COACH AND PROGRAM
Just how impressive of a program does Mack Brown have at the University of Texas?
Consider this: The Longhorns lost three games in 2006, one shy of equaling their total number of losses in the previous three seasons combined. The two Big 12 conference losses last season matched the totals from 2003, 2004 and 2005 combined, and despite averaging 36 points per game, that was a drop-off of two touchdowns from their 2005 national championship squad.
All that from a team that still won 10 games, extending its streak of seasons with double-digit victories to six -- best among any team in the nation.
When a 10-3 season is a noticeable drop from the year before, chances are you're probably among the nation's elite.
And that's an understatement.
"Mack is like the Darrell Royal of the 21st century," former Texas All-American and NFL All-Pro Jerry Sisemore said, bestowing what would be considered the ultimate compliment from anyone in Austin on Brown by comparing him with the university's most legendary head coach. "The coaches and players work hard and support one another, and that's exactly how coach Royal ran things."
Long considered one of the most desirable jobs and best potential recruiting spots in the country, the Texas tradition had started to falter a bit before Brown's arrival.
In fact, the Longhorns had five losing seasons in the 12 before Brown was hired, and another campaign of 5-5-1. From 1984-94, the Longhorns lost six straight games and 10 out of 11 to in-state rival Texas A&M, and a 4-7 mark in 1997 -- with just two conference wins -- opened the door for Brown to take his shot in Austin.
He didn't disappoint. His first season, he helped guide Ricky Williams to a Heisman Trophy and has been leading Longhorn football players to success ever since. By harvesting talent-rich Texas, the nation's undisputed champion of high school football, Brown started a campaign of keeping the state's best players at home -- losing fewer and fewer each year to out of state raiders trying to keep their squads in the top five.
The results -- both individually and in team success -- speak for themselves.
In his nine seasons at Texas, Brown has produced 52 first-team All-Big 12 players, 34 All-Americans (17 first team), three Big 12 Offensive Players of the Year, four Big 12 De-fensive Players of the Year, six Big 12 Offensive Freshmen of the Year and four Big 12 Defensive Freshmen of the Year. Oh, there has also been one Heisman Trophy (Williams, 1998), another Heisman Trophy finalist (Vince Young, 2005) who happened to also win the Maxwell, Davey O'Brien and Manning Awards, as well as the ABC Sports Player of the Year.
Brown has also had two Thorpe Award winners, one Butkus Award and Nagurski Trophy winner, one Doak Walker award winner and too many national award winning finalists and semifinalists to mention.
Name a piece of national hardware, and at some point one of Brown's Longhorns has won it.
"He's a player's coach," said former Texas All-American Quentin Jammer, a first-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft. "He knows his stuff and works you hard, but no matter what is going on in your life, he's a guy you can talk to."
Of course, those players didn't earn all those awards based solely on their individual success. It's much easier to get noticed when your team is winning, playing in conference championship games and BCS bowls. And Brown's Longhorns have done plenty of that.
Dating back to his days at North Carolina, Brown is the only active coach to have at least nine wins in each of the last 11 seasons. His nine consecutive seasons with at least nine wins and the six straight seasons with 10 wins are both UT records. The Longhorns have finished the season ranked among the top 13 each of the last seven seasons, also a school record.
He's had a plan since his arrival. He's carried out that plan to perfection, and pride among Texas fans is undoubtedly at an all-time high. One might even say in the ever changing, fickle nature of big time college football, Brown has his feet as firmly planted as any coach in the nation, and probably has a home in Austin for as long as he decides to stay.
That alone says all you need to know about the Texas program.
"He's a visionary, and he had a sense of what he wanted to do with a program, the way he wanted to do it," Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. "It's not just the Xs and Os, which he is outstanding at, but developing the experience the kids are going to have, spending four or five years with you."
In fact, Brown has already received the biggest endorsement one could get in Austin short of praise from Lady Bird Johnson. Because any vocal support from Royal himself constitutes the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval down in the Texas hill country.
"Mack has done everything right from the first day he hit town," Royal said.
That he has. And Texas football has regained the national reputation it had during the 1960s and '70s under Royal. However, there continues to be an eye on the future as the already mammoth Texas program keeps growing.
Because of Texas' success, the university is once again expanding Darrel K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and adding an additional 9,000 seats. The lower bowl expansion will be ready for this season, and the upper deck suites to be complete by the 2008 season.
That's bad news for visiting teams. After all, the Longhorns are 48-5 under Brown at home -- and 30-2 at home in conference games. Now, the supporting crowd will be even bigger?
As if the Longhorns needed the help.
QUARTERBACKS
A year ago, the Texas faithful were, at best, cautiously optimistic about the Longhorns' quarterback position.
OK, let's be honest. No matter what they had heard about their two freshmen phenoms, they knew nobody would be able to replace Young, who proved to be Superman while leading the Longhorns to the 2005 national championship.
Then again, that slight bit of panic could tell you all you need to know about sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy (6-3, 205).
Having to beat out fellow freshman Jevan Snead for the starting job might seem like enough of a chore. After doing so, stepping in for a man who threw for 3,000 yards and rushed for 1,000 more certainly had to be a hurdle.
Well, he may not have won a national championship -- yet. But McCoy did show all the signs of being Texas' next great quarterback by completing the best single season by a freshman signal-caller in school history.
His 10 wins were the most by any Texas freshman -- ever. He also set the school's freshman passing record with 2,570 yards, and his 29 touchdowns were the most by any Texas quarterback and tied the NCAA single-season freshman record. Also, his 161.8 passer rating was the eighth best in the country.
