Texas Longhorns

After two years of being an also-ran on the national stage and in the Big 12, Texas appears poised to move out of the wings. The Longhorns return eight starters from a defense that was No. 11 nationally last season and have added quality depth at defensive tackle position. Defensive lineman Brandon Moore and linebacker Steve Edmond could be breakout stars. Offensively, Texas is still trying to find the next Colt McCoy. It's clear it is not his brother, Case. The younger McCoy continues to be locked in a quarterback battle with sophomore David Ash. Whoever wins will have the benefit of what appears to be the Big 12's best and deepest backfield with sophomores Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron as well as the nation's top running back recruit in Johnathan Gray.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The way Daniel Gresham remembers it, the vow was made in late April.

He and touted 2014 offensive tackle Demetrius Knox were sitting in class at Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints Episcopal when Knox got word of one of his first scholarship offers.

Gresham turned to him and said he’d had something on his mind. Knox did too.

They blurted out the idea in near-perfect synchronicity.

“Let’s go to college together.”

On Tuesday, Gresham took the first big step toward making that a reality by making his verbal commitment to Texas.

The 5-foot-11, 226-pound fullback prospect never thought he’d have the opportunity to do so. But when the Longhorns gave him his first offer last Thursday, Gresham knew he had to jump on it.

“I kept praying that my first offer would come,” Gresham said. “When I found out I got that official offer, I had tears in my eyes.”

By Monday, he couldn’t wait any longer. He called Texas co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite and told him he was ready to become commit No. 4 for the Longhorns’ 2014 class.

Staying close to home was a priority for Gresham, but it was the role Applewhite sold him on that convinced him he’d found exactly what he wanted.

The Longhorns have recruited Gresham to play fullback, but he’ll also line up at tailback and become a key cog in the passing game out of the backfield.

“Coach Applewhite told me to pay attention to how they used running backs last year,” Gresham said. “He said I’d block but I’d also get a lot of carries and a bunch of receiving yards. They like to run routes with their backs and he likes that I have soft hands.”

His role could end up being much like the one Cody Johnson held down for Texas from 2008 to 2011. Johnson came into the program with similar size -- 5-10, 225 -- and scored 36 career touchdowns as both a fullback and running back.

As a sophomore, Gresham rushed for 580 yards and 10 touchdowns on only 80 carries while sharing the load with UTSA signee Brian Vaughn. He’ll expand his role for All Saints as more of a feature back this fall.

First, though, he’ll work on making sure Knox sticks to his word and joins him in burnt orange.

Knox has a variety of offers on the table, and Texas and Ohio State have emerged as his two favorites.

Though he’d like to take his time and more visits before reaching a decision, Knox’s bond with Gresham is still the top factor in his decision.

They’ve become inseparable best friends over the past two years. When Knox moved to Fort Worth from Garland, Texas, in the summer before their freshman year, Knox lived with Gresham for nearly a month while his mother looked for a house.

Since then, they’ve been like brothers to one another. They help each other on homework, study together for tests and keep each other in line.

And they’re not looking to lose that relationship anytime soon.

“I’ve always just wanted to play with Daniel in college, and I’ve finally got that chance right now with Texas,” Knox said. “They’re No. 1 to me right now.”

Longhorns offensive line coach Stacy Searels has made Knox one of his highest priorities since he scouted the 6-5, 300-pound tackle this spring, and he’s recruiting Knox to play left tackle.

Gresham is ready to start recruiting him, too, and he can’t imagine any scenario in which the duo wouldn’t end up together in college.

“It’s amazing to know I will have a close friend in college with me, a guy who wants to make our dreams come true,” Gresham said. “We’ve got big, big dreams. We’re going to push each other every day in college.

“We’ll make sure that I help him become an All-American linemen, and he’ll make me an All-American back.”

Gresham is the second back to join the Longhorns’ 2014 class after Houston Eisenhower’s Duke Catalon made his pledge last week.

The class is off to an impressive early start, Gresham said, but it features one glaring omission: his best friend.

“I love playing with him,” he said, “and I want to keep running behind him.”

Now it’s time to put Knox’s promise to the test.

AUSTIN, Texas -- David Ash found himself in the center of the huddle Sunday.

The Texas quarterback wasn’t exactly barking commands. But he was giving direction just the same.

“If we have to throw the football to win the game, we’re going to do it.

“If we have to run the football to win the game, we’re going to do it. … We just want to win games.”

It wasn’t Knute Rockne in 1928. Or Herb Brooks in ’80. It was, however, David Ash in 2012 trying his best to step up to say he was willing to do whatever it took to make Texas football relevant again.

