Troy Aikman looking back at his recruitment: 'Tennessee probably would've been the best fit'

Looking back, it’s clear to Troy Aikman. Tennessee Football and head coach Johnny Majors was probably the best fit for him when he was a recruit out of Henryetta High School in Henryetta, Oklahoma, back in 1983.

Even if he didn’t realize it at the time. 

During an appearance on the Ryen Russillo Podcast, Aikman was asked about memorable stories from his time as a high school football recruit and the Vols were one of the memories.

“I wasn’t highly recruited,” Aikman told Russillo. “Jimmy Johnson was at Oklahoma State when I was coming out of high school. Barry Switzer, of course, at Oklahoma. I had also visited the University of Tennessee and Missouri, and those were my trips. And I was 17 years old when I came out of high school. And I just really was not prepared to leave too far from home.”

Majors in 1983 was in his seventh season as Tennessee’s head coach and was coming off a 9-3 season. He was two years away from a 9-1-2 season in 1985, a win in the Sugar Bowl and an SEC championship.  

“Looking back on it,” Aikman said, “Tennessee probably would’ve been the best fit. Johnny Majors was the head coach there at the time. It would’ve been a great atmosphere. I didn’t know much about Tennessee football at that point in my life, but (it) would’ve been amazing.”

Troy Aikman signed with Oklahoma, transferred to UCLA

Instead, Aikman ended up committing to Oklahoma, his home-state school, spurning Oklahoma State and then-Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson. 

“I had always planned on going to Oklahoma State because they were running the pro style offense,” Aikman said, “and Oklahoma was still in the wishbone. And even though they were saying they were going to the ‘I’ with Marcus Dupree and they were going to throw the ball, and that’s why they were recruiting me.”

During his visit to Oklahoma State, he told Johnson he was taking a visit to Oklahoma, despite the fact that he had always been leaning toward the Cowboys.

“I took my recruiting trip to Stillwater and I went to an event,” Aikman said. “Jimmy pulls me aside and we talk and I told him, I said, coach, I’m coming to Oklahoma State. It’s where I’ve always wanted to come. My whole senior year, I was going to Oklahoma State. I just knew that’s where I was going. 

“But I said, I want to take the last recruiting weekend visit to Oklahoma. I hear they put on a big show, they bring all the Heisman Trophy winners in and it’s quite a spectacle. And I want to experience it. I’m only going to get to do this once. He tried to talk me out of it.”

Aikman committed to Oklahoma after the visit and spent the 1984 and 1985 seasons with the Sooners.  

“I went and I got caught up in it,” Aikman said of the Oklahoma visit. “And the reason I did was because I came from such a small high school, I just wasn’t certain that I could play quarterback at that level. I just I wasn’t confident enough to say, yeah, I’m good enough to compete at this level. 

“But what I did think was that I’m good enough to play somewhere, whether that’s safety or tight end or line, I’ll figure it out. I’ll be a starter somewhere. And I said I want to win. And at Oklahoma State, you weren’t going to win the conference title. You certainly weren’t gonna win a national championship. And Oklahoma, you could. You had a chance to do all that. And I wanted to win. So I then went to Oklahoma.” 

Dallas Cowboys selected Troy Aikman No. 1 overall in 1989 NFL Draft

Aikman said after “about a week” at Oklahoma, he knew he could play quarterback at the Division I level. He transferred to UCLA in 1986 — he turned Johnson down once again, who was then the head coach at Miami and recruiting him to the Hurricanes — and would go on to star for the Bruins.

He threw for 4,953 yards and 39 touchdowns in 22 games at UCLA during the 1987 and 1988 seasons and became the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, selected by the Dallas Cowboys. 

During a 12-year career with the Cowboys, Aikman won three Super Bowls, was Super Bowl XXVII MVP and was a six-time Pro Bowler.  

“It worked out,” Aikman said.