2028 Waller (Texas) four-star quarterback Tristin 'TK' Gaines has announced his commitment to SMU.
The four-star quarterback commits to the Mustangs over LSU, Houston and Oregon among others.
While LSU looked to be the team to beat a week ago, SMU made a strong push going into the week of Gaines commitment. For the Waller star quarterback, the decision to commit to SMU came down the relationships he has built with the coaching staff.
“I mean, just the people there in general,” Gaines said on what made him commit to SMU. “Coach King and Coach Lashlee, they've been real big in the recruiting process for me. The opportunity that they're giving me there is awesome and they're doing great things there. They keep building the program up and up.”
Relationships was a big factor as Gaines said but his relationship with quarterback coach D’Eriq King stands out with King being a former high level Houston high school football prospective himself.
“Coach King and I’s relationship is good,” he said. "We connected in a lot of ways. He's from Houston like me so just talking to him a lot and getting to know him and him getting to know me it feels like the right fit.”
Gaines is one of the biggest recruits to come out of Waller since Cody Johnson and David Hunter and has brought the Bulldogs back to relevancy in his three years there. For Gaines, the ability to represent his community not only in high school but at the collegiate level means a great deal.
“It means a lot,” Gaines said. “I was born and raised here. Going through kindergarten here, all the way to my senior year next year so it means a lot. We had a lot of lot of big time guys when I was younger, like from my dad's days so bringing that greatness back to Waller, it means a lot.”
While the main focus will now turn towards a playoff run with the Bulldogs, Gaines had one final message for SMU fans on his commitment.
“You're going get a great player and a great human being coming to Dallas.”