Former Arkansas State All-American and USA 7s player Zac Mizell has taken over as the head coach at the University of Texas and says he wants to bring the Longhorns back to the upper echelon of D1A rugby.

Mizell, speaking in a detailed interview with FloRugby at the FloSports Studios, said he originally started helping the team with 7s. Eventually the players liked what they saw and asked for him to come in as the 15s head coach.

The new coach said that it's all about buy-in.

"When you ask the players as a group what they want to do, they all say they want to play for a championship and work six days a week," Mizell said. "OK, so now we have that commitment I'll hold them to that."



Mizell said the Longhorns, who struggled to win games the last two years, first needed to have a more confident attitude. 

"We had to convince [the players] that just from the first point of stepping onto the field, you're an equal," he said.

Texas will run an elite squad but will continue to have a club group for players who cannot make the time commitment for the varsity team. Mizell said it's a way to keep everyone involved and also "it provides a pathway for players who are learning the game and aren't quite ready to play in a cup match."

As a soft entry into the game for new players, it could help recruiting. UT Rugby will be holding a combine in September.



Heading into a new season, the Longhorns' players realize that if they want to be in the varsity group, they have to put in the work. Or, as Mizell put it, "The storm is coming... we hoping that that guy who is playing just because rugby is fun as a freshman or a sophomore -- he realizes, you know, 'I can progress in this sport if I work a little bit harder.'"

See the video for the full interview.