Patton Is One of the Best Athletes in Texas

Thanks Robert. Nice write-up.

I noticed he was listed as 2A, which may be a reason why many other recruiting services have not mentioned him.

When I see the level of competition I always look at the kid(s) with an eye of suspicion too.... as in, can he really be that good, or does he just look so much better because of the competition?

My question is about your evaluation approach. What do you look for (or look at) when evaluating kids from lower levels (even 8-man football) that impresses you, especially when compared to the larger backdrop of other talented kids at more competitive levels?

What is it (to you) that makes the a kid like this stand out and impresses upon you that what you are observing could translate into success against better competition?

My question is sincere, I have no clue how to look at a tape of a 2A kid and translate that into 6A competition.

When you're looking at a kid from Teneha - probably most famous as the biggest town of the Teneha-Timpson-Bobo railroad short line - you're looking hard. Texas has a lot of quality athletes, ripe for a higher level of development, at a lot of smaller schools. Problem is, there are a lot of very high-level athletes and high-level facilities.....and MONEY....in the huge number of 4A, 5A & 6A high schools in Texas, so those athletes become "easy pickins" for college programs too lazy to look any further down the ranks. And with Div I & Div II in each class, there are really 6 classes of the largest schools so it is really really hard for a 4A athlete to get any attention, let alone 2A & 3A. It is remarkable that a kid at a 2A school got any looks at all. There may be some highlighting of a kid that is exceptional relative to the competition pool he's in, but I think when a kid stands out in any talent pool, they are certainly worth evaluating.

agreed.... but I was not asking if they were worthy of evaluation, I was asking what RA does in making a call whether a kids that stands out in 2A competition would also stand out in 6A competition, or whether he would simply be just another competitor among that pool of talent.

I don't evaluate "talent", I don't review highlights nor attend HS games. I have no freaking clue, that's why I'm interested in how someone would go about doing that, what they might look for (or at)... perhaps it's purely a gut call - I don't know.

Robert has been doing this for along time, I thought it would be interesting to hear about the process itself.

sure, all angles and thoughts welcomed (even fans), I only directed the question to RA because it was his article (and he's been doing it for a while).

CaliforniaCowboy said:

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Thanks Robert. Nice write-up.

I noticed he was listed as 2A, which may be a reason why many other recruiting services have not mentioned him.

When I see the level of competition I always look at the kid(s) with an eye of suspicion too.... as in, can he really be that good, or does he just look so much better because of the competition?

My question is about your evaluation approach. What do you look for (or look at) when evaluating kids from lower levels (even 8-man football) that impresses you, especially when compared to the larger backdrop of other talented kids at more competitive levels?

What is it (to you) that makes the a kid like this stand out and impresses upon you that what you are observing could translate into success against better competition?

My question is sincere, I have no clue how to look at a tape of a 2A kid and translate that into 6A competition.

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Okay this is a great question and is one that I, along with Robert, can answer!

So, yes overall 2A talent is not as superior as those in 5A and 6A. But at the same time, there are certain things that can be seen or understood about a prospect that makes it not so hard to evaluate lower divisions...

Some examples:

If a kid runs a 4.5 at 2A, he is also running a 4.5 at 6A. Speed is speed. If a kid is 6'2 at 2A, he is 6'2 at 6A. Size is size. This is what I refer to as definitives. Numbers that would remain the same no matter where. This comes into play with athleticism measurables.

Same goes for weight lifting numbers, vertical jumps, combine type workouts, etc. This helps you understand their bodies and their overall athleticism. Those numbers would be the same anywhere.

On the field, it can be tougher as they go against lesser talent at times.

Let's take a cornerback for example. If that CB runs a 4.5, shows the ability to track balls in the air, has good feet, and has balls skills, they already have the base skills/attributes and most of that is natural, not necessarily just because they are in 2A.

It is also expected that guys like that will dominate the competition at that level which is where your question stems from of how legit is this guy. There is typically a learning curve at the next level but that is expected with any prospect really. If you take someone with the right measurables and athleticism for a certain position and you teach them the correct schemes and ways to play, you would never know they came from a small school.

Guys like this will also show out at camps, 7v7, and scouting combines.

Big media wants to make it seem like there are certain limits on talent, which is why the star ranking system is a thing but stars aren't everything.

I understand, but I wasn't replying to your question or inferring that I have any evaluation skills at all. I was just offering my observation. The closest I can come to "evaluation" is with asking questions through a phone call or fire pit chat with my oldest son who is a HS DL coach at the 4A level. His school is in the same district as Argyle, and he coached against Preston Wilson a couple of years ago.

Outstanding explanation, Marshall - I'm impressed

CanadianCowboy said:

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Outstanding explanation, Marshall - I'm impressed

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Thank you! Any time you have a question just let me know!

thanks for the replies everybody