If Texas coach Mack Brown ever has a problem recruiting players, all he has to do is point to his NFL track record.
Since most high school football players have a penchant for one day playing in the NFL, Brown is one of the best at getting them there. And that bodes well as far as recruiting goes.
"We feel like the NFL Draft gives you great publicity when you have high draft choices,'' Brown said during Tuesday's Big 12 Conference call. "I think we've had 37 drafted since we've been here and 32 are still playing.
"Young guys in high school want to play in the NFL, and if you're producing NFL players and those guys are being successful across the board, we think it's a great boost for recruiting, Not only with the high school coach, but the young man and his family.''
Speaking of recruiting, most recruiting sites have UT already with 20 verbal commitments for the 2010 class. How does Brown get that many commitments so early?
"There's a great passion for football in the state of Texas, there's 20 million people here, there's between 1200-1300 high schools that play football, and we've had really good continuity with our staff,'' Brown said. "Most of our coaches have been here and the young guys that are committing for the 2010 class were five years old when we got here, so this is what they know. This is Texas football.
"And then they come to spring games each year, and they come to spring practice, because they can drive very easily.''
Brown, who took over the coaching chores at UT in 1998, said low turnover on his own staff has also been beneficial when it comes to recruiting.
"Because we've had continuity of staff we know where (the good players) are, so we can identify them earlier than a newer staff or newer coaches coming in,'' Brown said. "Our coaches have been in the same recruiting areas, maybe some of them for 12 years.
"So you get a great relationship with the high school coaches, and they've been great to us, and the same with the players. They get to come in and get to know that coach, and then they get to know him over a five or six year period.''
UT will have several players taken in this weekend's NFL Draft, including defensive end Brian Orakpo, who could be a Top 10 pick.
_ Dwain Price
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