Former Bulldog player and coach Larry Hart is now an author

Former Holmes Community College Bulldog player and defensive coach and current University of Houston defensive consultant and outside linebackers coach Larry Hart is making his mark off the football field as well as an up-and-coming author.

His book entitled "The Recruit's Playbook: A 4-year Guide to College Football Recruitment for High School Athletes" is set to be released on Amazon on Aug. 10 and is currently ranked No. 1 in two categories -- Young Adult and Teen for Football and Teen and Fitness. The book is designed for eighth through twelfth graders, and it tells the young athletes how position themselves in becoming college football players.

The Madison Central graduate earned All-State honors at Holmes before transferring to the University of Central Arkansas, where he recorded 21½ sacks in two seasons — a total that still ranks among the top five in the school's career record books. Hart was chosen an All-American and the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior. He was later named to the league's All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

After UCA, he was chosen in the fifth round of the National Football League draft — going 143rd overall, the second highest selection in UCA's history — by the Jacksonville Jaguars, going on to also sign with the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders. He also played in both the Canadian and United Football Leagues before entering the coaching profession.

After his professional career, he got into coaching at Arkansas State University serving as a graduate assistant from 2014 through 2016. He then came back to Holmes as a defensive assistant for the 2016 season and then went back to UCA for one season as a defensive assistant. He then went to South Alabama for three seasons as a defensive assistant before moving to the University of Houston in March 2021.

Hart said the father of one of his former student athletes at South Alabama put the idea in his head to write the book.

"We were talking about the recruiting process and how they struggled knowing what to do," Hart said. "He told me someone needed to write a book about this, and if they did they'll make a lot of money. With all the different conversations that I've had with parents and student athletes, I knew that there was nothing really out there as far as a resource that students and coaches really knew about. Me being a Juco guy and the route I took, I thought this would be a good resource for people."

He said he wished it would have been available to him in high school. "I think that there are a lot of people out there that are willing to do it," Hart said. "They just don't know what to do or how to go about it. It would have been beneficial to me. I took the ACT late, and I think that potentially cost me a full-ride scholarship going to Alcorn out of high school."

Hart said his love for writing goes back to his middle school days when journaling was part of the curriculum. "I used to keep a journal, and I really enjoyed that," Hart said. "You don't hear football players saying they like journaling, but I like journaling. I'm sure my subject-verb agreement wasn't always good.  I remember in high school I always wanted to write a book, and it's always been something that I've always wanted to do."

Hart said he loved his time at Holmes. "I appreciate my time at Holmes because of the opportunity that it afforded me," Hart said. "For me personally, I know junior college was really good for me. I needed to grow a little bit more, and I needed to get away from home even though I was not that far. It bridged the gap. I enjoyed the faculty and staff and the coaches."

He said he still talks with former head coach and athletic director Hugh Shurden from time to time. "I have a high appreciation for Holmes," he said. "If it wasn't for Holmes Community College, I don't know where I'd be today."

Hart said the book informs the young student athlete about the recruiting process and what will be expected of them both in the classroom and on the field.

"The first part of the book goes over knowing their why and why they are getting into college football because that's so important that kids know their reason for getting into it," Hart said. "If you don't really love football and love the game, it's going to weed you out because it's a really tough sport and has a lot of stressors that come along with it."

He said if you are in it for the free gear, road games and fun, it may not be for you. "It has to have some substance to you," he said.

Another chapter deals with how to separate yourself apart from other recruits.

Hart also talks about the recruiting process as a whole and where you are in the process. "Everybody can't go to Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss or a Power 5 school," Hart said. "There a lot of schools out there that are available. "You have to market yourself to other schools with your goal being to get a full-ride scholarship."

He also discusses the 48H form and when to start taking the ACT and how to build a relationship with your high school counselor to help make sure you are taking the right courses (16 core courses to be eligible in the NCAA), to graduate and to have a good GPA.

The final chapter is motivational. "You have to have to overcome adversity and have no excuses," Hart said. "You have to find a way. Everybody's path is different, but you have to find a way to get to your goals."

Hart has begun his next book entitled "4 to 40". "That book is going to talk about while you are in college what you need to do to dominate both on and off the field and become a well-rounded person," he said. "In college you need to start becoming a professional in the way you handle yourself in the classroom, talking to coaches and just the ability to grow as a football player.

"Those four years of your life is what's going to set you up for the next 40," he said. "Typically, you are going to meet your wife in college, friends that you make in college are going to stick with you forever, and the decisions you make in college are going to have a significant impact on the next 40 years of your life. It's very critical."

He holds a bachelor's degree in health sciences from the University of Central Arkansas and a master's degree in media and communications. He is married to the former Juliet Rentz.

To secure your copy of Hart's book, go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or anywhere books are sold. The book will also be available on Kindle as well.