SMU, armed with new assistant coach and East Texas native Jeff Traylor, has been making the rounds locally this week, and another regional prospect was offered by the Mustangs on Wednesday.

Tatum 2018 offensive lineman Drake Centers announced via Twitter that SMU became the second FBS program to offer him.

Centers (6-4, 295), who was previously offered by Texas State, is the third East Texas recruit in the 2018 class to receive an SMU offer this week.

The Tatum lineman is the second local player to be targeted by the Mustangs on Wednesday, joining West Rusk linebacker Tyree Wilson.

Centers helped guide Tatum to a 7-3 regular season record and a Class 4A Division II bi-district playoff appearance as a junior under first-year coach Craig Barker. Tatum went winless the season beforehand.

SMU head coach Chad Morris, as he declared at a high school coaching clinic in Longview, is optimistic he has the pieces in place to make a serious run at the American Athletic Conference championship this season. Last year’s roster featured six local players, and two more signed with the program in February.

Morris’ 2016 team squandered a situation in which it needed to win just one of its final two games to achieve bowl eligibility. However, its final record of 5-7 was a three-win improvement compared to Morris’ first team in 2015 and a four-win improvement versus the 2014 squad.

Centers, like all college football prospects currently in their junior year of high school, will become eligible to sign with any school that offers him in February.

2018 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

  • Tre Allison, John Tyler, OLB, 6-0, 200 — 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, Georgia State, Houston, Iowa State, North Texas, Rutgers, Southern Miss, Syracuse, Tulane, ULL, Virginia (15)
  • Xavier Benson, Pleasant Grove, LB, 6-0, 200 — offers from Arkansas State, Army, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM (10)
  • Drake Centers, Tatum, OL, 6-4, 295 — offers from SMU, Texas State (2)
  • Kris Dike, Van, OL, 6-6, 283 — offers from Colorado, Houston, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU (6)
  • Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-2, 215 — offers from Houston, Mississippi State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (6)
  • Trae Hall, Henderson, QB/ATH, 6-3, 185 — offers from Florida Atlantic, ULL (2)
  • Conner Henson, Harmony, OL, 6-4, 250 — offers from ULL, ULM (2)
  • Chasen Hines, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 340 — 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, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall University, Nevada, North Texas, Southern Miss, Tulsa (10)
  • Keaontay Ingram, Carthage, RB, 6-0, 198 — 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, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, UTSA (27)
  • Malik Jackson, Lufkin, WR, 5-8, 165 — offer from Arkansas State (1)
  • DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, S, 6-4, 196 — 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, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, UTSA (30)
  • Jonathan Shepherd, Kilgore, WR, 6-3, 196 — offers from Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Kansas State, ULM, New Mexico, Oregon State, TCU (7)
  • Tyree Wilson, West Rusk, LB, 6-5, 225 — committed to Washington State; additional offers from Kansas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (8)

More From East Texas Sports Network