Houston Baptist football coaches maybe the best talent evaluators in Texas

Yesterday, I wrote an article giving Bailey Zappe a ton of credit. I feel the Houston Baptist quarterback needs to be talked about for the Heisman Trophy race. Zappe has been super impressive but I do not want to just overlook the Houston Baptist wideouts.

Zappe has over 1000 yards passing in three games and his top three wide receivers are leading the FCS right now in receiving with 200 plus yards a piece.

1	Josh Sterns	Houston Baptist	Fr.	WR	2	7	255	3
2	Jerreth Sterns	Houston Baptist	Jr.	WR	2	23	223	1
3	Ben Ratzlaff	Houston Baptist	Sr.	WR	2	13	213	1

The top three wide receivers in the FCS belong to the Huskies. Freshman wide out Josh Sterns is leading the way with the least amount of receptions. He has recorded just 7 receptions but has 255 yards and three touchdowns. 3 of his 7 receptions have been house calls. That is pretty impressive!

Jerreth Sterns the elder brother of Josh has been balling out too. Both Jerreth and Josh are over 200 a game already and account for 4 touchdowns. Jerreth has received the most targets this year, and he has made the most of it. It has not always been easy for the Stern brothers though.

Overcoming the Odds

They were actually in a pretty crappy situation in high school. They were being harassed for their skin color.

Both players would transfer from Midlothian High School and finish their high school careers at Waxahachie High, after they were forced out.

“I was told, ‘I should thank [my teammate’s] ancestors because they bred me to be an athlete’ by a white [athlete]. My dad had enough of that,” Jarreth said. “We have a little cage in our locker room and a different student said they should put all the black people in there and throw bananas at them. I hope they were joking and truly don’t feel that way.”

This is not just some kid, this was the teams star wide receiver. Jerreth had scored 13 touchdowns for the Midlothian High team.

Many do not know this, but the Sterns family is not new to football. The family is gifted. Jordan Sterns the oldest brother of Josh and Jerreth would play defensive back at Oklahoma State and eventually earn a spot on the Chiefs roster. Their other brother Caden is a standout right now at the University of Texas. Caden plays cornerback, and was the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year in 2018. He has 21 career starts for Texas.

So when you look at the the Houston Baptist roster and see both Jerreth and Josh balling, you have to ask yourselves, how did the two youngest brothers fall through the cracks?

From high school everyone believed Josh would end up being the best of all of them, and to be honest he is off to a pretty good start. Houston Baptist football program has become a pretty solid program and you have to love what Vic Shealy and company have done. Right now HBU is competing week in and week out with FBS programs.

It is in large part because of these two young brothers and Ben Ratzlaff. I am shocked that these players fell between the cracks. Ratzlaff has been a beast on the Huskies since arriving from Golden West College. He produces no matter where he plays and it shows. He is a San Diego, California native. How did SDSU, San Diego, and all those schools in California not see what this kid was capable of? I am so lost. He stands at 6020 and weighs 190 pounds. Last season he hauled in 87 receptions for 1,139 yard and scored 12 touchdowns.

This team is on the right track, Trust Me!

I am a huge fan of Houston Baptist this year, and I would like to give them props. They are being overlooked right now, and when they shock Louisiana Tech in a few weeks, do not be stunned. Remember this, it is a bunch of kids that were overlooked trying to prove a point.

This is a group of underdogs, from the head coach to the players. Houston Baptist could have quit on Vic Shealy when things were not going his way. Instead, they believed in the process and boy did they are doing a better job at recruiting and competing. Do not get caught up in wins or losses, look at the way the team fights week in and week out. That is how you justify a football team. They have only been a program since 2013, and while Vic’s record as a head coach is just 18-56, his team is in almost every game.

This was the first year they played a power 5 school and they have proved they deserve to compete with the big dogs. This year may not be the best year for some, but this year is showing the Huskies that if they can compete with the FBS they can blow out the teams in the FCS. They needed this year, because they are a way better football team than they realize.

Give it up to the HBU coaches, they are finding Diamonds in the Rough. These players are being overlooked for some reason, and Houston Baptist keeps finding them. I want to give their entire coaching staff a huge shout out and make sure that Rachel Stroman is giving a huge shoutout! The team’s Director of Football Operations has been amazing.

This is not the Houston Baptist of the past, this Houston Baptist is for real, and you will see players in the NFL from Houston Baptist in the near future.