McCoy was chosen national freshman of the year by The Sporting News, and was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.
Yep, Texas fans, you've found your quarterback. And if spring drills proved anything to the Texas coaching staff, they expect McCoy to be even better.
"He is stronger, he's even more accurate if that's even possible, and he obviously has a better feel with confidence and leadership and a better feel of the offense," Brown said during spring practices. "Colt has a chance to be a really special player."
Getting stronger is something McCoy wanted to work on during his off-season, with hopes of limiting his time away from the field. Obviously, the physical nature of the Big 12 took its toll on him at times, and he was twice knocked out of the regular-season finale against Texas A&M.
This year, he hopes to avoid any in-game departures by being prepared for the physical challenges.
"I need to be [stronger]," he said. "I am tired of getting thrown around. I don't want to get hurt again. I've spent a lot of time in the weight room."
McCoy, clearly, is prepared for his sophomore campaign and the possibility of being even better than last season. The Longhorns' biggest concern, however, is what to do should McCoy not be available.
With Snead transferring to Ole Miss during the offseason, Texas is left without a backup quarterback with any NCAA experience. That No. 2 quarterback job will be hotly contested through the fall, and potentially right up to the Sept. 1 season opener against Arkansas State, between redshirt freshman Sherrod Harris (6-3, 219) and freshman John Chiles (6-2, 197).
Harris was Arlington (Texas) Bowie High School's all-time leading passer with 4,321 career yards in three seasons and has more experience on campus after running the scout team offense last season. Chiles was a three-year starter at quarterback and wide receiver at Dallas Summit, throwing for 2,036 yards, rushing for 1,248 more and hauling in 694 receiving his final two seasons.
"Both guys are doing some really good things right now," Davis said. "Their heads are swimming a little bit with all of the protections and the various blitzes that our defense brings at us [during spring scrimmages], and that is going to create some confusion early.
"What I told both of them is you have to go through this period. We would rather go through it in the spring so that when it comes up in fall camp, it will be easier."
RUNNING BACKS
The most experienced member of the Texas running back corps is junior Jamaal Charles (6-1, 200), and after a team-leading 831 yards on 156 carries (5.3 per carry) and seven touchdowns in 2006, the Texas coaching staff hopes this is the year Charles really breaks out and becomes one of the conference's -- if not the nation's -- elite runners.
One of the keys to that progression will be staying healthy. However, Charles' coaches hope his decision to work out with his team during the spring rather than run track will help in that goal as well.
"We need him to touch the ball more and stay healthy doing it," Brown said. "We have ways to get the ball to him more and we need him to get stronger and more confident and get him into a position where he feels he can be the every-down back."
The every-down back. Exactly what every tailback wants to hear.
Now, it's just up to Charles to earn it.
"I want to be the main back this fall," Charles said. "I don't want to come out of the game every other play or every two plays. That's one of the reasons that I decided to stay with football for the spring, to try and stay in shape so I'm ready to go whenever I touch the ball."
If Charles isn't in the game, expect junior Chris Ogbonnaya (6-1, 225) or redshirt freshman Vondrell McGee (5-10, 200) to be filling in for him. Ogbonnaya, who played safety much of last season, also rushed for 82 yards on 18 carries. McGee is an explosive player who rushed for 3,400 yards and 44 touchdowns in his last two seasons at Longview (Texas) High School.
"Vondrell McGee has done some really good things, and I think Chris Ogbonnaya is a very valuable tool because he can play fullback, tailback, he can be a third-down back, and he is really good at blitz pickup," Davis said.
At fullback, the Longhorns will likely rotate between junior Luke Tiemann (6-2, 235) and redshirt freshman Antwan Cobb (6-0, 215).
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
It's a safe statement to say the wide receivers are the deepest, most talented part of the Texas offense. Brown, who is always sincere in his praise, will take it even a step farther.
"We believe this is the best group of receivers we have ever had," he said.
Quite a statement for a school that has produced Roy Williams, Kwame Cavil, Wane McGarity, B.J. Johnson and tight end David Thomas just in Brown's tenure alone.
But this group has the talent to back up that statement.
Leading the cast is certain all-conference and All-America candidate Limas Sweed (6-5, 219), who caught 41 passes for 801 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Entering his senior season, Sweed already has four 100-yard receiving days, and his combination of size and speed make him an almost impossible match-up for opposing cornerbacks.
But he's far from the only potential star. In fact, what makes Sweed even better is the presence of a deep group of receivers, including senior Billy Pittman (6-0, 200), junior Quan Cosby (5-11, 200), junior Jordan Shipley (6-0, 188) and senior Nate Jones (6-2, 195).
Cosby pulled down 45 catches for 525 yards last year, while Pittman had 35 catches and four touchdowns. Shipley and Jones combined for seven touchdown catches between them, and figuring to fight his way into the mix will be redshirt freshman Montre Webber (6-3, 206).
"Those guys are so skilled and they are going to make some explosive plays," McCoy said of his primary targets. "If we can make 10-to-12 explosive plays a game, we are going to be really hard to beat."
Making the group even more dangerous is the presence of a very good group of tight ends, led by sophomore Jermichael Finley (6-5, 236), who had 31 catches for 372 yards last season. He'll be joined by junior Peter Ullman (6-4, 255) and redshirt freshman Josh Marshall (6-4, 210).
OFFENSIVE LINE
Perhaps no unit of the Texas team suffered greater loss than the Longhorns' offensive line.
