AUSTIN – In a UIL State Executive Committee (SEC) Monday morning meeting, Richland Springs head football coach Jerry Burkhart was unanimously ruled to have attempted to recruit a Mullin player prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year. With that decision, the SEC also issued a three-year suspension to Burkhart effective immediately.

The meeting was live streamed by the UIL, and discussion of a punishment for the Richland Springs football program resulted in a vote of a public reprimand and three years’ probation over a possible postseason ban. Therefore, the Coyotes will still be eligible to compete in the playoffs.

Burkhart, in his 18th season as Richland Springs head coach, has compiled a 232-13 record with nine six-man state championships at the school. The Coyotes are ranked No. 2 in Class A Division II this season and off to a 3-0 start, with a bye this Friday.

The SEC repeatedly cited records of a 14-minute phone call between Burkhart and former Mullin student Troy Shelton Jr. four days before Shelton enrolled at Richland Springs High School.

Members of the committee addressed Burkhart, stating the phone call should have consisted of Burkhart simply telling the student he could not talk to him about such matters. The committee questioned Burkhart on why the call took so long, to which Burkhart replied that Shelton did most of the talking while Burkhart listened.

Comments from the committee directed toward Burkhart included:

•  “A 14-minute phone call is not only problematic, it puts you in a bad light.”
•  “14 minutes, there’s no doubt in my mind what happened.”

Burkhart stated he had been accused of recruiting in the past and felt the phone call could be an attempt to trap him, he was defensive, and wanted to make sure it was handled properly.

The committee said that with Burkhart openly stating he had been accused of recruiting before, he should have known to handle the situation better, particularly the 14-minute phone call. The committee stated the phone call should have lasted a minute or two, if not a matter of seconds.

The committed cited a second call Burkhart received from Shelton two days later, which lasted less than three minutes, and asked what was different about the call from the first.

Recruiting allegations were also brought against Richland Springs assistant coach Shawn Rogers and Richland Springs ISD for recruiting, but both were found not guilty.

In late August, the UIL District Executive Committee for 16-A Division II ruled a transfer student from Mullin to Richland Springs was ineligible for the reason of illegal recruiting by the coaching staff at Richland Springs. Rochelle ISD Superintendent Dave Lewis, the chair of the 16-A Division II District Executive Committee, presented evidence on their findings during the hearing Monday.

The decision was appealed at the state level, which led to Monday morning’s near two-hour meeting.

Earlier in the meeting, the SEC upheld the District Executive Committee ruling that Shelton – who played at Mullin last year and enrolled at Richland Springs in early August – could not compete in athletics due to transferring for athletic purposes.

Shelton’s appeal was denied, and he will be ineligible to compete in varsity sports this school year. The SEC did stop short of the District Executive Committee’s recommendation that Shelton be suspended two years, which would have ended his high school athletic career.