The George West sideline is going to look a little different this year.
Longhorn Nation has a new leader at the helm in UIL 3A-DII District 16.
"I mean Coach (Brent) Bennett, what's not to like," said Jake Snider, George West senior quarterback, and defensive back. "I mean he knows the game. He's a nice guy and a great guy, just love being around him."
Bennett has spent the last four seasons at UIL 2A Ganado where he compiled a (27-21) head coaching record with three playoff appearances.
"I really like how he emphasizes attention to detail and he makes sure that if we make mistakes he's going to correct us," said TJ Martin, George West senior wide receiver and free safety. "We're going to keep doing it until we get it perfect."
Bennett is looking to revive the Longhorns. After five winning seasons, George West finished last year with a 1-9 record.
"I think the biggest thing right now is we are just trying to figure out who we are as a team and it gets back to we've completely flipped everything that they've done in the past," said Bennett. "They don't know we're benching, we're squatting, we're running, but we're doing it completely differently."
Establishing their identity on offense starts in the backfield.
"It's one of the most competitive quarterback rooms I've ever seen," said Bennett.
Freshman Cade Peters, sophomore Teagan Collins, and senior Jake Snider are battling for the starting role.
"This year we got really young kids, but we've got a lot of talent," said Snider. "I feel like this year if we keep everybody healthy and keep everybody strong we're going to have a great year."
In order to build a winning season, it starts with buying into a new foundation.
"There's a high expectation of winning and excellence," said Bennett. "Long ways to go I think to bring back that tradition, but we're definitely heading in the right direction."
George West kicks off its season with a road trip to San Diego on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