Gone are three -- count them, three -- All-Big 12 selections with the graduation of guard Kasey Studdard, center Lyle Sendlein and tackle Justin Blalock, the latter a unanimous All-America pick in 2006.
Even Brown will admit that's a concern.
"Our offensive line is so young," he said. "We have good players but virtually no experience."
That means the Longhorns will lean heavily on senior tackle Tony Hills (6-6, 300) to be their best, most consistent player up front. He'll be joined up front by junior Cedric Dockery (6-4, 320), who has six career starts but missed part of last season with a knee injury, and Adam Ulatoski (6-8, 305), who had seven starts last year, his freshman campaign.
After that, it's all green for the Longhorns. Senior center Dallas Griffin (6-4, 285) has played in 22 games, but all of that coming as Texas' backup center behind Sendlein. Dockery will battle for one of the starting guard spots with sophomores Charlie Tanner (6-4, 295) and Chris Hall (6-4, 295), who have a combined 14 games experience.
Others hoping to work their way into the line rotation are sophomore J'Marcus Webb (6-8, 310) and redshirt freshmen Steve Moore (6-5, 296), Buck Burnette (6-3, 310), Britt Mitchell (6-5, 280) and Roy Watts (6-6, 315).
As that group continues to try and work its way into a national-championship caliber unit, Hills said the start they got in the spring -- thanks to the pushing of the Texas coaching staff -- would be a huge springboard.
"First of all, I have to give credit to the coaches, because their game plan coming in was making sure that we play physical," Hills said. "We had a couple of short practices and then we went straight to full pads and we were doing a lot of hitting drills and preparing for the defenses we will face.
"I think what you saw [at the spring game] was a product of that because a lot of our guys were physical."
KICKERS
One position with fewer questions for Texas is kicker, where junior Ryan Bailey (6-2, 195), who shared kicking duties with Greg Johnson last year and was 6-for-6 on field-goal attempts, has seemingly locked down the job. Bailey also made 17 of his 18 extra points and is expected to take sole possession of the job this year with Johnson's departure.
"He's the main guy," Brown said. "We're re-opening up every position. There will be some guys that get in line first and Ryan will be one of them because he hasn't missed a kick."
Should Bailey struggle or fall victim to injury, sophomore Hunter Lawrence (6-0, 175) would step in. Lawrence handled many of the kickoff duties in 2006, doing so 42 times with 15 touchbacks.
At the very least, he will kick off again in 2007. In high school, he made 32-of-44 field goals and 63-of-70 extra points in his final two seasons at Boerne (Texas) High School.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Want the definition of a perfectionist?
A good place to start might be senior defensive tackle Derek Lokey (6-2, 280).
A year removed from playing on a defensive front that allowed just 61.2 rushing yards per game (third fewest in the NCAA), Lokey entered the spring talking about the unit's need to be better.
That is a refusal to rest on your laurels.
"We can definitely be better than we were last year," Lokey said. "We were No. 3 in the nation against the run, but there were times last year where we gave up easy yards. Run defense, to me, is about discipline. If all 11 guys stay in their gap assignments, then there is nowhere to run."
There's no question that defensive front could be stellar yet again, considering Lokey -- who has 51 career tackles, including nine for loss -- will be joined by returning starters Roy Miller (6-2, 290), a junior and Frank Okam (6-5, 320) a senior.
Okam, the most experienced of the group with 26 career starts, has 108 career tackles, 17 of those for loss. He also has five career sacks to his credit. Miller, who has six starts in his 23 career games, recorded 39 tackles last season, six for loss.
Those three will be joined on the inside by senior Thomas Marshall (6-6, 290), sophomore Ben Alexander (6-0, 310) and redshirt freshman Brian Ellis (6-5, 287).
The Longhorns' defensive ends will be anchored by two players who have started a combined total of five games. Juniors Brian Orakpo (6-4, 248) and Aaron Lewis (6-4, 260) are the most experienced of an inexperienced group of big, fast, athletic ends.
The candidates to battle those two for starting spots include sophomore Lamarr Houston (6-2, 265), junior Henry Melton (6-3, 268) and redshirt freshman Eddie Jones (6-3, 260).
Even without much experience, Lokey sees plenty of talent -- and depth -- in this defensive front.
"The defensive ends are good, and they're getting in there, disrupting plays and making sacks every day [during the spring], so I know they're going to be tough," Lokey said.
LINEBACKERS
A big part of Texas' success against the run last year could also be credited to the outstanding corps of linebackers.
In fact, all three starters return -- as well as one other player who has started three games -- to give the Longhorn linebackers a combined 61 career starts of experience.
"I think the linebackers are one of our strengths," co-defensive coordinator Duane Akina said. "There is really great competition there and that's what really helps people develop as good players."
The most experience of the group are junior middle linebacker Rashad Bobino (5-11, 228), who has 127 tackles, including 20 for loss, in his 26 career starts, and senior strong-side linebacker Robert Killebrew (6-2, 230), who has started 22 career games and has 122 tackles.
The other returning starter, senior weak-side linebacker Scott Derry (6-3, 230), was, like Bobino, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last year after recording 70 tackles.
"His value really soared [last year]," Akina said of Derry. "I would say Scott Derry for us is very similar to what Michael Huff did for us on a mental side, where he can really drive things for us."
Another player with starting experience is sophomore Roddrick Muckelroy (6-2, 230), who started three times last year and hopes to earn time at the weak-side position.
