Jerry Scarbrough's True Orange
The newsletter for the true Texas Longhorn faithful

Volume 10, No. 19, July 17, 2000

Horns Snare 10 Early Commitments; Several Other Top Prospects Leaning UT's Way

Coach Mack Brown and his staff have signed the best recruiting class in the
Big 12 the last two years and they are well on their way to making it three
in a row.
The Longhorns have 10 early commitments, including two national top 100
prospects and a junior college star who was a national top 100 prospect two
years ago.
And all three of those headliners are offensive linemen, which is an area
where the Longhorns needed to strike it rich this time around after signing
only three of the big guys in their last class, which was loaded with skill
position players.
The national top 100 prepsters are Jonathan Scott of Dallas Carter, and Abe
Robinson of Jersey Village. The JC star is Alfio Randall, 6-6, 300, 5.1, of
Blinn JC. Randall was one of the nation's top prospects at Houston Yates and
signed with Texas in February of 1999 before failing to qualify academically
and heading to Blinn.
Randall, who says he will graduate in December, plans to enroll at Texas next
January.
For a team that listed the offensive line as its greatest need heading into
this recruiting season, that trio is a great way to start.
But the Longhorns also have pledges from three other offensive linemen who
were highly recruited, including one from Mike Garcia of Galena Park, who had
committed to Texas A&M and was the Aggies' prize early pledge before visiting
UT and deciding to switch to the Horns.
The other two offensive line recruits are Roman Reeves of Livingston and Will
Allen of Cypress Falls.
The offensive line class of recruits in Texas this year is the best I have
seen since I started doing this 10 years ago. There are at least 10 offensive
linemen who are top notch, and all five of the UT pledges come from that
group.
The other recruits who have committed to the Longhorns are middle linebacker
Yamil Lebron of Killeen Ellison, safety Kendal Briles of Frenship and
defensive backs Brian Carter of The Woodlands and Braden Johnson of Euless
Trinity.
Here's a little information on each of the Horns' early commitments:
Offensive Line (6)
Jonathan Scott, 6-7, 290, 4.9, Dallas Carter, has more than 25 scholarship
offers and more are coming in all the time, despite the fact that he was the
Longhorns' first commitment, back on June 7 at Texas' first summer camp. He
has the great first step that makes all the difference in trying to cut off
an outside speed rusher. He is on all the national top 100 lists and is as
good an offensive tackle prospect as there is in the country.
Abe Robinson, 6-6, 270, 4.9, Jersey Village, is a tight end who projects as
an offensive lineman in college. He is one of the state's top prospects and
is on most of the national top 100 lists. Robinson is a power blocker with
quick feet. He had offers from 12 other schools, including Florida State,
when he committed to Texas on June 13.
Alfio Randall, 6-6, 300, 5.1, Blinn JC, was one of the first players to
commit to Texas in 1998 and has never wavered. He says he will graduate from
Blinn in December and enroll at UT in January so he can go through spring
practice next year. He was the state's top offensive line prospect at Houston
Yates his senior year because of his quick feet and punishing blocking style.
Mike Garcia, 6-5, 280, 5.2, Galena Park, was an early A&M commitment before
he and his mother took an unofficial trip to Austin. He is as aggressive as
any offensive line prospect in Texas. A nice guy off the field, he holds
blocks and punishes defenders. He specializes in the pancake block.
Will Allen, 6-5, 300, 5.2, Cypress Falls, was the Longhorns' second
commitment. Like Scott, he committed after the first full summer camp at UT.
A three-year starter at Cy Falls, he is a very physical player who has the
quickness and strength to play guard or tackle.
Roman Reeves, 6-6, 295, 5.2, Livingston, is as impressive a physical specimen
as any of the UT recruits. He has the ability to dominate his opponents and
the quickness to head them off.
Linebacker (1)
Yamil LeBron, 6-2, 240, 4.7, Killeen Ellison, apparently was the middle
linebacker UT defensive coordinator Carl Reese wanted all along. He said
