ESPN.com - Mack Brown's line in the sand

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Friday, February 8, 2013
Mack Brown's line in the sand

By Vince Verhei

It wasn't the best recruiting season for Mack Brown. The Texas Longhorns coach watched as one recruit after another pledged they would attend his school, only to see them decommit and sign with another program. It was a new phenomenon for Brown, one with which he has already grown tired.

"What we'll tell guys, 'Don't commit to us unless it's over and you want to come.' Then the message we get, if you're committed to us and you're looking, that's a simple message, we're going to look, too," Brown told reporters. "If we find somebody as good as you that wants to come, you're looking around, we'll take them. I think that's fair."

"My job is to do what's best for the University of Texas and get the guys that want to be here. Guys can change their minds," Brown added. "If you start looking, to me you're looking for something different than you've got. I'm going to look for something different than I've got."

ESPN.com Big 12 blogger David Ubben says that Brown and the Longhorn won't suffer from a lack of interested talent:

David Ubben

Longhorns will have their pick of incoming recruits

"Brown's absolutely right in that his approach is fair, and while he's not explicitly saying it's a reaction to the 2013 decommitments, it's hard to believe they didn't at least influence his recent comments. He says he's done it before, but don't be surprised if it happens a little more now. Texas won't have trouble getting other players to listen if its current commitments begin to waver."