The state of Texas has long been considered a gold mine when it came to high school football players. ISU Football Coach Dan McCarney knows this well and has staked his claim. The Cyclones travel to Waco Saturday to take on Baylor, and the trip will be a homecoming for four Cyclone starters. Tailback Ennis Haywood and offensive lineman Lorenzo White are Texas natives as well as cornerback Jamarcus Powers and linebacker Derrick Walker. McCarney is eyeing this game as a chance to solidify his recruiting base in Texas while his Texans are looking to shine in front of friends and families. “We have a real strong presence down there already, and it’s always nice to get a chance to get a win in a high profile state like Texas,” McCarney said. “I’m taking four starters and a dozen more Texas kids on the plane with me to give them a chance to go back to their home state.” The four starters are requesting over 20 tickets each and should have no trouble getting them, as attendance typically isn’t strong at Floyd Casey Stadium. Derrick Walker is having 27 friends and family members making the three-hour trip from Houston. “I feel good about going down there,” Walker said. “I’m going to have a lot of support at the game, I need like 27 tickets. My kids will be there, so will my wife, my mom, my aunts and cousins, they’re all coming. It feels like I’m going back to my high school days, playing in front of my family.” In high school football in Texas, most players want to go to national powerhouses Texas or Texas A&M, but that wasn’t the case for Powers. “It’s kind of the general idea for most Texas kids to grow up wanting to go to school at Texas or A&M, but you have some like me, that grow up not having a Texas school as my favorite team,” Powers said. “Texas, Texas A&M and TCU were interested but I decided to come here. It gets me away from home. I like to be different.” McCarney is very serious about his commitment to recruiting in Texas and knows how hard it is to compete with the large Texas universities. “Those schools are real hard to beat,” McCarney said. “They know a lot about recruiting and they have tremendous ties and relationships with high schools down there. We feel good about the kids we got from Texas.” “I’ve got five coaches recruiting full-time in Texas, it’s very important to us.” Haywood was a product of Dallas Carter High School that churned out 11 Division I signees in Haywood’s senior class. McCarney saw a lot of familiar faces when making recruiting trips to see Haywood. “Every college in America recruits Dallas Carter. I thought I was at a coaching convention, the lines are long of college coaches out at the high school. In fact, I remember going to see Ennis and I saw six other Division I coaches down there.” While the state is a prime ground for all of the national powerhouses to recruit, McCarney understands how to compete. “There’s so many good players that if you have good evaluation, you’re going to find guys. Whether it’s a town of one million people or a town of 60, there’s a lot of talent down there.”