New football coach to focus on recruiting local talent

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Texas A&M University-Commerce President Dan Jones (left), and Athletic Director Ryan Ivey (right) named Colby Carthel the new head coach for A&M-Commerce today. David Claybourn

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January 22, 2013

New football coach to focus on recruiting local talent

By Joseph Hamrick Herald-Banner Staff The Herald-Banner Tue Jan 22, 2013, 01:54 PM CST

COMMERCE — After being announced as the new athletic director just two weeks ago, Ryan Ivey named Colby Carthel as the new head coach of the Texas A&M University-Commerce football team.

“We worked relentlessly to get this job filled with someone who knows what it takes to win and turn this program around,” Ivey said. “Today we take the first step with that goal.”

Carthel spent his last seven years as defensive coordinator for a West Texas team that went 69-20. As defensive coordinator, Carthel’s defense produced 70 All-Lone Star Conference selections, seven LSC Players of the Year and he has coached or recruited 13 players that went on to play in the National Football League.

“Winning programs are about people,” Carthel said. “President Jones has a desire to be a winning team again, and Ryan Ivey, we see things the same. I’m looking forward to working with them to change the image of the program.”

Former head coach Guy Morriss relied on recruiting a majority of his players from junior colleges. Carthel said he will be looking for local talent to fill most of his roster.

“I’m looking to recruit four-year players,” he said. “We’re going to build this team with east Texas talent to fill a majority of our core players.”

National Signing Day is on Feb. 6, and recruiting players is going to be his first priority in building his team.

“We’re going to turn over every rock and every stone to build the team we need,” he said. “It’s not about “x’s” and “o’s”, it’s about Johnny’s and Joes’s. When we recruit from junior colleges, they have to be the difference makers.”

A&M-Commerce has a total of 21 LSC championships, which is second all time in the conference. According to Carthel, there are three goals that correspond with dates he wants his team to meet.

“2001 was the last year there was a winning season,” he said. “1990 was the last year we outright won the conference. And we all remember what happened in 1972 when we won the championship. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but we can start building the foundation today.”