Longhorns Country

Longhorns Expected To Add DFW Area High School Coach To Key Recruiting Role

The Texas Longhorns are still making major moves on the recruiting front. Only this time, it is on the administrative side.

Matt Galatzan

Steve Sarkisian knows the importance of having relationships with high school football coaches in the state of Texas, and on Wednesday, he proved it, reportedly adding Lancaster head coach Chris Gilbert to fill the role of Director of High School relations. 

The hiring was first reported by Mike Roach of Horns247.

As the head coach of the Tigers for over a decade, Gilbert has become one of the most influential coaching figures in the state of Texas and currently sits on the Region 3 Board of Directors for the Texas High School Coaches Association.

During his tie with Lancaster, Gilbert led his team to an 83-30 overall record, with a 16-7 playoff record. He has also brought home five District Coach of the Year awards while with the program in 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016, as well as this past season in 2020. 

READ MORE: How Did Sarkisian’s Transition Class Stack Up To His Predecessors?

Gilbert began his head coaching career at his alma mater South Oak Cliff in 2006, before eventually moving on to Terrell High School in 2009, before finally landing at Lancaster in 2010. 

The role that Gilbert will now fill, was originally created by Mack Brown in 2008 when he hired former Longhorn quarterback legend, Major Applewhite. Bob Shipley, who has occupied the role since 2017, will remain with the program in some capacity, per Sarkisian. 

READ MORE: Which 2021 Longhorn Recruits Can Have An Instant Impact Next Season?

“I think we’ve been a little bit of a transition stage," Sarkisian said. "I think he’s still going to be part of the program, in the exact capacity yet we don’t know. Bob has been a tremendous resource for me since coming on board. I really value what he brings to the program. So as we work our way through it, we’ll get to a point that Bob will definitely have a role in the program, to what extent still remains to be seen.”

According to the initial report from Roach, the hiring of Gilbert still needs to be approved by the NCAA, which is expected to happen by the end of next week.

Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

Home/News