Prospect Q&A: St. Thomas head coach Rich McGuire
Last week the Texas Tech coaches landed a commitment from St. Thomas running back Johann Cardenas, the program's seventh commitment in the 2024 recruiting class.
RedRaiderSports reached out to the Eagles' head coach Rich McGuire to learn more about Cardenas and what type of player the Red Raider coaches have added to the class.
Coach, what can you tell me about Johann as a player?
RM: "I have been doing this for nearly 30 years now and Johann has a work ethic that I have never seen. He is one of the hardest working kids you will find.
"Johann came here as a freshman and couldn't catch the ball. He quickly learned how, just got better at running and blocking. He continues to get better, whenever I tell him he needs to work on something he just gets after it and gets better.
"He is very strong and got a lot faster this past year."
How long have you coached Johann and how have you seen him develop over the years?
RM: "Johann has been with us since his freshman year at St. Thomas. There is a story about Dean Smith, the legendary North Carolina basketball coach, and Michael Jordan's freshman year. Basically, Dean Smith is the only person to ever hold Jordan under 20 points, mostly because he did not play him very much his freshman season.
"That was me with Johann his freshman year, because he was a super talented freshman and I didn't want to rush him along. We have a difficult academic schedule at St. Thomas and I could have probably used him more in hindsight, but I did not want to overwhelm him as a freshman while he adapted during his first semester.
"He did play a few games as a freshman and then really took off during his sophomore season. After his sophomore season, Johann went out for Track & Field and ended up making the state finals in the 100m and it really helped him improve his overall speed."
When did college coaches start showing interest in Johann and what has your relationship been like with the Texas Tech coaches?
RM: "It was the end of his sophmore year, Coach (Kenny) Perry was one of the first coaches to get in on him and then it really cascaded from there. Coach Perry is a great dude and a former high school coach. The Tech coaches really seem like they understand the process and understand high school kids, which I think is rare these days.
"I was able to meet Coach (Joey) McGuire this past December. They stopped by the school when they were in town, and then I listened to him present at AFCA and he did a great job. He has obviously won a lot of games, but more so understanding the kids and where they are coming from."
How involved were you in Johann's recruitment or what did he share with you about the process or his commitment decision?
RM: "I never tell one of my kids what to do or when to commit, but it did not surprise me this is the direction he headed. Texas Tech did a great job when he was on campus for their camp. Johann came back and talked about how much he really liked the town, the atmosphere around the program, the coaching staff and he had nothing but positive things to say.
"He was constantly talking with me about Texas Tech, whether it was a conversation wtih the coaches or just us catching up and talking about his recruitment."
Johann is coming back from an injury this season, how is he doing so far?
RM: "Like I said, he is such a hard working kid. He is already almost back and his goal is to start running track this spring and get back to the state meet. I texted him to say congrats on his commitment and that I'm really proud of him. His response was 'see you at weights in the morning'.
"Johann is such a good kid, his teachers love him, he makes good grades and is a leader within our program. While none of his success is a surprise to our staff, we are very proud of him and I'm excited to see what he can do at the next level."