Beyond the Lights: Football Across Texas

Episode 29: Azle Hornet head football coach and athletic coordinator, Devon Dorris, talks about coming full circle back to his hometown to coach and the pillars his program is built on.

Devon Dorris is closing out his 15th season as head coach for Azle ISD and that is probably the longest tenure of any head football coach in Azle high school history.  He has returned to his hometown and kept the hornets playing consistently at a high level against 5A powerhouses in the DFW area.  Coach Dorris has taken what he learned from his coaches in high school and college and put them into practice for the Hornets.

Episode 28: Head football coach for the Albany Lions, Denney Faith, talks about his long stint at Albany and some of the reasons for their history of success.

Denney Faith is the 2nd winningest active football coach in the state of Texas with 369 wins.  Coach Faith talks about what keeps the Lions consistently in winners circle and what the keys are to staying in one place so long.  (and it's not just the bass fishing up there!)

Episode 27: Conroe High School Head football coach and AD, Cedric Hardeman talks about his years in the business world and how they prepared him for managing an athletic program.

Coach Cedric Hardeman of Conroe High School talks about his move from the business world back to the football field.  He also talks about the importance of "finding your David", what has God given you to be successful in life and how he teaches that to his athletes to prepare them for life after graduation.

Episode 26: Schreiner University head football coach Keith Allen talks about starting their new program and choosing the right guys to lay the foundation.

Keith Allen has been selected as the head football coach at Schreiner University as they lay the foundation for their new football program, which will begin games this fall.  We talk about what it's like recruiting kids to start a program and how he sells Kerrville and Schreiner University to new recruits.

Episode 25: East Texas A&M head football coach Clint Dolezel talks recruiting at the Division 1-FCS level and the changes his school has made as they have transitioned from D2 to the D1 level.

Clint Dolezel, head football coach for East Texas A&M  just finished his second football season as the man in charge for the Lions.  Recently they have moved from the divison 2 level to division 1-FCS.  As they have changed classifications they have also changed names from Texas A&M Commerce back to East Texas A&M.  There is a lot going on in Commerce!  Coach Dolezel brings us through his years in the arena football league and what brought him back to his alma mater as he discusses how recruiting works for a division 1-FCS program.

Episode 24: Blinn College head football coach Ryan Mahon talks about recruiting at the junior college level.

Ryan Mahon is the head football coach for the Blinn Buccaneers.  Blinn competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).  Coach Mahon talks about how he recruits, what his goal is for his athletes and how the portal has affected his level of football.

Episode 23: TCU special teams coach and director of high school relations Bob Wager gives inside information on division 1 recruiting.

Bob Wager, former high school football coach and current TCU director of football relations talks about recruiting at the D1 level.  We also discuss the effect the portal and NIL are having on college football today.

Episode 22: Jesse Burleson of the Hardin Simmons Cowboys begins our series on RECRUITING.

Episode 22
 Jesse Burleson of the Hardin Simmons Cowboys
Coach Burleson is the head football coach for Hardin Simmons University.  Hardin Simmons is a Division 3 university that participates athletically in the American Southwest Conference.  In this episode he talks to us about the recruiting process for prospective student athletes, how to get noticed and the effect of the portal and NIL on his program. 

Episode 21: David Jones, head football coach and AD for Kerrville ISD talks about what's really important when running a program.

Head football coach David Jones talks about a variety of issues that affect programs and some of the things he does to keep parents involved with their kids as they participate.

Fast N Wide Clinic mini-interviews

While attending Randy Jackson's Fast N Wide Clinic in Plano, I took time to do some short interviews with Joe Cary from Tomball Memorial HS, Brent Pickard of Eau Claire Memorial HS in Wisconsin, Canon McWilliams of Big Spring HS, Dennis Dunn of North Desoto HS in Louisiana and Jeff Caffey of Big Spring.