Despite the depth and experience, there are youngsters waiting to challenge for playing time. That group includes sophomores Sergio Kindle (6-4, 239), and Jared Norton (6-3, 236) and redshirt freshman Dustin Earnest (6-3, 221).
DEFENSIVE BACKS
While the inexperience of the offensive line is Brown's biggest concern on offense, it's the secondary that has the toughest voids to fill on the Longhorns' defense.
After all, of the three starters lost to graduation, two were All-Americans and first-round NFL draft picks -- and one of those two was given the Thorpe Award at the conclusion of 2006.
Cornerback Aaron Ross, recipient of the award given to the nation's best defensive back and a first-team All-American, leaves after being selected by the New York Giants with the 20th overall pick. His teammate, safety Michael Griffin, was a second-team All-American and the 19th overall selection by the Tennessee Titans.
Add to that the loss of corner Tarell Brown -- who started 35 career games and had 53 tackles last season with eight pass breakups -- and the holes left in the secondary are quite apparent.
Losing such experience means the Longhorns could go to more of a rotational system of defensive backs, rather than relying on a select few to handle every situation.
"In our secondary you have got an older group and a younger group. Obviously, both are talented," Mack Brown said. "The young group is very talented, they just don't have any experience. We will have to decide who gets what spot and could you possibly play two deep in the secondary? We have never done that. We've played five guys, but we haven't played eight guys. We will really be looking at that hard."
The most experienced member of this sure-to-be-tested group is senior safety Marcus Griffin (6-0, 202), who has 10 career starts to his credit and was second on the Longhorns with 90 tackles in 2006. After that, however, the experience is minimal -- though the talent is not. Sophomore Deon Beasley (5-10, 170) is expected to man the right cornerback position, but he has just one start in his career. Last year, in seven games as a true freshman, Beasley recorded seven tackles and a pass breakup.
He'll be challenged at the right corner position by redshirt freshman Chykie Brown (6-1, 180), who recorded 10 career interceptions at Houston's North Shore High School.
Even with his 10 career starts, Griffin, like many others, will have to keep his position against a potential uprising from other players. Senior Drew Kelson (6-2, 215), who has started four career games, moves from linebacker back to safety and could give the Longhorn secondary a more physical look. Senior Tyrell Gatewood (6-2, 210), a former wide receiver, also expects to compete for playing time at free safety.
At strong safety, two potential starting candidates will vie for the job after the June transfer of sophomore Robert Joseph. Senior Erick Jackson (6-2, 200), who has 23 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 23 career games, and Ishie Oduegwu (5-10, 205), who posted seven tackles in 2006, will take their competition into the fall.
The left cornerback position is also up for grabs as senior Bryan Foster (5-9, 180) will battle junior Ryan Palmer (5-10, 190) for the starting job. Palmer had 16 tackles and one interception in a reserve role last season, while Foster has 35 career tackles in 34 games.
As a group, the unit seemingly began to overcome its inexperience a bit in the spring -- enough so that players from other positions noticed after the spring game.
"I think the secondary is coming along well," Orakpo said. "There were a lot of questions about the secondary and what they were going to do with all the people that recently graduated, but they played really well today. I take my hat off to them on the way they played."
PUNTERS
Sophomore Trevor Gerland (6-2, 190) is the only returning Longhorn with any punting experience after playing in four games in 2006. Unfortunately, with an offense as potent as Texas generally possesses, that only meant six punts for him, on which he averaged 39.2 yards per effort.
However, three of his six punts were downed inside the 20 -- a must when trying to win field position.
The battle for the starting job will be waged by junior Justin Moore (6-2, 197), who has played only on the scout team to date.
SPECIAL TEAMS
When you pull in the kind of athletic talent year after year that Texas does with is recruiting efforts, one would expect to be strong in special teams.
The Longhorns usually are, and this year should be no different.
The most dynamic of Texas' special teams players should be Quan Cosby, who, when not making big catches, handles the punt return and kickoff return duties for the Longhorns.
Last year, Cosby averaged 25.7 yards per kickoff return, with a long of 78 yards. On punts, he fielded two for an average return of 32 yards -- with one 55-yard return for a touchdown. He'll be backed up by fellow receiver Shipley on punt returns, while either Charles or Shipley could join Cosby on kickoff returns.
"Quan is the first punt returner, and Jordan Shipley, those two guys will be back there for sure," Brown said. "Deon [Beasley] and Chykie [Brown] those guys can all catch. Vondrell [McGee] might be a really good kick off return guy."
In the equally important -- but not as glamorous -- special teams positions, expect Lokey to handle the deep snapping for field goals and extra points. Junior William Harvey (5-11, 225) will battle Derry for the job of deep snapper on punts.
Shipley, Cosby and Harris will compete for the holder job on place kicks.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Grading the Longhorns
Unit Grade Offense
B+
Special teams
B+
Defense
A-
Intangibles
A
The offensive strengths lie in the skill positions, but with uncertainty about the blocking in front of McCoy and Charles, it's hard to give the Texas offense a higher grade. It's almost flipped on the defense -- where the interior is clearly the strength and the speedy defensive backs are still untested.
However, opponents' inability to run the ball because of the Texas front seven makes the focus much more simple for the Longhorns' defensive backs. With or without experience, this much we know -- Brown has recruited talented players, year after year, so even those who have never played are still a step ahead of the game.
If Texas can find consistent blocking and decent pass coverage, there's no reason to think they can't battle Oklahoma for the top of the Big 12 South standings yet again, and potentially playing in the league championship game -- followed, of course, by yet another trip to a BCS bowl.
