Give Tom Herman credit — if you’re gonna blow ridiculous money on football lockers, don’t be coy about it.
Pictures of the new Longhorn football lockers went viral Friday not long after they hit social media. Many on Twitter lamented that despite the high-end perk, college athletes still don’t get paid. Or that last year Texas lost to lowly Kansas for the first time in 78 years. Or that this was a new high – or low – to the college football arms race. Such snark didn’t matter to Herman. He got exactly the response he was hoping for.
“The only reaction I care about to be honest is our players and our recruits,” Herman told FOX Sports on Tuesday. “I don’t care about Twitter’s reaction or whatever social media’s reaction is. Our players and the recruits absolutely loved it. The recruits, especially those that have been a lot of places around the country, have said, ‘Coach, there’s nothing even close to it around the country.’
“So, mission accomplished on that one.”
You’re the richest athletic program in America. People already think you’re arrogant, so what do you have to lose by acting that way?
Texas’ facilities, which were among the best in college football back when Herman was a graduate assistant, had been surpassed in the past decade as TV money flooded into Power 5 programs. Barbershop rooms in the football facility along with virtual reality rooms, waterfalls and jumbotrons for the indoor complex aren’t uncommon anymore.
“Texas is one of the most prestigious schools, and we’re kinda out of date right now,” said safety P.J. Locke, a one-time Oregon commit. “This facility was one of the greatest back then but then everyone upgraded and we stayed here. Herman is this new-school guy and he has to get facilities back on top.”
Senior defensive tackle Poona Ford was wowed by the new locker and is convinced it matters in recruiting today. “At my high school, every male sports team shared a locker room in that one field house, and if I see that coming out of high school, I’m thinking, ‘Dang, that’s pretty sweet.’ That could be the reason why they commit here,” Ford said.
But could that really be a reason why one player would pick Texas over A&M or OU?
“Yeah,” Ford said. “Everything matters.”
Hell, it might even work.
Get The Picture 
This is the kind of crap that is eventually going to end my obsession with college football. I would much rather see the $10,000 in these young men’s pockets than in a locker. You’re right it’s a false economy.
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Yep, I agree. It’s going to crater sooner rather than later and it will be a damned shame.
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How many times have we seen fans say something like “they would just spend it on tattoos and rims” when talking about paying players.
Boy sure does seem like the adults in the college football room have never seen a shiny bauble they didnt want.
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Adults in the college football room? I’m still waiting for them to show up.
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Might work? Compare Oregon football pre Phil Knight’s full involvement, and since, no brainer. Now, it isn’t exactly a great teaching moment for colleges as they fling bling against the wall with wild abandon. Whether they waste it on gawdy facilities, coaching salaries, or pour it into the ever deepening well of “educational” needs of the faculty, they are burning through the cash like they cannot see the day it will end.
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…they are burning through the cash like they cannot see the day it will end.
I read that line, and immediately one program comes to mind that does not have that problem. Care to guess who that may be?
#rainydayreservefund for the victory!
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True, but being tight on spending has been The Georgia Way long before McDoofus came along. Still, it’s hard to poor mouth when you see those cash flow numbers in CFB these days and you are putting the whip to the donors monthly.
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Poona Ford
I might have to watch some UT football to hear the announcers calling his action on the filed.
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I just might get that airbrushed across my tailgate.
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If they would go ahead and set up a Mustang Ranch satellite program there. the campus problems will go away. It could be a slam dunk.SMU would be kicking themselves that they didn’t think of it!
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Thank God they upgraded the recently upgraded locker room and spent thousands in the process.
It isn’t like most of the players could of used some of that money to pay for life expenses not covered by their scholly.
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