Texas State has been hammering away at the region for months and got its first payoff Saturday.

Tatum offensive tackle Drake Centers verbally committed to the Bobcats program and is the first of 12 tabbed East Texas seniors to align with its 2018 recruiting class. 

Centers (6-2, 296) chose Texas State in favor of other NCAA Division I FBS offers from Louisiana-Monroe, SMU and Southern Mississippi.

The tackle blocked for a run-oriented Tatum offense last season. The team as a whole put up a 7-3 regular season record and made an appearance in the first round of the Class 4A Division II state playoffs to follow up a winless 2015 campaign.

Running back Cedric White, a fellow rising senior, eclipsed 1,400 yards and scored 17 touchdowns behind Centers while graduated running back LaMarcus Harmon rushed for 924 yards and 14 scores. Tatum's set of quarterbacks threw for 884 yards and two touchdowns.

Center's commitment, which is non-binding until he signs a formal letter during the NCAA sanctioned signing periods, is expected to be Texas State's first recruiting win in the region since landing Lufkin quarterback Kordell Rodgers in the past cycle. A second regional 2017 graduate committed to the program, but he ultimately enrolled at a local junior college.

The Bobcats have another six uncommitted seniors within the region on their board. Five of their targets are committed elsewhere, including three that chose schools in the power five conferences.

Texas State went 2-10 last season under first-year coach Everett Withers. It failed to win any of eight Sun Belt Conference games.

However, optimism is still prevalent in San Marcos. Withers' former program, James Madison, won the most recent NCAA Division I FCS national championship mostly with players Withers and his former staff recruited through their two seasons in Virginia.

Withers was a high-profile defensive coordinator among FBS programs, owned NFL positional coaching experience and had served as North Carolina's interim head coach for the 2011 season prior to getting offered his first head coach job with James Madison.

Centers will first become eligible to sign with Texas State or any other Division I program that offers him in December. A second signing window opens in February.

2018 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

  • Tre Allison, John Tyler, OLB, 6-2, 211 — committed to SMU; additional offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (7)
  • Chance Amie, Tyler Lee, QB, 6-3, 190 — offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Houston, Iowa State, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Texas, Rutgers, Southern Miss, Syracuse, Tulane, ULL, Virginia (18)
  • Xavier Benson, Pleasant Grove, LB, 6-0, 200 — offers from Arkansas State, Army, Memphis, North Texas, Rice, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (13)
  • Drake Centers, Tatum, OL, 6-3, 296 — committed to Texas State; additional offers from SMU, Southern Miss, ULM (4)
  • Kylar Cooks, Liberty-Eylau, OL, 6-5, 252 — offers from Arkansas State, North Texas, Texas State, ULL (4)
  • Jeremiah Davis, Lufkin, CB, 5-10, 194 — committed to ULL (1)
  • Kris Dike, Van, OL, 6-6, 283 — committed to TCU; additional offers from Colorado, Houston, Memphis, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, Tulane (8)
  • Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-2, 209 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Mississippi State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (6)
  • Trae Hall, Henderson, QB/ATH, 6-3, 185 — offers from Florida Atlantic, New Mexico State, Tulane, ULL, ULM (5)
  • Conner Henson, Harmony, OL, 6-3, 243 — offers from ULL, ULM (2)
  • Chasen Hines, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 353 — committed to LSU; additional offers from Arizona, Baylor, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Rice, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech (16)
  • Tevailance Hunt, Texas High, WR, 6-2, 180 — committed to Kansas; additional offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Memphis, Nevada, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss, Tulsa (15)
  • Dewaylon Ingram, Carthage, WR, 6-0, 160 — offer from Arkansas State (1)
  • Keaontay Ingram, Carthage, RB, 6-0, 198 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, UTSA (27)
  • Malik Jackson, Lufkin, WR, 5-8, 163 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Arkansas State, Texas State (3)
  • Kameron King, Marshall, OL, 6-2, 275 — offers from Memphis, North Texas, Tulane, ULM, Southern Miss (5)
  • Trevor Lawrence, Whitehouse, DE, 6-4, 245 — offers from Texas State, ULM (2)
  • DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, S, 6-4, 196 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, TCU, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, UTSA (30)
  • Leonard Parks, Texas High, DE, 6-5, 230 — offer from ULM (1)
  • Michael Sanchez, Gladewater, TE/OL, 6-5, 327 — offer from Houston (1)
  • Jonathan Shepherd, Kilgore, WR, 6-3, 196 — committed to Oklahoma State; additional offers from Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Kansas State, ULM, Missouri, New Mexico, Memphis, North Texas, Oregon State, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech (15)
  • Marje Smith, Marshall, DE, 6-6, 210 -- committed to Baylor (1)
  • DaRyan Williams, Nacogdoches, 5-10,199 — offer from Texas State (1)
  • Tyree Wilson, West Rusk, LB, 6-5, 225 — committed to Texas A&M; additional offers from Houston, Kansas, Memphis, Mississippi State, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, SMU, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Washington State, Wyoming (16)

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