Reese told him at the Longhorns' summer camp that he liked his size, speed
and ferocity and wanted him to play middle linebacker. He is a tough run
stopper who also has the speed to cover backs on pass plays.
Defensive Back (3)
Kendal Briles, 5-10, 175, 4.5, Wolfforth Frenship, was the Class 4A offensive
player of the year last season after leading Stephenville to the  state
championship. Playing QB, he completed 207 of 356 passes for 3,115 yards and
28 TDs and ran for 1,331 yards and 16 more scores. That adds up to 4,446
yards and 44 touchdowns. Nebraska wanted him as an option QB, but he opted
for a career as a safety at Texas. His father, Art Briles, was his coach at
Stephenville and now is on the coaching staff at Texas Tech.
Braden Johnson, 6-2, 200, 4.5, Euless Trinity, is a talented athlete who will
move to QB for the Trojans this year after making All-District as a
hard-hitting safety last year. He is a centerfielder in baseball and runs on
the school's 400-meter relay team. He has a big frame and could be a
candidate to become an outside linebacker in the future.
Brian Carter, 5-11, 180, 4.5, The Woodlands, was a two-way star last season,
catching 35 passes for 340 yards and four TDs, then switching over to defense
and intercepting three passes. He was one of UT freshman QB Chance Mock's top
targets at The Woodlands last season.
All of the recruits who have committed to Texas except Randall and Garcia
came to one of the UT summer camps.
* * * *
RECRUITING NOTES: The state's top QB prospect, Matt Nordgren of Dallas Bishop
Lynch, was in Austin today (Monday) visiting with UT offensive coordinator
Greg Davis. His family owns a ranch near Blanco and Nordgren really likes the
Horns. The only other top QB prospect who is strongly considering Texas is
Bret Rawls of Shreveport Evangel, but the Horns only plan to take one QB and
Rawls is such a good baseball prospect that it would be risky making him the
only QB recruit. One big plus is that Nordgren wants to commit early. He has
been to several camps alread, including one at Texas, and wants to visit
several more before making a decision. But if he does commit early and does
commit to Texas, the Longhorns can forget about recruiting QBs. If he commits
early to someone else, then it will be on Plan B, whether that is Rawls or a
sleeper like Tye Gunn of La Grange, a strong-armed kid who is big and fast
and only gets to throw five or six times a game for the run-oriented
Leopards. . . The Longhorns probably will sign about 20 to 22 recruits. With
six offensive linemen, three defensive backs and one linebacker already
committed, the remainder probably will go to one QB, one or two RBs, zero or
one FB, zero or one TE, one or two WRs, one or two more OLs, three or four
DLs, one or two LBs and two or three DBs. . . At RB, record-setting Cedric
Benson of two-time state champ Midland Lee plans to take an unofficial visit
to Texas in late July or early August. He is a long-time Longhorn fan who
says he might commit on his visit. . . The most important report left on the
board is DT Tommie Harris of Killeen Ellison. Why? There are two reasons.
First, he is a great prospect, probably as good a defensive line recruit as
there is in the country. Second, he is the only great DT prospect who is
strongly considering Texas and the Horns need to sign a top DT or two. Thomas
Derricks of Dallas Jesuit is a good DT, but he has no interest in Texas.
After that, the list includes several promising young DTs who need to have
big senior years to become top prospects. Texas is chasing two Louisiana
stars ) Marcus Spears of Baton Rouge Southern Lab and Marquise Hill of New
Orleans De La Salle ) but they have not show any major interest so far. The
UT coaches want to sign two DEs and two DTs, but they might opt for three DEs
because there are more top DEs. . . The top prospects remaining who I think
are at least 50-50 shots to sign with Texas are Nordgren, Benson, Harris, OL
Jami Hightower of Jacksonville, DEs Kevin Everett of Port Arthur Jefferson
and Eric Hall of Clarksville, Tenn., LB-DE Lance McFarland of Jefferson, LB
Derrick Johnson of Waco, CB Cedric Griffin of San Antonio Holmes, safety
Dewayne Brandon of Temple and CB-Athlete Quan Cosby of Mart.


