Wednesday morning, the three-year starting linebacker at Belton decided that team would be West Texas A&M.
Voss made it official at Belton’s fieldhouse Wednes-day morning, signing an NCAA letter of intent to play for the Division II Buffaloes while offensive lineman Cody Gangloff committed to play with Division III Mary Hardin-Baylor.
With his sights set on playing Division I, Voss admitted the recruiting process didn’t pan out the way he’d hoped. But the always-passionate defensive standout is still excited about his opportunity.
“I love West Texas A&M,” said Voss, who recorded 332 tackles and started 30 consecutive games. “I went up there and really enjoyed my visit. The big schools didn’t work out. The guys at this school, they can play anywhere in the country. They just got overlooked.”
Big 12 schools Baylor and Kansas said the undersized 6-foot, 222-pound linebacker wasn’t what they were looking for. Voss looked at Idaho, Texas State, Angelo State, Henderson State (Ark.), Abilene Christian and two other schools before making his decision.
Located in Canyon, 19 miles south of Amarillo, third-year coach Don Carthel has led the Buffaloes to 33 victories while winning the Lone Star Conference title and advancing to the Division II playoffs each season.
Football fever is infectious on the Caprock, another factor that attracted Voss to move 7˝ hours away.
“The community, they care about the team . . . the atmosphere is just awesome,” Voss said about West Texas A&M, which averages nearly 12,000 fans per home game at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium. “Everybody is involved in the team like Friday Night Lights.”
After spending his senior season at middle linebacker, Voss expects to return to the outside spot - where he played as a sophomore and junior - in the Buffaloes’ 3-4 defensive alignment. According to Tigers coach Rodney Southern, Voss’ versatility is a major plus.
“He can run, is very athletic, and because of the process during our two years, he had to play a lot of places,” Southern said. “There were times we had to put him inside and times we thought we needed him better on the edge and I think that’s going to help him. The league he’s going to, he’s going to face teams that are throwing the football. That’s probably one of the things he does best is he’s a good cover guy.
“I think he’s going to be a pleasant surprise for them, but I also think it’s a great fit for him, too.”
And so does Voss, who is just relieved his search is over.
“It was an emotional roller coaster,” said Voss, who hasn’t declared a major. “Ups, downs, I remember crying sometimes because I had colleges tell me, ‘No’ that I wanted to go to after they got my hopes up. I found a home at West Texas A&M because (the coaches) care about you and they’re friends with you.”
While Voss thoroughly contemplated his decision, Gangloff kept it simple, deciding to stay home and play for an annual title contender.
The 6-3, 310-pound center considered Cisco Junior College and UMHB rival Hardin-Simmons, but even that two-hour distance to Abilene was too much.
“I don’t think I could get that far away from my family,” said Gangloff, who plans to major in either Exercise and Sports Science or Education. “(I chose to stay close) so I can have their support and still eat the food that I eat.”
According to Southern, Gangloff took on more of a leadership role in the final half of the season and his steady improvement should carry over with the Crusaders.
“He’s quick off the football,” Southern said. “We got through that problem he had of snapping the ball last year. He was consistent this past year shotgun snapping and he can also deep snap.
“Cody’s also got potential to get bigger. How people look at offensive lineman, 300 (pounds) used to be giant, now it’s average. And he wanted to stay home. You have to understand there are a lot of good football players at Mary Hardin-Baylor.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
