Photo by Keith Owens Claude Mathis, DeSoto

New SMU head coach Chad Morris, a former Texas high school coach himself, looked to the prep landscape to build his staff by hiring DeSoto (Texas) head coach Claude Mathis, according to a report from 247Sports. Morris, who made a name for himself by leading the Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) program to prominence, adds Mathis, a coach who has established one of the most consistent programs in the country.In each of the last five seasons, Mathis has guided DeSoto to 10 or more victories. Twice, his squads reached the Class 5A-I semifinals, winning 14 games in the process.Mathis made the jump to the college ranks briefly in 2012, when he took a position with the University of Houston. However he left Houston after less than a month, and returned to DeSoto weeks later.He leaves behind a team that will return plenty of talent in the 2015 season.