For that to happen, Texas needs Ash. Not the one who was wide-eyed amidst the blur of jerseys last season. Eight picks over a six-game stretch is just not going to cut it.

What Texas needs is a quarterback who understands his role is not to make the miraculous throw but one that is fine with throwing the ball away on third down. Someone who can balance the ledger with the Longhorns’ rushing attack and someone willing to hold a receiver accountable when he runs the wrong route or drops an easy pass.

It needs someone who inspires toughness, who can push and then have his teammates pull right along with them as they go through the final stretch of the season.

What Texas needs is a more confident and poised Ash.

The Longhorns don’t have that yet. But they could. Maybe not against Wyoming or New Mexico or even Ole Miss. But Ash, with a few games under his belt, appears ready to become a competent and confident quarterback for Texas.

“I don’t feel like I’ve ever struggled with being tough,” Ash said.

Physically that has to be true and could remain true throughout 2012. He’s up to 223 pounds, is willing to run through the line and will take on just about anything.

But his mental fortitude is more of where the concern should lie. Ash might have grown up on a farm but nothing could have prepared him for the 100,000 angry Bevos he faced last season. That’s enough to damage the psyche of even the most mentally tough.

“It didn’t wear on me too bad,” Ash said. “So I didn’t have to pick myself back up.”

That’s a change in tune from when Ash said after the Holiday Bowl that he felt responsible for Texas’ losses. Back then it was clear that Ash was bothered by his performance and how that performance affected others.

Flushing those emotions is certainly a sign of maturity. It also shows a level of cockiness that is paramount to being a successful college quarterback. The quarterback can’t just walk the walk, as would be Ash’s normal tendency, he has to talk to the talk too. And he’s trying.

“We’re going to go out and believe we can beat anybody who is on the field and have that air about us,” Ash said.

Texas can survive with Ash, maybe he can do more. Maybe Ash can be a help instead of the hindrance that he was as a freshman. Ash might be just enough of a quarterback to help Texas gets its swagger and standing on the national scene back.

Former Texas defensive coordinator Greg Robinson talks about how loaded the 2012 squad will be.

Colleague KC Joyner took to ranking the nation's top two secondaries , but there's a pair of surprising teams at the top.

The SEC is the league with the defensive reputation, but the nation's top two teams, Alabama and LSU, both finished below Texas and Oklahoma State, who Joyner says are the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 secondaries.

Both of them are outstanding, but even I was surprised to see those two atop the list.

For both teams, it starts with eye-popping duos at cornerback.

For Texas, it's Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs. At Oklahoma State, Justin Gilbert and Brodrick Brown are the guys stopping receivers on the outside.

All four may make a case by season's end as the Big 12's best cornerback, but according to Joyner, they're the backbones of the nation's top two secondaries.

Joyner is also a believer in Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro, who racked up 82 tackles and keeping opposing receivers from gaining more than four yards per pass attempt.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State's Gilbert stuck out to Joyner as the best cornerback in college football last season. His five picks and 5.2 yards per attempt suggest that's the case. He also broke up or intercepted 20 passes, second-most in college football.

Those aren't the only two Big 12 teams on Joyner's list.

What about Oklahoma? The Sooners check in at No. 8, with a nice trio of their own in Tony Jefferson, Aaron Colvin and Demontre Hurst.

Joyner reminds that even though the secondary faltered in high-profile losses to Baylor and Texas Tech, the same unit allowed a passer rating of under 106 in eight games.

Now, new coordinator Mike Stoops is in town to give the Sooners a boost in the secondary. The Sooners lost cornerback Jamell Fleming, but Fleming's 9.2 yards per attempt give Joyner reason to believe the loss will result in addition by subtraction.

I'm not so sure about that, but ultimately, the season will tell.

Are you a believer in the Cowboys and Longhorns as the nation's top two secondaries? What about the Sooners? Too high? Too low?

AUSTIN, Texas -- Apparently a large number of players have been asking Mack Brown about the possibility of wearing alternative uniforms. His answer: Not going to happen.

“There has been a lot of change around the country,” he said. “I think I heard one team had 18 different combinations. That’s kind of confusing when you have 12 games.

“Our players are constantly asking. What we tell them is that we are not. We may move a number around. But we are who we are. That uniform has been like it is for many, many years; as long as I have been here. It will be burnt orange and white.”

Brown has allowed the players to design different practice uniforms, which they will rotate on a daily basis.

“They are really excited about it and could help with recruiting,” the Texas coach said.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Nobody knows where the Texas quarterbacks stand. Not the players, David Ash or Case McCoy.

“I couldn’t really tell you,” McCoy said.

“I’m not the coach,” said Ash.

