It's a good bet North Texas will join the list of college teams putting up video game offensive numbers starting this season. Texas High quarterback Cade Pearson just might be leading that system in a few years.

The Mean Green, under first-year head coach Seth Littrell, reached out to Pearson on Sunday and handed the signal caller his second Division I FBS offer and eighth college football choice in general. The rising senior announced the news through his personal Twitter account.

North Texas is in a full-blown transition period with virtually an all-new coaching staff following a 1-11 season last year. However, the names on the staff aren’t all that unfamiliar, particularly if you watched Texas Tech football under Mike Leach during the Air Raid era in the 2000s.

Littrell was a running backs coach under Leach at Texas Tech before taking offensive coordinator jobs at Arizona, Indiana and North Carolina.

North Texas offensive coordinator Graham Harrell — who developed strong East Texas connections after graduation through marriage and by training at the Accelerated Performance Enhancement Center in Tyler during his NFL days -- simultaneously played quarterback for Leach. Harrell got hired by Leach at Washington State as a graduate assistant after his professional career ended and was subsequently promoted to receivers coach before moving to Denton.

New outside receivers coach Joel Filani was one of Harrell’s top targets in college.

Mean Green associate head coach and inside receivers coach Tommy Mainord also spent time at Texas Tech under Tommy Tuberville immediately after the Leach era ended and helped keep the school's offense among the top 10 most productive year-to-year. He moved to the Kentucky staff at the end of the 2012 season, a few weeks before Tuberville's staff collapsed upon Tuberville's jump to Cincinnati.

Running backs coach and special teams coordinator Tommy Perry, a Tyler Lee graduate, was the only coach from the former staff retained for Littrell’s unit.

Pearson (6-3, 193) is preparing for his third and final season as Texas High’s starter under center. He has guided the school to a 15-7 overall record, including two Class 5A Division I bi-district round playoff appearances and a shared District 15-5A title with Longview and Marshall last year.

The Tigers’ standout produced nearly identical numbers as a sophomore and as a junior. He posted a two-to-one touchdowns to interceptions ratio and threw for a little more than 1,600 yards in both seasons.

Pearson, like all high school football players preparing for their senior year, will become eligible to sign with any program that offers him in February.

2017 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

  • Tristan Allen, Atlanta, LB, 6-3, 206 — offer from UTEP (1)
  • Judah Bell, Tyler Bishop Gorman, WR, 6-3, 180 — offers from Bowling Green, Coastal Carolina, Houston, Kansas, Memphis, Navy, New Mexico, North Texas, SMU, ULL, ULM, UTSA, Wyoming (13)
  • Noah Bush, Athens, LB, 6-1, 216 — offers from Air Force, Army (2)
  • Lagaryonn Carson, Liberty-Eylau, DE, 6-4, 261 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, North Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M (9)
  • Terrell Cooper, Lindale, DE, 6-3, 240 — offered by Memphis (1)
  • Trestan Ebner, Henderson, WR, 5-11, 180 — offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Texas, Ole Miss, SMU, Syracuse, UTSA, TCU, Texas A&M, Tulsa (18)
  • Montrell Estell, Hooks, WR/DB, 6-2, 180 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Notre Dame, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane (12)
  • Octavius Evans, Center, WR, 6-2, 186 — offers from Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas State, ULL (7)
  • Ted Fuller, Harleton, RB, 5-11, 195 — offers from ULM, Wyoming (2)
  • Tre Gatlin, Carthage, DE, 6-6, 210 —offer from Wyoming (1)
  • Austin Hawley, Gladewater, DB, 6-1, 200 — offer from ULM (1)
  • Kollin Hurt, Gilmer, DB, 6-3, 175 — offers from Louisiana Tech, ULM (2)
  • Jordan Johnson, Hooks, ATH, 6-0, 195 — committed to Air Force (1)
  • Kayce Medlock, Arp, ATH, 5-10, 186 — offers from Army, Colorado, Navy, SMU, Tulane, ULL, UTSA (7)
  • Damion Miller, John Tyler, WR, 6-1, 189 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Baylor, Houston, Kansas, Missouri, North Texas, Oklahoma State; Ole Miss; SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (11)
  • LaMarcus Morton, Gilmer, WR, 6-2, 175 — offers from Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston, Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, New Mexico State, Texas Tech, Tulsa, ULL, ULM, UTSA (12)
  • Javontavius Mosley, John Tyler, CB, 6-1, 170 — committed to UTSA; additional offers from Arkansas State, Houston, Memphis, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, ULL, ULM (10)
  • Cade Pearson, Texas High, QB, 6-3, 193  offers from North Texas, Wyoming (2)
  • Dhailon Phillips, Lufkin, WR, 6-3, 195 — offer from Texas State (1)
  • Kordell Rodgers, Lufkin, QB/ATH, 5-10, 165 — offers from Arkansas State, Texas State, ULM (3)
  • Makyle Sanders, Tyler Lee, S, 6-1, 177 — offers from Memphis, Navy (2)
  • Bryson Smith, John Tyler, QB/ATH, 6-0, 170 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Air Force, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Memphis, New Mexico, North Texas, Purdue, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Tulane, Tulsa, ULL, ULM, UTSA (16)
  • D’Torian Smith, Tatum, LB, 6-3, 225 — offers from Air Force, ULM, UTEP (3)
  • Major Tennison, Bullard, TE, 6-6, 248 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, SMU, Texas Tech (13)
  • Josh Thompson, Nacogdoches, CB, 6-0, 182 — offered by Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, Missouri, North Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULM, Utah, UTSA, Washington State, Wyoming (22)
  • Lakendrick VanZandt, Henderson, S, 6-1, 196 — offered by Houston, Memphis, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Tulane, Tulsa (7)
  • Traveion Webster, Longview, S, 6-0, 197 — offered by ULM (1)

 

 

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