Are Liberty Hill players being short-changed at the college level because of their Slot-T?
LIBERTY HILL — Noah Long and Ben Carter have spent the better part of the last few years running through opposing defenses across Central Texas and they were rewarded Wednesday with college scholarships.
It was a day of family, friends and football in Liberty Hill, a fast-growing town of 10,700 residents about 30 miles northwest of downtown Austin. Long signed with Valparaiso University in Indiana and Carter signed with McNeese State in Louisiana.
If their high school portfolios are any indication, both players are bound to have successful college careers. Long rushed for 3,655 yards and scored 47 touchdowns over the last two years. Carter rushed for 4,518 yards and 63 touchdowns over the same span.
Wednesday was national signing day, the day for college-bound players throughout the nation to rejoice in personal achievements. The next chapter of their young lives will be just as rewarding as their high school days, if not better.
With that said, folks in Liberty Hill wonder if they're being short-changed when it comes to recruiting. A football program with a record of 208-59 and two state championships over the past 20 years seems to constantly be overlooked in big-time college recruiting.
"We've had kids who have gone to Army, Navy, Rice and excelled," said Jerry Vance, Liberty Hill's legendary head coach from 2001-16. "You're not going to see them going to powers like A&M, Texas or Oklahoma unless they go as walk-ons."
But why?
Vance has a few theories. Liberty Hill still uses his antiquated Slot-T offense, a system rarely seen at the college level. And most of the school's linemen barely tip the scales at 200 pounds, not exactly the prototypes for the Aggies, Longhorns or Sooners.
"They don't pass the eye candy test," Vance said.
"College coaches will see the offense, which is unconventional nowadays and they don't know what to do with us," he added. "There are things we don't have any control over."
The good and bad of running the Slot-T
Again, the Slot-T might be to blame. This past season, 96.6% of the team's plays were on the ground. A few offensive linemen, such as former Panthers Jackson Harrison (West Texas A&M), Aaron Brewer (Blinn), Blake Wilson (Hardin-Simmons) and Walker Baty (UTSA), have made the college ranks, but not many. It's hard to assess an offensive lineman who rarely pass blocks.
Long and Carter, members of the American-Statesman's All-Central Team the past two years, said they are grateful to continue their college careers. Both, however, said they were frustrated during the season when their production on the field didn't merit many college offers.
"Our offense by many is considered a system," Long said. "It involves deception, mostly running, and we run it at a very quick pace. It's something you don't see much at the higher levels of college football. In many cases, we don't fit the description of what they are looking for. But once (a running back) hits the hole, the skill set remains the same in any scheme or play."
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Carter might not have been seen by many college recruiters, but he was recognized by earning a spot on the Class 5A all-state team last fall after rushing for 2,585 yards and 31 touchdowns. He agrees with Long's assessment that the Slot-T is to blame.
"When you're watching film of us, you see a lot of misdirection and how we confuse defenses," Carter said. "That can take people's attention to the fact of how skillful our offense really is."
It should be noted that Panthers running back Joe Pitchford (TCU) and place kicker Connor Hawkins (Baylor) will play college football this fall as walk-ons.
Current head coach Kent Walker, whose record at Liberty Hill is 36-10 over three seasons, said Vance is the architect of the success the Panthers have sustained over the years. When Vance took over the program in 2001, the population of the town was 1,277 and football was hardly a state power.
Liberty Hill will miss Ben Carter, Noah Long
Everything changed when Vance's team won state titles in 2006 and 2007. The Panthers have reached the state playoffs in 19 of the past 20 years and have won at least 10 games 14 times during the span.
Walker, though, believes the Slot-T isn't the only factor working against his players. In recent years, fewer high school players have been rewarded with scholarships because the NCAA granted student-athletes the ability to extend their own eligibility if their team was affected by the pandemic. And in the past two years, college coaches have used the transfer portal to help replenish their teams.
"College coaches know about Ben and Noah and have seen a ton of film on both of them, but a lot of schools are only taking one running back from the high school level when they may have taken two or three in the past," Walker said.
For obvious reasons, Walker said the Panthers are going to miss Long and Carter. Not only did they excel on the field, they were leaders by example off of it. For the better part of 20 years, though, Liberty Hill has had the uncanny ability to find capable running backs who keep the good times rolling on Friday nights.
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When Vance was asked what he's most proud about concerning Liberty Hill football, he didn't mention the team's consistency on the field. Instead, he's most proud of the way the players have lived their lives after graduating from high school.
That's something you can't dispute, Vance said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Slot-T, size of players might be factors for Liberty Hill recruits
