Before Chad Morris’ college coaching career began as an assistant at Tulsa in 2010, he was a Texas high school football coach. And after his time as an assistant at Tulsa (2010) and Clemson (2011-14), Morris returned to the Lone Star State, taking the SMU head coaching job. It’s no surprise that Morris is looking to Texas to rebuild the Arkansas football program. One former Razorbacks quarterback is on board with Morris’ strategy.

“We have great football here in Arkansas, but it’s a different thing in Texas,” Casey Dick told Dudley E. Dawson of Hawgs Illustrated. “It means everything to them. Nowhere is football as important as it is to the people of Texas.

“It is just what you do growing up in Texas, and that’s why there are so many great teams and great players in Texas. There is so much support, and programs put so much money into it, and kids play from the time they can run. Arkansas got away from recruiting Texas, and I think that is part of why things started to turn the wrong way.”

Dick played for Arkansas from 2005-08, under Houston Nutt and Bobby Petrino. He’s now a coach at Fayetteville, but still thinks the Razorbacks have to go outside the state to get back to contending in the SEC.

“I have no doubt that Arkansas getting back into recruiting Texas is going to help them turn things around,” Dick said. “I have great confidence in these guys and believe they go about it the right way. I think they have a bright future because of that and the coaches that they are.”

More on Dick’s post-UA life, including coaching, can be found in Dawson’s full article here.