Just how impressive of a program does Mack Brown have at the University of Texas?
Consider this: The Longhorns lost three games in 2006, one shy of equaling their total number of losses in the previous three seasons combined. The two Big 12 conference losses last season matched the totals from 2003, 2004 and 2005 combined, and despite averaging 36 points per game, that was a drop-off of two touchdowns from their 2005 national championship squad.
All that from a team that still won 10 games, extending its streak of seasons with double-digit victories to six -- best among any team in the nation.
When a 10-3 season is a noticeable drop from the year before, chances are you're probably among the nation's elite.
And that's an understatement.
"Mack is like the Darrell Royal of the 21st century," former Texas All-American and NFL All-Pro Jerry Sisemore said, bestowing what would be considered the ultimate compliment from anyone in Austin on Brown by comparing him with the university's most legendary head coach. "The coaches and players work hard and support one another, and that's exactly how coach Royal ran things."
Long considered one of the most desirable jobs and best potential recruiting spots in the country, the Texas tradition had started to falter a bit before Brown's arrival.
In fact, the Longhorns had five losing seasons in the 12 before Brown was hired, and another campaign of 5-5-1. From 1984-94, the Longhorns lost six straight games and 10 out of 11 to in-state rival Texas A&M, and a 4-7 mark in 1997 -- with just two conference wins -- opened the door for Brown to take his shot in Austin.
He didn't disappoint. His first season, he helped guide Ricky Williams to a Heisman Trophy and has been leading Longhorn football players to success ever since. By harvesting talent-rich Texas, the nation's undisputed champion of high school football, Brown started a campaign of keeping the state's best players at home -- losing fewer and fewer each year to out of state raiders trying to keep their squads in the top five.
The results -- both individually and in team success -- speak for themselves.
In his nine seasons at Texas, Brown has produced 52 first-team All-Big 12 players, 34 All-Americans (17 first team), three Big 12 Offensive Players of the Year, four Big 12 De-fensive Players of the Year, six Big 12 Offensive Freshmen of the Year and four Big 12 Defensive Freshmen of the Year. Oh, there has also been one Heisman Trophy (Williams, 1998), another Heisman Trophy finalist (Vince Young, 2005) who happened to also win the Maxwell, Davey O'Brien and Manning Awards, as well as the ABC Sports Player of the Year.
Brown has also had two Thorpe Award winners, one Butkus Award and Nagurski Trophy winner, one Doak Walker award winner and too many national award winning finalists and semifinalists to mention.
Name a piece of national hardware, and at some point one of Brown's Longhorns has won it.
"He's a player's coach," said former Texas All-American Quentin Jammer, a first-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft. "He knows his stuff and works you hard, but no matter what is going on in your life, he's a guy you can talk to."
Of course, those players didn't earn all those awards based solely on their individual success. It's much easier to get noticed when your team is winning, playing in conference championship games and BCS bowls. And Brown's Longhorns have done plenty of that.
Dating back to his days at North Carolina, Brown is the only active coach to have at least nine wins in each of the last 11 seasons. His nine consecutive seasons with at least nine wins and the six straight seasons with 10 wins are both UT records. The Longhorns have finished the season ranked among the top 13 each of the last seven seasons, also a school record.
He's had a plan since his arrival. He's carried out that plan to perfection, and pride among Texas fans is undoubtedly at an all-time high. One might even say in the ever changing, fickle nature of big time college football, Brown has his feet as firmly planted as any coach in the nation, and probably has a home in Austin for as long as he decides to stay.
That alone says all you need to know about the Texas program.
"He's a visionary, and he had a sense of what he wanted to do with a program, the way he wanted to do it," Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. "It's not just the Xs and Os, which he is outstanding at, but developing the experience the kids are going to have, spending four or five years with you."
In fact, Brown has already received the biggest endorsement one could get in Austin short of praise from Lady Bird Johnson. Because any vocal support from Royal himself constitutes the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval down in the Texas hill country.
"Mack has done everything right from the first day he hit town," Royal said.
That he has. And Texas football has regained the national reputation it had during the 1960s and '70s under Royal. However, there continues to be an eye on the future as the already mammoth Texas program keeps growing.
Because of Texas' success, the university is once again expanding Darrel K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and adding an additional 9,000 seats. The lower bowl expansion will be ready for this season, and the upper deck suites to be complete by the 2008 season.
That's bad news for visiting teams. After all, the Longhorns are 48-5 under Brown at home -- and 30-2 at home in conference games. Now, the supporting crowd will be even bigger?
As if the Longhorns needed the help.
QUARTERBACKS
A year ago, the Texas faithful were, at best, cautiously optimistic about the Longhorns' quarterback position.
OK, let's be honest. No matter what they had heard about their two freshmen phenoms, they knew nobody would be able to replace Young, who proved to be Superman while leading the Longhorns to the 2005 national championship.
Then again, that slight bit of panic could tell you all you need to know about sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy (6-3, 205).
Having to beat out fellow freshman Jevan Snead for the starting job might seem like enough of a chore. After doing so, stepping in for a man who threw for 3,000 yards and rushed for 1,000 more certainly had to be a hurdle.
Well, he may not have won a national championship -- yet. But McCoy did show all the signs of being Texas' next great quarterback by completing the best single season by a freshman signal-caller in school history.
His 10 wins were the most by any Texas freshman -- ever. He also set the school's freshman passing record with 2,570 yards, and his 29 touchdowns were the most by any Texas quarterback and tied the NCAA single-season freshman record. Also, his 161.8 passer rating was the eighth best in the country.
