With Texas high school football season about to start, it's important to find out what's on the mind of coaches across the state. We mean, what's really on their mind?

So we asked, sending an anonymous survey to more than 240 Texas high school football coaches to ask them about everything from the state championship games to NIL to rule changes and more.

What did they say? Let's dive in.

Rule Changes: Coaches want sideline technology, cut blocking reforms

When asked about what rules they'd like to see changed in Texas high school football, coaches overwhelmingly mentioned two very different things.

The first is sideline technology: coaches want access to modern tool, particularly in-game video and coach-to-player helmet communication. Coaches expressed frustration that Texas high school football lags behind other states when it comes to using technology to aid in-game decision-making. Coaches see it as a tool to level the playing field, especially for smaller staffs. It should be noted: the UIL approved limited use of wearable technology starting in 2025.

"Use of video on the sideline for in game," one coach wrote. "Oklahoma does it, for goodness sake."

The other large topic of debate came around cut blocking, which has been largely legislated out of the game. There's deep frustration with the restrictions and unclear enforcement around cut blocking, especially from coaches running certain offensive systems or coaching undersized players.

"Bring back the cut rule," wrote one coach. "Undersized players need it for protection and to allow them to be competitive. It has really altered the game for the little guy."

Other rule changes coaches would like to see include: changing targeting to a penalty but not an ejection; playoff formatting, especially home-field advantage for district champions; and changes to the heat guidelines for practices.

Coaching Challenges: Dealing with parents and retaining coaches are top priorities

Coaches were asked, "“What’s the biggest challenge you face as a head coach right now?” Far and away, the most common challenge was dealing with parents, saying that unrealistic expectations, entitlement and a lack of understanding of the game and the process are making the job more difficult.

The other major concern: a lack of quality coaches overall. Head coaches struggle to fill their staff with certified, qualified and committed assistants, especially given teaching certification constraints and burnout.

"There is a shortage of young coaches joining the profession," wrote one coach. "It's hard to hire people and even harder to hire good people."

Other frequently cited challenges include participation numbers, a lack of loyalty to the program, and resource gaps.

Undervalued Work: Coaches say time demands and mentoring are overlooked

We asked coaches about the most undervalued or under-appreciated aspect of coaching Texas high school football and by far, the most common response had to do with their time commitment. Coaches feel that the hours they put in — before dawn, late at night, weekends, summers, and during holidays — are vastly misunderstood or completely ignored by parents, administrators and the broader public. Many pointed out that they sacrifice time with their own families to raise others’ kids.

"I spend more time with other people’s kids than my own," wrote one coach.

""You’re never off," wrote another coach. "Football is twelve months. Need to look at a dead period."

The other overlooked aspect of the job? Helping their players. Coaches see themselves not just as teachers of football, but as builders of character, values, and discipline, especially for boys who may not have strong male role models at home. Many responses reflected a deep sense of mission.

"A good coach can change a game," one coach wrote. "A great coach can change a life."

Playoff Formats: Most want home-field option in early rounds

There’s clear majority support among surveyed coaches for giving 4A, 3A and 2A schools the option to host bi-district playoff games, just like 5A and 6A already can. While not unanimous, nearly 3 out of 4 coaches want this flexibility — likely for reasons related to cost, travel, home-field advantage, and simplicity.

State Championships: Split between keeping AT&T and rotating sites

As far as the location of the state championship games is concerned, coaches are fairly split, but a plurality of coaches lean toward keeping AT&T Stadium as the permanent home for the title games. That said, a strong minority favors a rotating model, especially among AT&T, NRG Stadium, and The Alamodome.

Classification Debate: Majority favor adding a 7A

A clear majority of coaches support adding a 7A classification, likely reflecting a desire to separate the largest schools, mitigate the enrollment gaps or improve competitive balance. That said, this isn’t a runaway consensus; nearly 4 in 10 are opposed, which suggests concerns remain about logistics, tradition, or further dilution of existing classifications.

Multi-Sport Athletes: Overwhelming support for kids playing more than football

You can't get a group of people to be unanimous on anything, except maybe this — we asked coaches if they want their players participating in multiple sports. Every single coach surveyed prefers their football players to participate in other sports. This highlights a strong cultural commitment to multi-sport athletes and perhaps a shared resistance to early specialization.

NIL Impact: Coaches fear locker room tension and loss of team culture

NIL is everywhere, so we asked coaches about it. The biggest takeaways:

Most coaches say NIL hasn’t affected their school yet, especially in smaller or rural programs.

The vast majority oppose NIL at the high school level, citing locker room division, entitlement and erosion of team culture. "It's easily the worst thing in the history of high school and college football," wrote one coach. "It encourages and enables quitting. Politicians and the court system now run football?"

