All Todd Whitten has done at Tarleton is win football games. Whitten is the winningest coach in Texans history, securing 104 wins in 14 seasons in Stephenville. Tarleton has the highest winning percentage among all Texas Division I and Division II programs since 2018 (.727, 48-18) and the state's longest active streak of winning seasons with six.

Some were surprised when rumors began circling entering last season that Whitten could be on the hot seat if the Texans weren’t deemed competitive enough in the United Athletic Conference.

The Texans answered the challenge, finishing with an 8-3 record, including a 4-2 mark and second place in the UAC. The Texans joined North Dakota State, Central Arkansas, and North Dakota as the only programs to post eight or more wins in a season while transitioning to FCS. Whitten was named the UAC Coach of the Year and earned a contract extension through 2027.

But Whitten and the Texans aren’t satisfied. They’re a bit upset they weren’t eligible for the playoffs last season, and they expect to compete for the UAC’s automatic bid and first FCS playoff appearance in program history.

“We think that had we been eligible a year ago, we would have had a chance to earn an at-large bid at 8-3,” Whitten said. “The attitudes have been great, and they’re working hard. There’s an added excitement to our workouts knowing that we have an opportunity to live up to the expectations we put on ourselves, which are to win every year and compete for a conference championship and playoff spot.”

Expectations will be high in Stephenville this season, with every starter returning on offense and seven starters returning on defense. However, Tarleton’s roster isn’t filled with highly recruited players due to the difficulty of recruiting while transitioning.

“We certainly felt the pain and struggles that we went through daily,” he said. “The hardest part was during the early days when we could not win a recruiting battle against our peers. Darius Cooper, who became a great wide receiver, was a wishbone quarterback in high school and a one-offer guy. Same with our running back, (Kayvon) Britten, from Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He was a one-offer guy coming out of the (transfer) portal.”

With success comes turnover within the coaching staff when other teams are looking to fill positions, and the Texans made a bevy of changes during the offseason. Adam Austin was promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He will call the plays after serving as quarterbacks coach and run-game coordinator for the last three seasons. Scott Carey was promoted to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Former Mary Hardin-Baylor offensive coordinator Stephen Lee joined Tarleton’s coaching staff after serving as head coach at Cisco College last season.

“Adam is as fine a person I’ve ever worked with, and that’s a good place to start,” Whitten said. “I was very impressed watching his offenses being in the Lone Star Conference. When I decided to stop coaching the quarterbacks, I had him targeted as the guy I wanted. Carey played for us in the mid-90s and is as fine an offensive line coach as you’ll find in the country. I’ve watched Stephen from afar for years and was impressed with the type of person he is and how he carries himself. He’s fit in really well here.”

Memorial Stadium underwent a $26 million renovation in 2019 and another expansion project in 2022, raising its capacity to 24,000. The Texans finished fourth in FCS in average attendance last year, averaging 18,697 fans per game. Tarleton had three games with over 20,000 in attendance, including a record 23,042 for homecoming against Morehead State.

The football fieldhouse underwent an extensive renovation last year and is now a beautiful facility that includes a multi-purpose room, nutrition bar, film room, nine coaches' offices, and a full-service barber shop. In other words, this is only the beginning for Tarleton.

“Our administration made a huge commitment, and winning ball games is important here,” Whitten said. “Our program is funded at a nice level, and we have a tremendous community and a fantastic campus. We have a lot of help and support, and that’ll help us as we compete against other FCS programs in recruiting.”

DCTF’s Take

Tarleton has everything it needs to be successful in FCS. Its facilities are among the nation’s best, and its administration is committed to providing the infrastructure required to compete with powerhouse programs like North Dakota State and South Dakota State. What Whitten and his staff accomplished during the four-year transition to FCS is remarkable.

With all 11 starters returning on offense and seven starters returning on defense, combined with an excellent mix of transfers from the 2024 recruiting class, the Texans are primed to be among the preseason favorites to win the UAC. It would not be surprising to mention Tarleton in the same breath as South Dakota State and other FCS powers in a few years.