McCoy was chosen national freshman of the year by The Sporting News, and was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.
Yep, Texas fans, you've found your quarterback. And if spring drills proved anything to the Texas coaching staff, they expect McCoy to be even better.
"He is stronger, he's even more accurate if that's even possible, and he obviously has a better feel with confidence and leadership and a better feel of the offense," Brown said during spring practices. "Colt has a chance to be a really special player."
Getting stronger is something McCoy wanted to work on during his off-season, with hopes of limiting his time away from the field. Obviously, the physical nature of the Big 12 took its toll on him at times, and he was twice knocked out of the regular-season finale against Texas A&M.
This year, he hopes to avoid any in-game departures by being prepared for the physical challenges.
"I need to be [stronger]," he said. "I am tired of getting thrown around. I don't want to get hurt again. I've spent a lot of time in the weight room."
McCoy, clearly, is prepared for his sophomore campaign and the possibility of being even better than last season. The Longhorns' biggest concern, however, is what to do should McCoy not be available.
With Snead transferring to Ole Miss during the offseason, Texas is left without a backup quarterback with any NCAA experience. That No. 2 quarterback job will be hotly contested through the fall, and potentially right up to the Sept. 1 season opener against Arkansas State, between redshirt freshman Sherrod Harris (6-3, 219) and freshman John Chiles (6-2, 197).
Harris was Arlington (Texas) Bowie High School's all-time leading passer with 4,321 career yards in three seasons and has more experience on campus after running the scout team offense last season. Chiles was a three-year starter at quarterback and wide receiver at Dallas Summit, throwing for 2,036 yards, rushing for 1,248 more and hauling in 694 receiving his final two seasons.
"Both guys are doing some really good things right now," Davis said. "Their heads are swimming a little bit with all of the protections and the various blitzes that our defense brings at us [during spring scrimmages], and that is going to create some confusion early.
"What I told both of them is you have to go through this period. We would rather go through it in the spring so that when it comes up in fall camp, it will be easier."
RUNNING BACKS
The most experienced member of the Texas running back corps is junior Jamaal Charles (6-1, 200), and after a team-leading 831 yards on 156 carries (5.3 per carry) and seven touchdowns in 2006, the Texas coaching staff hopes this is the year Charles really breaks out and becomes one of the conference's -- if not the nation's -- elite runners.
One of the keys to that progression will be staying healthy. However, Charles' coaches hope his decision to work out with his team during the spring rather than run track will help in that goal as well.
"We need him to touch the ball more and stay healthy doing it," Brown said. "We have ways to get the ball to him more and we need him to get stronger and more confident and get him into a position where he feels he can be the every-down back."
The every-down back. Exactly what every tailback wants to hear.
Now, it's just up to Charles to earn it.
"I want to be the main back this fall," Charles said. "I don't want to come out of the game every other play or every two plays. That's one of the reasons that I decided to stay with football for the spring, to try and stay in shape so I'm ready to go whenever I touch the ball."
If Charles isn't in the game, expect junior Chris Ogbonnaya (6-1, 225) or redshirt freshman Vondrell McGee (5-10, 200) to be filling in for him. Ogbonnaya, who played safety much of last season, also rushed for 82 yards on 18 carries. McGee is an explosive player who rushed for 3,400 yards and 44 touchdowns in his last two seasons at Longview (Texas) High School.
"Vondrell McGee has done some really good things, and I think Chris Ogbonnaya is a very valuable tool because he can play fullback, tailback, he can be a third-down back, and he is really good at blitz pickup," Davis said.
At fullback, the Longhorns will likely rotate between junior Luke Tiemann (6-2, 235) and redshirt freshman Antwan Cobb (6-0, 215).
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
It's a safe statement to say the wide receivers are the deepest, most talented part of the Texas offense. Brown, who is always sincere in his praise, will take it even a step farther.
"We believe this is the best group of receivers we have ever had," he said.
Quite a statement for a school that has produced Roy Williams, Kwame Cavil, Wane McGarity, B.J. Johnson and tight end David Thomas just in Brown's tenure alone.
But this group has the talent to back up that statement.
Leading the cast is certain all-conference and All-America candidate Limas Sweed (6-5, 219), who caught 41 passes for 801 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Entering his senior season, Sweed already has four 100-yard receiving days, and his combination of size and speed make him an almost impossible match-up for opposing cornerbacks.
But he's far from the only potential star. In fact, what makes Sweed even better is the presence of a deep group of receivers, including senior Billy Pittman (6-0, 200), junior Quan Cosby (5-11, 200), junior Jordan Shipley (6-0, 188) and senior Nate Jones (6-2, 195).
Cosby pulled down 45 catches for 525 yards last year, while Pittman had 35 catches and four touchdowns. Shipley and Jones combined for seven touchdown catches between them, and figuring to fight his way into the mix will be redshirt freshman Montre Webber (6-3, 206).
"Those guys are so skilled and they are going to make some explosive plays," McCoy said of his primary targets. "If we can make 10-to-12 explosive plays a game, we are going to be really hard to beat."
Making the group even more dangerous is the presence of a very good group of tight ends, led by sophomore Jermichael Finley (6-5, 236), who had 31 catches for 372 yards last season. He'll be joined by junior Peter Ullman (6-4, 255) and redshirt freshman Josh Marshall (6-4, 210).
OFFENSIVE LINE
Perhaps no unit of the Texas team suffered greater loss than the Longhorns' offensive line.