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Coach's Corner

Defensive coordinator Carl Reese is always a great interview because (a) he
is an expert at his craft and (b) he is good at putting complex defensive
schemes in terms we can all understand.
I interviewed him recently about his defense and his expectations for the
2000 season. With most of the guys returning from  a defense that was one of
the nation's best in 1999, he is upbeat, but he wants and expects to see
major improvements in several areas.
Here are the highlights of our conversation:
Q: "Coach, you lost both your defensive ends. At the end of the spring, you
seemed pretty happy about the way Cory Redding was playing, but you said you
thought the guys on the other side were a lot better pass rushers than run
stoppers. The way the 2000 schedule shapes up, it looks like most of the
teams Texas plays are better passing teams than running teams, so do you
think it could be an advantage to have a better pass rush, even if one side
isn't as strong against the run?
A: "We were looking at the schedule the other day and it looks like about
half the teams we play next fall are going to be four wide-outs who throw the
ball a bunch.And our ends can come of the edge better than they have. That
could help us against some teams like Stanford, Oklahoma and Texas Tech,
three teams that are going to let it go (pass a lot) from the beginning. But
I worry about that cotton-picking run because I don't want to let teams be
two-dimensional. I like to start, with any defense, by being stroing against
the run."
Q: "You have already had some outstanding defenses at Texas. Do you think
this year's defense will be your best one at Texas?
A: "From a talent standpoint, it could be. The secondary has more depth than
its had. Of course, the guys still have to come through. We have got to get a
great year out of Quentin Jammer at cornerback, but, going into the season,
we have the deepest secondary we've had. We're a little thin at linebacker,
but we know what we have there and they can all run. We know what we have at
tackle with Casey (Hampton) and Shawn (Rogers), and we've got some backups.
The glaring weakness is at end, particularly against the run. We want to have
the complete package at end ) guys who can stop the run and rush the passer.
Cory Redding still had to work on the run some, but as far as giving an
all-out effort, he does, and he'll improve as he gets some more experience.
He is our best end against the run, but we want him to get better. We need
some of the other guys to step up on the other side, and maybe one or two of
them will. If they do, this could be a pretty good defense."
Q: Stevie Lee really looked good at tackle this spring, in my opinions,
particularly considering the fact that he was playing high school football
last fall, then graduated early  and enrolled in January. What do you think
about him and his chances of helping you this fall?
A: "I think Stevie Lee is going to be a real football player. And you're
right ) he should have been walking the halls of his high school in the
spring. What I really like about him is that we would work him against the
first-team offense, and some of those first-team offensive linemen would
knock him back. But the next play, he would come right back. He learns fast
and he competes hard. We play to play him quite a bit. From what he and
(redshirt freshman Marcus) Tubbs showed this spring, they will be the backups
to Casey and Shawn at the start of fall practice. We have some other players
who could move up, too, and there will be some competition because the guys
who are the top backups this year will have the best chance to take it over
the next season when Casey and Shawn are gone."
Q: "What do you think is the key to having a better defense this year?"
A: "The secondary will be the key. They have the best chance to step up.
That's the key, overall. They improved last year and played good at times,
but we still didn't have a great defense because we gave up big plays too
often to be a great defense. We're going to stress this year that we can't
give up big plays because you can't be a great defense if you do that."
Q: "What is you definition of a big play?"
A: "Any pass over 20 yards and any run over 12 yards is a big play. If we can
stop giving those up, we'll be better than we have been."
Q: "Every time anybody talks about the strength of the Texas' defense, it
centers around your two tackles. How important are they, and what do you
expect from them this season?"
A: "Both Casey and Shawn are strong, physical guys. When they go all out,
they can dominate. They really work well together, too. It is really
important that we be sure they give us a great year. They have proved they
can be great  run stoppers, but we're going to try to push them into being
good pass rush guys, too. Their reall challenge now is to go out and produce
again as run stoppers and get better on the pass rush. They need to work to 
improve. I haven't been satisfied with the endurance part of it, as far as
they are concerned. If I'm sitting there in their shoes, I'm looking to be
just as strong against the run and get better on the pass rush."
Q: "Speaking of young players, Dakarai Pearson and Phillip Geiggar, your two
freshmen at safety, made some big plays in the spring. Do you think they can
help you this season?"
A: "That Dakarai just improved so much this spring. Everytime I turned on a
practice film, I saw some improvement. He just got better every day. He also
has some leadership capabilities. I think we are going to get a lot of big
plays out of him, and we might get some this year. He's going to be a real
good strong safety if he keeps working at it. Phillip has a lot of the same
qualities. You know, Dakarai has been in the system longer (he's a redshirt
freshman) and Phillip should have been walking those same high school halls
with Stevie Lee. He's going to be a really good one, too, if he keeps
improving. He just needs some experience. He's probably going to get some
kick returns and punt returns this year, and he'll probably get to play some
at safety, too."
Q: "Is one of them more suited to strong safety and one more suited to free
safety?"
A: "Those kids are interchangeable. The strong safety calls the defenses and
goes to pass strength, so Dakarai probably would play there this year because
Phillip hasn't been here as long, but, as they both get more experience, they
both can play either one."