A small number believe NIL can be good if properly regulated and view it as a just reward for high-performing athletes. "I believe it needs to be truly explained and the consequences of accepting benefits lined out so parents can understand the magnitude," wrote one coach.

Texas NIL Policy: Near-unanimous opposition to allowing it in high school

As for NIL in Texas high school football, the coaches were very clear: Nearly 9 out of 10 coaches surveyed are against Texas allowing NIL in high school football. While a few support it — often with caveats around regulation or access — the dominant viewpoint is that NIL at the high school level would harm the team culture, increase distractions and introduce challenges young athletes aren’t equipped to handle.

Funding Priorities: Coaches would spend $100K on safety, nutrition, facilities

We asked coaches a hypothetical: If given $100,000 today, what would you prioritize for your football program?

The single-most common response was to improve the weight room — "I would use that in our weight room," wrote one coach. "I would start with new continuous flooring. Our weight facility is still what was used in the '90s."

Safety is also paramount. Coaches want top-tier protective gear for all players, especially with increasing awareness of head trauma and physical risk.

A number of the respondents said their programs are operating with dated or undersized facilities. Coaches want locker rooms players are proud of and spaces to meet.

College Relations: Texas Tech, Baylor and UTSA earn highest marks

When we asked Texas high school football coaches which college staffs they most enjoyed dealing with, Texas Tech was the overwhelming leader, with significantly more mentions than any other school. While a distant second to Tech, UTSA, Texas and Baylor also showed up consistently across the responses.

Toughest to Work With: Texas A&M, Texas and Rice lead the list

On the other end of the spectrum, when asked which programs they least enjoyed dealing with, Texas A&M received far and away the most mentions — roughly one out of every four responses. Texas, Rice and North Texas were also among the most-mentioned programs.

Best in the Business: Scott Surratt and Gary Joseph top the coaching ranks

As far as the best Texas high school football coaches out there, there's a clear consensus top two in the state, according to their peers: Carthage's Scott Surratt and Katy's Gary Joseph. Lovejoy's Todd Dodge and Highland Park's Randy Allen also received a high number of mentions. Vandegrift's Drew Sanders, Longview's John King, Smithson Valley's Larry Hill and Duncanville's Reginald Samples form the next tier.

Player Poaching: Majority say they’ve lost kids to recruiting by other programs

We asked coaches if they believe their program has lost players to another program due to perceived "poaching," and the results were intriguing: A majority (about 6 in 10) of coaches say they have lost players due to what they perceive as poaching. But a notable chunk (about 14 percent) answered “not sure,” suggesting that poaching is difficult to track or prove.

Recruiting Roadblocks: The transfer portal overshadows high school athletes

When asked "What's the biggest obstacle for your players in getting recruited?", the transfer portal was by far the most highlighted challenge. Coaches overwhelmingly feel the portal has shrunk opportunities for high school kids, with colleges preferring ready-made transfers over developing younger players.

"Coaches have told me that they are only taking transfers, not high school kids," wrote one coach.

Coaches at smaller schools feel like their players are at a disadvantage as well. Many coaches believe their athletes are overlooked because recruiters don’t trust the competition level or assume smaller schools can’t produce college talent.

“Unless you are a top recruit, they don’t even pretend to look at the other kids now," wrote one coach.

Next Big Trend: NIL, transfers and sideline tech dominate predictions

What's coming next to Texas high school football? Coaches repeatedly flagged NIL as the biggest coming change, with a mix of concern and resignation. Many see it as inevitable, some as outright damaging to the game.

Helmet-to-player communication, sideline replay, analytics, wearables and AI were brought up constantly. The consensus is that in-game tech, especially direct communication between coaches and players, will soon reshape how games are coached and played.

A growing expectation of loosened or “one-time free transfers", plus the continued trend of athletes moving for perceived advantages.

Future Fears: Coaches worry NIL, transfers and vouchers will erode community

We asked coaches about their biggest fear for the future of Texas high school football. The overwhelming theme is fear of NIL entering Texas high school football, combined with looser transfer rules. Coaches worry this will create “super teams,” widen the gap between rich and poor schools, and destroy the community-based model that makes Texas high school football unique.

Many fear that open enrollment, vouchers and school choice will strip away the hometown pride that defines high school football in Texas, making it feel more like college free agency.

"Our sport is great because it has always been about community," wrote one coach. "Don’t take away from that.”

Additionally, coaches flagged dwindling player numbers, lack of young coaches entering the profession, and a shortage of officials as serious threats to sustainability.

Season Outlook: Most expect deep playoff runs, some eye state titles

But now the big question: how's your team going to be, coach?

The majority of answers cluster around bi-district and area rounds, showing that most coaches are realistic about their team’s ceiling. There’s a noticeable second tier of responses at the regional semifinal or regional final level, while a significant but smaller group (about 15 percent) predict a state semifinal berth or beyond. Only a handful answered “Won’t make playoffs.”