Texas' Tom Herman says he would discourage recruits from transferring to IMG

Recommended Video:

Texas coach Tom Herman spoke on IMG Academy's presence in the state at the Division I Coaches Panel on Sunday to kick off the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention in Houston.

IMG Academy is a boarding school in Bradenton, Fla., famous for its nationally acclaimed football team. But it's drawn the ire of Texas high school football coaches because the school recruits players from across the country to join the program and naturally, those efforts have reached Texas.

The few notable Texas high school football players who have joined IMG say the school prepares them for the college level in terms of the competition on the field and daily life in academics. Texas high school football coaches say IMG Academy is destroying the fabric of what the sport is about at this level – community.

"I don't understand it," Herman said when asked to speak on players leaving the state to join other programs in an effort to gain an advantage. "I get nervous that one of those things is going to take off here in the state of Texas. I'd be happy - if you've got any kids out there that are thinking about moving - if you want to put me in touch with them and me telling them it's not going to matter in terms of their recruitment because it doesn't.

"It doesn't matter whether you go to IMG or you go to Carthage High School, we're going to find you. I believe high school football is more than just getting recruited. It's more than X's and O's. It's about community, especially in this state. That community starts to get torn apart a little bit because people want to come in and recruit other players. I've got a problem with that."

Herman also spoke on the other side of the situation, too – players' rights.

"Now, it's also a free country, too," Herman said. "So, I don't know any answer to solve it other than to continue putting pressure on people that make the laws in UIL and so on and so forth.

Texas head coach Tom Herman has the Longhorns sweating the small stuff as "everything matters" in his plan to rebuild the program. Texas head coach Tom Herman has the Longhorns sweating the small stuff as "everything matters" in his plan to rebuild the program. Photo: Tim Warner, Contributor Photo: Tim Warner, Contributor Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Texas' Tom Herman says he would discourage recruits from transferring to IMG 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

"We don't want recruiting to become like basketball where I've literally talked to college basketball officials and they've signed kids to full scholarships and never stepped foot in a high school.

"We're the last beacon of hope in our sport to where the high school coach matters."

IMG Academy has had a few recruits from Houston on the roster, most notably Jhamon Auson (Episcopal, St. Thomas) and Grant Delpit (Lamar). Ausbon and Delpit are now freshmen at Texas A&M and LSU, respectively.

Cypress Ranch tight end Logan Compton announced his intention to transfer to IMG Academy in June.

Elsewhere in the state recently, highly regarded four-star wide receiver Joshua Moore from Yoakum transferred to IMG Academy to complete his senior year but opted to transfer back to Yoakum.

"I think we have to do whatever we can to discourage those young men from thinking that that's a better option than playing with the people and for the people in their community," Herman said Sunday.