The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
A sign of family
02.04.2010 | Football
Feb. 4, 2010
Grant Abston, Texas Media Relations
On national signing day in a room crowded with current and former players and coaches, three recruits - A.J. White, Connor Wood and Case McCoy - sat alongside their families as they signed the dotted line and affirmed their commitment to The University of Texas as part of its 2010 recruiting class.
Since most recruits sign their letter of intent at their high schools, the three early enrollees who missed that opportunity were presented to the team along with their families for a ceremonial mock signing wearing their new number.
"It's kind of surreal," said Adrian White, A.J.'s father. "You watch Texas on TV and you grow up in Texas being a Longhorn fan and to actually see your kid and to know that he's one of the 25 kids that they gave a scholarship out of thousands of kids that play football every day, it's very special. It's special for him and I know it's special for me and my family."
A defensive back at DeSoto High School, A.J. White was an all-state and all-district selection as a senior and was selected to play in the 2010 Under Armour All-America Game. For White, the decision to commit was an easy one.
"A.J.'s been a die-hard Texas fan since I can remember," Adrian White said. "He only took one official visit and that was to The University of Texas."
While each player was attracted to Texas from the beginning, arriving on campus, experiencing the atmosphere and spending time with the players and coaches played an important part in the recruiting process.
"It's just a wonderful school, great program, the coaches are the best and [there are] wonderful players and the parents that we've met along with the players have been fantastic," said Jeff Wood, Connor's father.
Connor Wood, a four-year starter at Second Baptist School in Houston, finished his career as a three-time all-state and first-team all-district selection and started in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. For his parents, his selection to play for Mack Brown at Texas could not have been better.
"He's a winning coach and he makes you feel like you're part of the family," Jeff Wood said. "He gives you a real since of comfort and he really is what he portrays, [he's] just a great man."
For the McCoy family, the process is nothing new, but the strong family atmosphere helped Case and his family quickly decide on a school they were already familiar with.
"Well it's a really strong drawing point for us because when we started trying to look at the school and narrow that field down with Case, family is very important to us and we know what it is here," said Debra McCoy, Case's mother. "We've experienced it, the coaches care about you, they create that atmosphere, and for Case, it was a perfect fit."
McCoy finished his career passing for 10,711 yards and 111 TDs while starting all four years at Graham high school. The two-time all-state and three-time first team all-district performer also participated in the 2010 Offense-Defense All-American Bowl.
"We're thrilled, we love Austin and we love wearing burnt orange so no wardrobe changes there," said Debra McCoy. "We get to keep everything the same, and it's finally Case's turn, and I think this is something that he has dreamed about and wanted for a long time, and now we're getting started. It's really exciting."
While each player based his decision to commit to Texas on a variety of reasons, one thing continually surfaced with each recruit and his family - the family atmosphere.
"That was the biggest sale," Adrian White said. "I think that's a big issue when you send your kid off to college. You want them to take care of him because I'm not there to get on him, momma's not there to get on him and you want them to think that somebody's going to be looking out for him. The atmosphere here was just dynamic. The coaches were really down to earth and you know it felt like family."
While signing the dotted line is just the beginning for each player, the feelings across the room on national signing day were consistent with each player and their family members sitting on stage.
"It feels wonderful, it's home," Jeff Wood said.