Gone are three -- count them, three -- All-Big 12 selections with the graduation of guard Kasey Studdard, center Lyle Sendlein and tackle Justin Blalock, the latter a unanimous All-America pick in 2006.
Even Brown will admit that's a concern.
"Our offensive line is so young," he said. "We have good players but virtually no experience."
That means the Longhorns will lean heavily on senior tackle Tony Hills (6-6, 300) to be their best, most consistent player up front. He'll be joined up front by junior Cedric Dockery (6-4, 320), who has six career starts but missed part of last season with a knee injury, and Adam Ulatoski (6-8, 305), who had seven starts last year, his freshman campaign.
After that, it's all green for the Longhorns. Senior center Dallas Griffin (6-4, 285) has played in 22 games, but all of that coming as Texas' backup center behind Sendlein. Dockery will battle for one of the starting guard spots with sophomores Charlie Tanner (6-4, 295) and Chris Hall (6-4, 295), who have a combined 14 games experience.
Others hoping to work their way into the line rotation are sophomore J'Marcus Webb (6-8, 310) and redshirt freshmen Steve Moore (6-5, 296), Buck Burnette (6-3, 310), Britt Mitchell (6-5, 280) and Roy Watts (6-6, 315).
As that group continues to try and work its way into a national-championship caliber unit, Hills said the start they got in the spring -- thanks to the pushing of the Texas coaching staff -- would be a huge springboard.
"First of all, I have to give credit to the coaches, because their game plan coming in was making sure that we play physical," Hills said. "We had a couple of short practices and then we went straight to full pads and we were doing a lot of hitting drills and preparing for the defenses we will face.
"I think what you saw [at the spring game] was a product of that because a lot of our guys were physical."
KICKERS
One position with fewer questions for Texas is kicker, where junior Ryan Bailey (6-2, 195), who shared kicking duties with Greg Johnson last year and was 6-for-6 on field-goal attempts, has seemingly locked down the job. Bailey also made 17 of his 18 extra points and is expected to take sole possession of the job this year with Johnson's departure.
"He's the main guy," Brown said. "We're re-opening up every position. There will be some guys that get in line first and Ryan will be one of them because he hasn't missed a kick."
Should Bailey struggle or fall victim to injury, sophomore Hunter Lawrence (6-0, 175) would step in. Lawrence handled many of the kickoff duties in 2006, doing so 42 times with 15 touchbacks.
At the very least, he will kick off again in 2007. In high school, he made 32-of-44 field goals and 63-of-70 extra points in his final two seasons at Boerne (Texas) High School.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Want the definition of a perfectionist?
A good place to start might be senior defensive tackle Derek Lokey (6-2, 280).
A year removed from playing on a defensive front that allowed just 61.2 rushing yards per game (third fewest in the NCAA), Lokey entered the spring talking about the unit's need to be better.
That is a refusal to rest on your laurels.
"We can definitely be better than we were last year," Lokey said. "We were No. 3 in the nation against the run, but there were times last year where we gave up easy yards. Run defense, to me, is about discipline. If all 11 guys stay in their gap assignments, then there is nowhere to run."
There's no question that defensive front could be stellar yet again, considering Lokey -- who has 51 career tackles, including nine for loss -- will be joined by returning starters Roy Miller (6-2, 290), a junior and Frank Okam (6-5, 320) a senior.
Okam, the most experienced of the group with 26 career starts, has 108 career tackles, 17 of those for loss. He also has five career sacks to his credit. Miller, who has six starts in his 23 career games, recorded 39 tackles last season, six for loss.
Those three will be joined on the inside by senior Thomas Marshall (6-6, 290), sophomore Ben Alexander (6-0, 310) and redshirt freshman Brian Ellis (6-5, 287).
The Longhorns' defensive ends will be anchored by two players who have started a combined total of five games. Juniors Brian Orakpo (6-4, 248) and Aaron Lewis (6-4, 260) are the most experienced of an inexperienced group of big, fast, athletic ends.
The candidates to battle those two for starting spots include sophomore Lamarr Houston (6-2, 265), junior Henry Melton (6-3, 268) and redshirt freshman Eddie Jones (6-3, 260).
Even without much experience, Lokey sees plenty of talent -- and depth -- in this defensive front.
"The defensive ends are good, and they're getting in there, disrupting plays and making sacks every day [during the spring], so I know they're going to be tough," Lokey said.
LINEBACKERS
A big part of Texas' success against the run last year could also be credited to the outstanding corps of linebackers.
In fact, all three starters return -- as well as one other player who has started three games -- to give the Longhorn linebackers a combined 61 career starts of experience.
"I think the linebackers are one of our strengths," co-defensive coordinator Duane Akina said. "There is really great competition there and that's what really helps people develop as good players."
The most experience of the group are junior middle linebacker Rashad Bobino (5-11, 228), who has 127 tackles, including 20 for loss, in his 26 career starts, and senior strong-side linebacker Robert Killebrew (6-2, 230), who has started 22 career games and has 122 tackles.
The other returning starter, senior weak-side linebacker Scott Derry (6-3, 230), was, like Bobino, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last year after recording 70 tackles.
"His value really soared [last year]," Akina said of Derry. "I would say Scott Derry for us is very similar to what Michael Huff did for us on a mental side, where he can really drive things for us."
Another player with starting experience is sophomore Roddrick Muckelroy (6-2, 230), who started three times last year and hopes to earn time at the weak-side position.
