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Katy three-star linebacker Ty Kana poses for a photo with his parents on Early Signing Day on Wednesday morning at Katy High School.
Katy LB Kana finds home with McGuire's Red Raiders
It didn’t take long for new Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire to make an impression on Katy three-star linebacker Ty Kana.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Kana decommitted from the University of Southern California on Oct. 25. He ultimately found a football soulmate in McGuire, a highly regarded leader in Texas high school and college coaching circles who was hired to lead the Red Raiders on Nov. 8.
“I like Coach McGuire,” said Kana, who held 13 offers, including Baylor, Oklahoma State, and SMU. “I like what he’s building over there. That program has the opportunity upon it to become a powerhouse. The recruiting class Coach McGuire has gotten in the past month … he’s got the recruits. We’ve got the talent.
“Things are going to change in Lubbock pretty soon.”
.@FootballKaty three-star LB @tykana42 talks about @JoeyMcGuireTTU, signing with @TexasTechFB, playing at Katy High, and more. #txhsfb #EarlySigningDay @KPRC2RandyMc @texashsfootball @RedRaider_FB @RedRaiderSports @KatySportsMed @Katyfootball @KatyISDAthleticpic.twitter.com/XixWJtF2n7— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1639578378
McGuire got his start in the high school ranks. He led Cedar Hill to three state championships in 2006, 2013 and 2014 before going to Baylor. He was an associate head coach and linebackers coach with the Bears before accepting the gig in Lubbock.
“His brand of football, going all the way back to his high school days at Cedar Hill, is freaking physical, hard-nosed, put your head down and work,” Kana said. “That kind of football, like what we pride ourselves on here at Katy. He likes that, and I liked seeing that he’s going to put that on his program at Texas Tech. That’s one of the things that stood out to me.”
Kana was a three-year letterman and team captain at Katy. He compiled 304 total tackles with 31 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a fumble caused in helping lead Katy to a 39-3 record over the last three seasons and the 2020 Class 6A-Division II state championship.
“There’s nothing in the world I would trade for my time as a Katy Tiger,” Kana said. “It’s been a great four years. Lots of memories, lots of teammates that have come and gone. It’s been a wild four years for me.”
LISTEN UP: Pick the school, not the coach
Having covered the world of recruiting for decades, here is lesson No. 1.
Commit to the school, not the coach.
With the coaching carousel spinning like a top, high school prospects are shocked that the coaches they committed to are off to greener pastures.
Really? Don’t be.
This is a business boys, and you have to ALWAYS keep your options open. You have to have a Plan B… a worst-case scenario.
When 99-percent of the high school and college students who are looking for a job, they commit to a company… not a manager. College football recruiting is NO DIFFERENT.
Look, on the real, the power-struggle has flipped to the players over the past few years. The recruiting game has also completely morphed. You wanted it, you got it.
The portal makes roster management virtually impossible for college coaches to know who is coming or going. It’s free-agency every year.
Kids can use it to their benefit or their detriment.
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), which I don’t agree with, is also a joke. Teens can make big money, which they have no idea how to manage, completely changing the power dynamic in the locker room and the relationship with their coaches. Short-sighted deals are made to allure recruits to the super-powers of college football.
It’s the same deal with college coaches… you can’t fault them for negotiating their own deals.
The creation of super-conferences is alluring to some coaches, but terrifying to others. It’s a game of musical chairs and everyone is scrambling for their spot before the music stops. If you could coach for 4-5 years in the rough-and-tumble SEC where expectations are insane, or coach 10-15 years in the Pac-12, where expectations are like “dude, football is gnarly, bruh”, which would you pick?
Throw in an international pandemic into the mix and this whole recruiting process is a mess.
Existing players getting an extra year of eligibility. No expansion of scholarships from 85 per school and hundreds of student-athletes looking for their next stop are finding themselves back at their homes. The one-time hometown heroes, who had hundreds of adoring fans watching them select a hat during Signing Day, are now collecting a paycheck a Chick-fil-A.
With the exodus of Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley to USC, Billy Napier from UL-L to Florida, Joey McGuire from Baylor to Texas Tech, kids feel like they are left in the dark. Sort of, but did you commit to the school or the coach?
LSU, OU, TCU and Virginia Tech among others are coach-less with December 15th looming – the early signing day.
It’s chaos, but such is life.
Stop whining fellas, there is a formula to football and life in general.
LISTEN to experienced people who have NO incentive in your decisions. Hmmmm… maybe your high school head coach or position coach who has seen you develop the past four years.
Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.
Work hard and make good decisions.
And finally, understand -- THIS IS A BUSINESS. Everyone is out for themselves. Never forget that.
So, choose a school that feels like home, play ball, create your own network, be patient and things will work out. Here's a novel concept, get your degree so you can be your own boss one day.
And leave your feelings at home.