Texas State has 49 new players in 2023 football recruiting class

SAN MARCOS — Texas State’s 2023 recruiting class is nearing the half-century mark after three more transfers pledged this week: West Virginia defensive backs Caleb Coleman and Jaylon Shelton and Colorado offensive tackle Alex Harkey. And with Texas linebacker Derrick Brown committing last Friday, the Bobcats now have 49 new players, including 35 transfers from FBS or FCS schools and seven junior college players.

“There’s nobody that is going to out-recruit me as a head coach,” Texas State coach G.J. Kinne said after Monday’s ceremony for renovations to the school’s football performance center. “I think that is showing. We just need to continue to show the support of donations of fans and NIL — because we’re getting into that world — and that’s going to continue to be a big part of it. This is just the beginning.”

Brown has four seasons of eligibility left. Listed at 6 feet 4 and 220 pounds, he’ll switch to defensive end with the Bobcats. He’s one of 11 defensive linemen in the Texas State class. Coleman will play safety, and Shelton will play cornerback. Both have three years left.

Harkey, originally from Hays High School, has two years left; he spent last season at Colorado after his freshman year at Tyler Junior College. He’s listed at 6-6 and 305 pounds and is the Bobcats’ 11th offensive lineman in the class.

More: Texas State flashes its new offense during spring game

And they aren’t finished. On Friday, Arizona State center Danny Valenzuela posted on Twitter pictures of an official visit in San Marcos. He entered the portal last month with three years left.

Football performance center is coming: Texas State held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for its $37 million football performance center; the project has been in the works for a while, but the plan was expedited by the administration after Kinne was hired in December.

“We talked about (the renovations) in the interview process,” Kinne said. “It was huge. You have to be able to recruit at a high level to win football games. We’re able to do that. Signed multiple guys just talking about this complex. Once we get this finalized and we’re able to show recruits — and our current student-athletes. We’ve talked about retention and the transfer portal; we want to keep our top guys, and this will help us do that.”

The renovations to the old Endzone Complex will include an 8,000-square-foot weight room, a new players’ lounge, a new training room featuring hydrotherapy, individual position meeting rooms, upgraded conference rooms with additional offices, a recruiting room and additional premium hospitality spaces for fans on game days, according to a news release. The fundraising campaign is ongoing, but construction will begin this summer.