Despite the depth and experience, there are youngsters waiting to challenge for playing time. That group includes sophomores Sergio Kindle (6-4, 239), and Jared Norton (6-3, 236) and redshirt freshman Dustin Earnest (6-3, 221).
DEFENSIVE BACKS
While the inexperience of the offensive line is Brown's biggest concern on offense, it's the secondary that has the toughest voids to fill on the Longhorns' defense.
After all, of the three starters lost to graduation, two were All-Americans and first-round NFL draft picks -- and one of those two was given the Thorpe Award at the conclusion of 2006.
Cornerback Aaron Ross, recipient of the award given to the nation's best defensive back and a first-team All-American, leaves after being selected by the New York Giants with the 20th overall pick. His teammate, safety Michael Griffin, was a second-team All-American and the 19th overall selection by the Tennessee Titans.
Add to that the loss of corner Tarell Brown -- who started 35 career games and had 53 tackles last season with eight pass breakups -- and the holes left in the secondary are quite apparent.
Losing such experience means the Longhorns could go to more of a rotational system of defensive backs, rather than relying on a select few to handle every situation.
"In our secondary you have got an older group and a younger group. Obviously, both are talented," Mack Brown said. "The young group is very talented, they just don't have any experience. We will have to decide who gets what spot and could you possibly play two deep in the secondary? We have never done that. We've played five guys, but we haven't played eight guys. We will really be looking at that hard."
The most experienced member of this sure-to-be-tested group is senior safety Marcus Griffin (6-0, 202), who has 10 career starts to his credit and was second on the Longhorns with 90 tackles in 2006. After that, however, the experience is minimal -- though the talent is not. Sophomore Deon Beasley (5-10, 170) is expected to man the right cornerback position, but he has just one start in his career. Last year, in seven games as a true freshman, Beasley recorded seven tackles and a pass breakup.
He'll be challenged at the right corner position by redshirt freshman Chykie Brown (6-1, 180), who recorded 10 career interceptions at Houston's North Shore High School.
Even with his 10 career starts, Griffin, like many others, will have to keep his position against a potential uprising from other players. Senior Drew Kelson (6-2, 215), who has started four career games, moves from linebacker back to safety and could give the Longhorn secondary a more physical look. Senior Tyrell Gatewood (6-2, 210), a former wide receiver, also expects to compete for playing time at free safety.
At strong safety, two potential starting candidates will vie for the job after the June transfer of sophomore Robert Joseph. Senior Erick Jackson (6-2, 200), who has 23 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 23 career games, and Ishie Oduegwu (5-10, 205), who posted seven tackles in 2006, will take their competition into the fall.
The left cornerback position is also up for grabs as senior Bryan Foster (5-9, 180) will battle junior Ryan Palmer (5-10, 190) for the starting job. Palmer had 16 tackles and one interception in a reserve role last season, while Foster has 35 career tackles in 34 games.
As a group, the unit seemingly began to overcome its inexperience a bit in the spring -- enough so that players from other positions noticed after the spring game.
"I think the secondary is coming along well," Orakpo said. "There were a lot of questions about the secondary and what they were going to do with all the people that recently graduated, but they played really well today. I take my hat off to them on the way they played."
PUNTERS
Sophomore Trevor Gerland (6-2, 190) is the only returning Longhorn with any punting experience after playing in four games in 2006. Unfortunately, with an offense as potent as Texas generally possesses, that only meant six punts for him, on which he averaged 39.2 yards per effort.
However, three of his six punts were downed inside the 20 -- a must when trying to win field position.
The battle for the starting job will be waged by junior Justin Moore (6-2, 197), who has played only on the scout team to date.
SPECIAL TEAMS
When you pull in the kind of athletic talent year after year that Texas does with is recruiting efforts, one would expect to be strong in special teams.
The Longhorns usually are, and this year should be no different.
The most dynamic of Texas' special teams players should be Quan Cosby, who, when not making big catches, handles the punt return and kickoff return duties for the Longhorns.
Last year, Cosby averaged 25.7 yards per kickoff return, with a long of 78 yards. On punts, he fielded two for an average return of 32 yards -- with one 55-yard return for a touchdown. He'll be backed up by fellow receiver Shipley on punt returns, while either Charles or Shipley could join Cosby on kickoff returns.
"Quan is the first punt returner, and Jordan Shipley, those two guys will be back there for sure," Brown said. "Deon [Beasley] and Chykie [Brown] those guys can all catch. Vondrell [McGee] might be a really good kick off return guy."
In the equally important -- but not as glamorous -- special teams positions, expect Lokey to handle the deep snapping for field goals and extra points. Junior William Harvey (5-11, 225) will battle Derry for the job of deep snapper on punts.
Shipley, Cosby and Harris will compete for the holder job on place kicks.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Grading the Longhorns
Unit Grade Offense
B+
Special teams
B+
Defense
A-
Intangibles
A
The offensive strengths lie in the skill positions, but with uncertainty about the blocking in front of McCoy and Charles, it's hard to give the Texas offense a higher grade. It's almost flipped on the defense -- where the interior is clearly the strength and the speedy defensive backs are still untested.
However, opponents' inability to run the ball because of the Texas front seven makes the focus much more simple for the Longhorns' defensive backs. With or without experience, this much we know -- Brown has recruited talented players, year after year, so even those who have never played are still a step ahead of the game.
If Texas can find consistent blocking and decent pass coverage, there's no reason to think they can't battle Oklahoma for the top of the Big 12 South standings yet again, and potentially playing in the league championship game -- followed, of course, by yet another trip to a BCS bowl.
