North Shore football coach suspended by UIL for Texas high school recruiting violations
The University Interscholastic League dealt suspensions to two Texas high school football coaches associated with Houston powerhouse North Shore on Wednesday morning.
Andrew Cameron, North Shore's now-former offensive coordinator, was handed a three-year suspension from all UIL activities after admitting he personally recruited players from other schools, a violation of UIL rules.
Mustangs head coach Willie Gaston was suspended for the first two district games of the 2024 season for negligence. The UIL determined the violations were isolated to Cameron, not systematic.
The UIL Executive Committee's decision stemmed from accusations from neighboring Houston area schools that Cameron was making illicit contact with players in an attempt to recruit them.
Galena Park ISD investigated the claims, and gave Cameron the option to go under administrative leave while it took place. Instead, Cameron resigned, Galena Park ISD assistant athletic director Kae Walker told the UIL Executive Committee.
After its investigation, the UIL determined North Shore did not ultimately benefit from Cameron's recruiting efforts. Representatives from the Galena Park ISD office presented the findings of its own investigation into the matter — in which it said Cameron did not admit to wrongdoing.
North Shore players, coaches meet on the sideline during a 6A Division I state semifinal win over Westlake on December 9.
Photo by Tom Dendy, SBLive Sports
"We’ve never been inside of a situation like this," Walker to the UIL Wednesday morning. "This is thoroughly embarrassing to us."
In the hearing Cameron cited "pressures I made up in my own head of trying to overcome what we did in December two years in a row" as a reason for his actions.
North Shore, SBLive/SI's No. 13 ranked team in the nation at the end of the season, has lost the last two 6A Division I state titles to Dallas-Fort Worth power Duncanville. It finished the 2023 season 15-1.
The Mustangs have been one of the more successful football programs across the country in recent memory. They have played in five of the last six Class 6A Division I state championships and won three titles since 2015 in the UIL's biggest classification, four total.
"I accept the full responsibility … and I sincerely apologize to Galena Park North Shore," Cameron said. "They trusted me to be a leader in their program, and I failed them."
A replay of the hearing is available on YouTube. The North Shore portion begins around the 1:30.00 mark:
-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx
