Texas State has posted back-to-back eight-win seasons that included a pair of bowl victories over the first two years of the G.J. Kinne era in San Marcos. The 16 wins over two seasons matches the combined total for the five seasons preceding Kinne’s arrival. Improving on those eight-win seasons will be a difficult chore in 2025 as the Bobcats must retool their roster after massive losses to graduation and the portal. 

We stop by all 13 FBS programs in the state of Texas every spring on our summer magazine tour. Here are some news and notes on both sides of the ball after our stop at Texas State in early April.

Previous stops: Baylor | North Texas | SMU | TCU | Texas Tech | Houston 

OFFENSE 

• Kinne is using his NFL mindset at the quarterback position as he’s loaded the room with talent and letting the players battle it out for the starting spot. The Bobcats brought in Nate Yarnell (Pitt), Gevani McCoy (Oregon State), and Holden Geriner (Auburn) to compete with redshirt freshman Brad Jackson. It is highly unlikely that all four end up on the 2025 roster come the fall as one or two will join the portal once the spring competition is over. 
• Jackson feels like the current leader to land the starting spot. Some of that is familiarity with the scheme. Kinne says Jackson is really talented and is a 4.0 GPA student who can run and throw. Experience is the only thing holding Jackson back, but Kinne likes his upside and thinks he can be a star in the offensive system. 
• Garner was described as the quarterback in the room with the most raw talent. He’s a big quarterback at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. Kinne said Garner can “really, really rip it” but that he’s like a third-year freshman because he hasn’t played a ton of football and he’s learning a new system. Texas State lacked a real vertical passing game last year because that wasn’t Jordan McCloud’s strength. Garner could provide that with his arm strength. 
• Yarnell, a Lake Travis graduate, has experience and is a tall quarterback at 6-foot-6. Kinne says he’s a better athlete than people give him credit for. He’s dealt with a bit of an ankle injury and that’s limited some of his reps. McCoy was described as similar to McCloud – experienced, athletic, maybe not the strongest arm. 
• Texas State loves its running back room with Lincoln Pare pegged as the headliner now that’s he’s recovered from injury. Jaylen Jenkins and Torrance Burgess Jr. were described as “studs” who could handle the starting load if Pare was out, but all three of them combined really give the Bobcats a deep and talented running back room. Sophomore Greg Burrell is a name to watch. The staff really likes the UNLV. Transfer. 
• Chris Dawn Jr. and Beau Sparks are the clear top two receivers for the Bobcats. This might be a position that Texas State tries to fortify through the portal. Tight end Blake Smith’s return from injury should also help in the pass game. Kinne also likes tight ends Titus Lyons and Ty Stamey. Expect the Bobcats to use more 12 personnel this year to utilize the talent and depth at tight end. Of the young wide receivers, Jordan Martin and Kylen Evans were mentioned as players with high upsides. 
• The offensive line is one of the biggest question marks on the team due to the losses up front. Dorion Strawn figures to start at left tackle and Tellek Lockette returns to man one of the guard spots. All three other starting jobs are up for grabs and it is too early to name any starters. Like most programs, Texas State wouldn’t mind adding another body or two in the trenches. Texas State lost Alex Harkey to Oregon and Nash Jones to the NFL draft. Syracuse transfer Lysander Moeolo and Ezra Dotson-Oyetade are former Power Four prospects that can help along the OL. 

DEFENSE 

• Defensive coordinator Dexter McCoil has his work cut out for him in Year 2 as the leader of the Bobcats defense. A quick look at the defensive line tells the story. Ben Bell is now at Virginia Tech, Terry Webb is at SMU, Dominique Ratcliff is at Indiana, and Tavian Coleman is at Colorado. Oh, and Steven Parker is out of eligibility. The top returner along the defensive line is edge player Kalil Alexander. He’ll be one of the top pass rushers in the G5. The staff is super high on his potential. 
• How the rest of the defensive line shakes out is anyone’s guess. The staff was hesitant to point out any specific players that were impressing this spring and the transfer portal might giveth or taketh from the trenches over the next few weeks. The Bobcats added 300-pounders Michael Nwokocha (Syracuse) and Charlie Leota (West Texas A&M)  in the winter portal window. Along the edge, the Bobcats added Kenard Snyder (Iowa State). Jordan Sanders (Cal Poly) and Kyran Bourda (Arizona State) are also new additions. 
• Texas State also added four linebackers from the portal. Chantz Johnson (Texas A&M) and Terrence Cooks Jr. (TCU) possess Power Four upside and athleticism but haven’t produced a ton as collegiates. Ayden Jones (Prairie View A&M) and Cole Nilles (Bryant) are moving up a level in competition. Returner Michael Boudoin III had seven tackles last year with the Bobcats. Treylin Payne had 28.
• Texas State also retooled the defensive back ranks in the transfer portal with safeties Jarvis Mynatt (Wofford) and Chase Davis (Utah State) joining the fold. The Bobcats added Jaden Rios (East Texas A&M), Khamari Terrell (Oregon), and Malik Willis (Campbell) to the cornerback position. 
• Ryan Nolan and Darius Jackson headline the returners at the deep safety spot. Bobby Crosby is another returner who had five pass breakups last year. Caleb Coleman and Jaylen Boehm-Peterson are the two players listed at Star (nickel) for the Bobcats. Trez Moore was the most productive cornerback of the players returning to Texas State. Canden Grogan is another player with experience at the position.