February 5, 2026 – Sulphur Springs Wildcat football players Jaxson Haire, Tre Pannell and Jeff Stevenson have commited to play college football at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, which is starting a new program with play to begin in 2027.
Haire rushed for over 1,000 yards, caught 48 passes for 485 yards and scored 24 touchdowns in his senior season for the 10-2 Wildcats. He was District 7-4A’s Utility Player of the Year.
Defensive end Pannel had 41 tackles and three tackles for loss. Center Stevenson was a three-year starter on the offensive line. Pannel and Stevenson were first-team all-district players.
A&M-Texarkana announced last fall that it wil play in the NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference starting in the 2027 season.
They also revealed a partnership with Red River Credit Union for the naming rights for a future Eagles’ football stadium. The stadium is in early planning stages, with a planned capacity of 6,000, aiming to be ready for the new team by 2028. Joshua Eargle has been named the program’s first head coach. He has 20 years of coaching and head coaching experience at the collegiate and high school levels, most recently serving as the tight ends coach and offensive run-game coordinator at the University of Texas at El Paso.
