• East Texas Baptist coach Calvin Ruzicka took the first step towards establishing his coaching staff by promoting Jordan Collins to defensive coordinator and Jordan Armstrong to offensive coordinator. The Tigers also announced that Mason Ruzicka would be promoted to special teams coach and recruiting coordinator. Collins previously served as the defensive line coach at ETBU, while Armstrong was the Tigers' wide receiver coach last year. Mason Ruzicka will be entering his fifth year at ETBU and was the linebacker coach last season.

• Former UMHB quarterback Kyle King has signed to play with the Saarland Hurricanes of the German Football League. The Hurricanes are in the South Division of the GFL and defeated the Cologne Crocodiles in the GFL quarterfinals last year before falling to the Dresden Monarchs in the semifinals.