When I worked in college football recruiting, coaches would often ask, “Does he love football?” It wasn’t a question, usually. It was sometimes a way to dismiss a player or push him down the priority list.
But if it was a toss-up between a couple of recruits, loving football was often the tiebreaker. You can’t measure it. It’s a feeling you get when you spend a lot of time evaluating.
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Some guys play football because they can, while others play because they like the feeling that football gives them. They like being part of a team.
But then, there’s a select group of people that need football. After their first taste, they crave it. Their heart rate elevates at the mention of formation shifts and offensive tendencies. They view Xs and Os the way that composers see notes on a music sheet.
Mudassir “Dassi” Abdullah and Javen Holmes, two recent Houston commits, both eat and breathe football. Holmes told me he was a football nerd and loved going through the UH playbook on his visit. He spent time asking questions as UH cornerbacks coach PJ Hall went over UH’s cover-3 defense. Later, he sat with Cougar safeties coach, Josh Christian-Young, to learn about other potential alignments and coverages. Dassi, meanwhile, goes home right after games to break down his film with his father and his brother. He focuses on identifying and correcting mistakes while his Columbia HS teammates go to parties or straight to bed.
I’ve learned that I need football, too. After leaving the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Program, I began my studies at UH, intending to break into the personnel side of sports. I took an unpaid job as a football analyst with UH Football before moving up to a football recruiting assistant and then the assistant director of scouting. I also worked for Pro Football Focus as a data analyst and wrote about scouting and recruiting for various websites.
Now, I’m anchoring GoCoogs.com’s Recruiting+ – our new premium recruiting service. We are reimagining Houston Cougar recruiting and transfer portal coverage, delving into the mindset of recruits that need football (or hoops). We will take you inside the recruiting process and explain why coaches choose the players they do.
Recruiting+ is more than a recruiting service. It’s high school recruiting plus the transfer portal.
It’s getting to know the commits and signees, plus in-depth storytelling. Plus, behind the scenes with coaches and athletes. Plus, film study with recruits. Plus, detailed breakdowns of official visits. Plus, getting to know all the people in the recruiting process. Plus, the backstories from on-staff recruiters and official visit hosts. Plus, every other aspect of the recruiting and transfer cycles.
Holmes was initially committed to Louisiana before attracting more attention late in the spring. He received an offer and took an official visit to Mississippi State, but ultimately chose Houston.
In my recent interview with Holmes, he came off as reserved and humble. He was initially a bit apprehensive, but as we delved deeper into football, he opened up. He’s excited about the role the coaching staff has in mind for him. The defensive staff used A.J. Haulcy’s 2024 season as the blueprint for him.
Discussing the depth of the defensive scheme and how his versatility will work in it excites Holmes. He likes the freedom that is given to players to make things happen in a system that has multiple ways to disorient opposing offenses. However, his most significant reaction came when I mentioned how much he enjoys hitting people. Expect big collisions over the middle when he’s on the field.
Mudassir Abdullah, who goes by Dassi, comes to Houston from nearby West Columbia. As soon as you hear his voice, his exuberance and excitement are evident. Speaking to him, it felt like interviewing a seasoned vet. He has a big smile and a confidence about him that can put an entire room at ease.
Listening to him go into detail about the finer points of defensive backfield play explains why three Ivy League schools offered him (as did Rice). He takes a cerebral approach to the sport and dedicates the hours in the film room to be his best. His attention to detail goes much further than many other guys that I’ve recruited.
Dassi’s demeanor screams future captain. Not just captain, but the player who will be at the microphone after games. At DCTF’s state 7-on-7 tournament late last month, I watched him make a lot of plays on both sides of the ball.
If Willie Fritz is going to implement the culture shift he has discussed, adding players who love the game is paramount. These are the type of players who help build the foundation for a program.
Coming up next: Some video from my conversations with Holmes and Abdullah.
About Recruiting+
From the time we started GoCoogs, our mission has always been to do things you can’t find anywhere else. With Recruiting+, we will be able to provide depth and help fans get to know high school and transferring athletes. The Recruiting+ team is made up of talented people who will build relationships with players and coaches to produce unmatched content.
Martin Marroquin leads our football recruiting efforts. He’s a former UH Football staffer and is heavily tied into high school recruiting in Texas and Louisiana. His passion for the recruiting process will be obvious. James Mueller is our go-to guy for basketball recruiting. He’s a former Cougar sports editor who is well-connected in national basketball recruiting.
Together, they’ll bring expertise to helping UH fans get to know recruits from the time they’re offered until they step foot on campus.
