Texas State’s football program looks toward a new era with slew of recruits

By Grady Elbel

Sports Contributor

@grady_e33

SAN MARCOS — After a few successful years with Incarnate Word University’s football
program, coach G.J. Kinne is ready to take the reigns as head coach at Texas State University. He
and his staff look to make a quick turnaround for the Bobcats after a lackluster season last Fall
when the team finished with a 4-8 record.

Texas State recruited many new players in the offseason, a sizeable number coming from
Kinne’s former Incarnate Word program and local Texas high schools, along with a few other
transfers from Sun Belt Conference teams.

Some of the notable recruits include junior quarterback Malik Hornsby from Arkansas University, sophomore defensive back Joshua Eaton from Oklahoma University, and freshman offensive lineman Justin DeLeon.

Another addition is junior inside linebacker, Dan Foster Jr. from Marshall University, who was a
part of the squad that won the 2022 Myrtle Beach Bowl over the University of Connecticut.
“There ain’t no place like San Marcos,” said Foster Jr. “You know we got the river through
campus, we got the 40,000 students, we got the nice cities, nothing better, and wonderful new
coaches.”

Foster Jr. and the many new faces in the program are trying to make their marks, impressing
Kinne and his staff. But most of the players from last season are doing the same. Senior Ty Evans, who played as the second-string quarterback last season behind Layne
Hatcher, expressed he and the rest of his teammates are excited about the new
opportunities ahead.

“We have meetings, everyone’s paying attention, and everyone’s sitting up,” Evans explained.
“You know the coaches are coming in there with a lot of fire, and I think the guys recognize that,
and I think we respond really well to that.”

Someone who has seen the progression of the program unlike many others in the athletics
department is Texas State’s Video Production Coordinator and Television Announcer Brant
Freeman. The ESPN-Plus television announcer believes the new coaching staff will be heavily
focused on the vacant quarterback position.

“G.J. Kinne has a great track record with the quarterbacks he’s worked with,” said Freeman.
“So, you’re going to see, I would think, a really big impact from that position and it’s one that you
need to succeed at to contend in the Sun Belt.”

Under Kinne, Texas State’s football program will look to do two things they’ve never done in
their history: become Sun Belt champs and compete in a bowl game. One thing is for sure –
Bobcat fans have a lot to look forward to over the next couple of seasons.