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FCS Football Recruiting Roundup: Texas Southern & McNeese Offer A Pair Of Texas HS Standouts

In the FCS Football Central Recruiting Roundup, we catch up with recruits who received offers from multiple FCS programs.
Julio Gonzales, Jr.|
Texas Southern Tigers quarterback KJ Cooper (10) drops back to pass against the California Golden Bears
Texas Southern Tigers quarterback KJ Cooper (10) drops back to pass against the California Golden Bears | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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Gardner-Webb Runnin' BulldogsTexas Southern TigersMcNeese CowboysCitadel BulldogsUNI Panthers

Welcome to another edition of the FCS Football Central Recruiting Roundup.

With recruits going to spring practice and junior days, offers are going out fast. I caught up with some of the latest to receive one from an FCS program.

Evan Behrens | 2027 | OL | 6'5" 255 lbs | Johnston High School | Johnston, IA

Behrens was at Northern Iowa Junior Day on Wednesday and received an offer from the Panthers after he met with offensive line coach Rick Nelson.

“It was Coach Nelson who gave me the offer, and he said that it would bring me more attention from other colleges, but that he would love for me to be a Panther,” Behrens said. “The highlights of the visit were seeing the facilities and meeting their great coaching staff. I was definitely surprised by how nice the facilities are.”

Behrens has been hearing from Butler, South Dakota, North Dakota, Drake, St. Thomas, and Division II programs, Minnesota-Duluth, Bemidji State, and Minnesota-Moorhead.

Mike Thomas | 2027 | DL | 6'1" 285 lbs | Carrollton High School | Carrollton, GA

Thomas picked up his first Division I offer from Gardner-Webb on Thursday after he spoke with defensive line coach MyQuon Stout.

“Coach Stout called and offered me after communicating with my head coach (Joey Thomas) and getting to know more about my background,” Thomas said. “My recruitment has been going well so far this offseason. “I’ve been in contact and building relationships with Tulane and Savannah State.”

He will be at Gardner-Webb on April 11 for their spring game.

Maxwell Nichols | 2027 | WR | 5'11" 170 lbs | Bowie High School | Arlington, TX

Nichols received his latest offer from Texas Southern on Friday after he spoke with Tigers wide receivers coach Jerwin Wilson.

“Coach Wilson called me and told me about the offer. He told me how much he liked my film and how he had heard great things about me,” Nichols said. “My recruitment is going great, and some other schools that I am hearing from are Utah State, UTSA, Texas State, Western Kentucky, UNLV, Tulane, and Arkansas.”

Last season, Nichols hauled in 61 receptions for 1,088 yards and had 14 touchdowns for the Volunteers. He was named the District 3-6A Offensive MVP. In addition to Texas Southern, he also has offers from San Diego State, Texas State, UTEP, UTSA, Tulane, Western Kentucky, UNLV, and Utah State.

Hayden Gandolfo | 2027 | DL | 6'1" 290 lbs | Seven Lakes High School | Katy, TX

Gandolfo was at McNeese on Saturday to watch the Cowboys practice and picked up an offer from them after he met and spoke with defensive line coach Gregory Bowser.

“Coach Bowser told me that he really liked my film and the way I played, including my motor, attitude, and effort. He ended by emphasizing that I would be a great asset to McNeese State football,” Gandolfo said. “My recruitment is going well. It started in the middle of February, kicking off with my first offer from Cornell, and since then, I have received five more. I have been hearing from Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Lamar, Houston Christian, and some other FCS and Group of Five schools.”

He had a great 2025 season, recording 58 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 17 quarterback hurries, seven sacks, four pass breakups, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery for the Spartans. Gandolfo also has offers from Cornell, Air Force, Navy, Army, and Columbia. He will be visiting Houston Christian in April and begin taking official visits soon.

TyQuarius Shannon | 2027 | WR | 6'2" 195 lbs | Fairfield Central High School | Winnsboro, SC

Shannon picked up his first Division I offer from the Citadel on Friday after he spoke with tight ends coach Danny Lewis.

“Coach Lewis called and offered me, and he told me I was a great player who had the ability to run after the ball and high-point the ball, and that I was a great fit for them,” Shannon said. “My recruitment is going well, and I am very grateful. Some other schools that I am hearing from are Wake Forest and Liberty.”

Last season, he finished with 38 receptions for 1,006 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Griffins.

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Julio Gonzales Jr.
JULIO GONZALES, JR.

Julio Gonzales Jr. is a national recruiting analyst for FCS Football Central. He has previously written for Mike Farrell Sports and Rivals. There, he covered recruiting for JUCO Football, UTSA, Texas Tech, and SMU. He continues to cover recruiting on his Sports Madness page on Substack. He also serves as a key recruiting contributor for multiple other OnSI sites. He's from Lubbock, Texas, and graduated from Lubbock Christian University. You can reach him at:jrgonzales213@gmail.com.

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