Applewhite OK; Simms Growing

Record-setting Texas QB Major Applewhite's surgically repaired knee is fine
and he will be ready to do battle with heralded sophomore Chris Simms for the
starting job when pre-season football practice begins next month.
Simms, meanwhile, has been hitting the weights and is now packing 223 pounds
on his 6-5 frame, up from 208 last season.
The UT coaches have said all along they plan to play two quarterbacks this
season, and no one in the country has a better pair to alternate.
Both are throwing the ball extremely well and both appear to be capable of
leading the Longhorns in defense of their Big 12 Southern Division crown.
If there is going to be a quarterback controversy at Texas, it's sure nice to
know both of them are outstanding quarterbacks.
Some of Texas' conference rivals probably will have a quarterback
controversy, too, but it will be over whether any of the contenders are good
enough to lead the team to a title. The Longhorns have two
championship-calibre quarterbacks.

Schedule Revisions; Reporting Dates

The Longhorns' season-opener against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 9 will kick
off at 11:30 a.m. and be televised live as part of the Big 12 syndication
package.
Check your local listings for the station that will carry the game in your
area.
That means Texas' first two games will be televised. The Sept. 16 contest at
Stanford will be carried live by Fox Sports Net and kickoff at 9:15 p.m.
(Central).
The Horns also announced the Nov. 24 game with Texas A&M in Austin would move
from the 10 a.m. slot it occupied for the past four years to a 2:30 p.m.
start on ABC.
The freshmen report to campus on Sunday, August 13.
The freshmen will practice Monday through Wednesday, August 14-16, at Frank
Denius Fields (corner of 26th and Red River).
The veterans will report on August 16.
UT's first full-team practice is slated for Friday, August 18, at Whitaker
Field.
All preseason practices are open to the public.
Here's the season football schedule (TBA means time to be announced later):
Sept. 9 - Louisiana-Lafayette, 11:30 a.m. (Fox Sports SW)
Sept. 16 - at Stanford, 9:15 p.m. (Fox Sports Net)
Sept. 23 - Houston TBA
Sept. 30 - Oklahoma State TBA
Oct. 7 - Oklahoma (Dallas) TBA
Oct. 14 - at Colorado TBA
Oct. 21 - Missouri TBA
Oct. 28 - Baylor TBA
Nov. 4 - at Texas Tech TBA
Nov. 11 - at Kansas TBA
Nov. 24 - Texas A&M 2:30 p.m. (ABC)
Dec. 2 - Big 12 Championship, Kansas City, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
If you haven't bought tickets and want to do so, you can call 1-800-982-2386
or, if you live in Austin, 471-3333.
For priority seating, call 512-471-4439, and for information on stadium
suites, call 512-471-4780.

Snyder Retires as Tennis Coach

Long-time UT tennis coach Dave Snyder has retired. Snyder did a great job for
the Longhorns and let's all wish him well in retirement.
Let's also hope the Longhorns will hire his former top assistant, Dwayne
Hultquist, to succeed him.
Hultquist, currently the head tennis coach at Florida State, is an
outstanding recruiter who can do great things at Texas if he gets the chance.
Hultquist, who just completed his first year as the head coach at FSU, got
the Seminoles into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in several years.
He is one of the top candidates for the job, which probably will be filled
within the next 10 days.