Well Lion fans, signing day has come and gone and we have another stellar class we can brag about, as Coach Bailiff has done an excellent job of restocking the talent pool once again. Lots of phenomenal kids signed, but my pick to focus on is Cole Dagen from North Garland High, where the Head Coach is Joe Castillo, who spent time early on in his coaching career on the Lions sidelines as well. Cole is the son of former Lion great Trent Dagen, who left a huge mark on Lion Football back in the 90s.

Cole played varsity football all 4 years of high school and started in 39 out of 40 games. That was at a 6A school by the way. The only game he missed was for being disciplined for getting kicked out of a game. Why you ask? Well, my comrade Russ will be happy to know…he has a mean streak. It is a personality trait that every great linemen has. A necessary part of doing his job in the trenches.

I asked Coach Castillo for a brief synopsis of Cole and this is what he said…”Strong, physical and dominate player. Has played every position on the offensive line. High Football IQ. Vocal player and also led by example. High character kid who was an excellent teammate. Has not reached his full potential yet but he will rise to the challenge of being one of the greats at TAMU-C.  In my opinion, he will be one of the best offensive lineman in the Lone Star conference when his career is over. He is a competitor with a mean streak who likes to break your will.”

Coach Castillo also goes on to say “I had the opportunity to be a coach at TAMU-C when Coles dad played. Trent Dagen was a great player for the University. Trent was an All Lone Star Conference performer and was selected for the JV Sikes Award as an outstanding player at TAMU-C. He was also the Conference Offensive  Lineman of the Year in the Lone Star Conference in 1997.  I think Cole will be better than his dad. One of my best memories as a coach will be that Trent and I got to work together and I had the opportunity to coach both of his boys at North Garland.”

Being a “legacy player” is a great honor. But there also is a different type pressure that comes with it. This kid seems to thrive on pressure and I agree with Coach Castillo that he can and will evolve into an all time great by the time he is done. I watched his Dad come in and the work ethic he displayed and it seems Cole has taken that to another level. I know everyone will enjoy watching the Cole Dagen evolution and in 4 or 5 years we will look at him and say…Wow. But we will not be too surprised.

Here are a few of Cole’s accolades he got in high school. Senior year Honors
Included Team Captain and 1st Team All-District Offensive Line 10-6A (unanimous selection). Junior Year he was a Team Captain and 2nd Team All District Offensive Line. He was 2nd team all district his sophomore year and started 10 games as a high school freshman. He was recruited by Arkansas Tech, Emporia State, Tarleton State, Abilene Christian and TAMU-Commerce

Congrats once again to Coach Bailiff and to all the new Lions coming in. Welcome to Lion Nation and we wish you all the best!