Well, the coach said he doesn’t know who the quarterback will be, either. But everybody, for the first time in quite some time, knows where Texas stands headed into the 2012 season -- No. 15 in the first preseason poll and as a possible BCS bowl game contender.

“This thing is headed back in the right direction,” Brown said.

Now everyone just has to figure out when Texas might get there.

To listen to the players tell it, Texas might get there this season.

“We went 8-5 last year and we’re looking for something much greater this year,” McCoy said.

“We have all the pieces; we’ve just got to put the puzzle together,” said safety Kenny Vaccaro.

The Longhorns very well could have all the pieces. But the general thought is that Texas is still looking for that critical piece that completes the whole picture. You guessed it, the quarterback.

The lack of a starter is not exactly dampening enthusiasm. Not among those awash in the burnt orange. And as Brown correctly points out, Alabama was not exactly scintillating at quarterback in 2009 or 2011.

Decent point. One quickly followed up by another made by Ash.

“We’ve got a great team around us,” he said. “Whenever there is a quarterback and all you have to do is delegate who gets the ball and they do the rest, that makes it a lot of fun.”

“We would like to have the Colt [McCoy] and Vince [Young] performances,” Brown said. “But I would like to take some pressure off that position. And if he has a bad day then we don’t lose the game.”

There will be a bad day or even two. History, two full years’ worth, has taught even the most ardent supporter that. But the coaches were taught that lesson, too. Now, to hear Brown tell it, they have learned.

Now Texas has depth across both lines -- not as much on the offense as it might like, but enough -- three running backs who would start on just about any team in the Big 12, solid wide receivers, three scholarship kickers and another five on the roster, playmakers out of the backfield and a defense saltier than the Dead Sea.

“We’ve got a lot of weapons,” Vaccaro.

That is not to say Texas will just blaze through the year. There are going to be Everest-like peaks on fans and coaches’ EKGs at times. But, by and large, Texas has become a team deep enough and good enough that wins are not angina-inducing, three-hour affairs.

Texas’ true advantage this August as opposed to last season is that the Longhorns now know their talent.

The coaching staff can look around the room and it understands what each player can do and what his limitations might be. Therefore the coaches have a more comprehensive understanding of how to utilize that player and maximize his potential.

Last season, everything was done on the fly. And that’s why some games flew out of control. The coaches didn’t know the players. The players didn’t know the coaches.

Time has changed that.

“We are so far ahead of even where we were at the Holiday Bowl because we know so much about each other,” Brown said.

So right now Texas is ahead. But again it comes back to where Texas will be when the season is over? If Texas is indeed back?

And it’s a question no one will find out the answer to for another few weeks.

“You still don’t know until that first game that we put on the pads,” Vaccaro said. “But as far as work ethic goes in the summer, we worked like a national championship team.”

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Longhorns will head into fall camp relatively healthy. That includes sophomore quarterback David Ash, who suffered a strained hamstring on July 28.

The Texas sophomore was previously said to be day-to-day. Now it appears he’s fully healthy as the Longhorns prepare to take the field Monday morning.

“There seem to be a panic over David Ash last week,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “He’s fine and has been released to practice. David is fine, at full speed and is ready to go.”

He also announced that defensive back Adrian Phillips (shoulder), defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat (pectoral muscle) and tight end Greg Daniels (shoulder) have been cleared for practice after missing the spring and will be able to participate fully right away.

Cornerback Quandre Diggs (wrist), defensive end Reggie Wilson (unspecified), wide receiver Miles Onyegbule (pectoral muscle) and wide receiver Bryant Jackson will be limited to start practice.

“Quandre could play if we were playing [a game] today,” Brown said. “I will be careful with him early in practice. Then we will work Bryant, Miles and Reggie Wilson back into practice slowly.”

Brown also restated that freshman offensive lineman Camrhon Hughes will redshirt this season after tearing his ACL.

Midway through his press conference to open Texas' fall camp on Sunday, Mack Brown was handed his iPhone.

On it, Texas’ assistant athletic director for media relations had typed out a message for Brown to post on his @UT_MackBrown Twitter page:

“Congrats 2 Sanya Richards on her Gold medal. She's worked so hard & were so proud of her. Enjoy it, hug Aaron & good luck in the 200 & relay.”

Brown smiled and hit send.

The Texas coach joined Twitter in June and has sent out 108 tweets since. He’s picked up more than 9,700 followers but still only follows one account: The official Texas football Twitter account.

“Our staff encouraged it, because they thought I needed to be on Twitter for recruiting,” Brown said. “If it helps recruiting, I’m going to be on it and moving forward with it. It’s something we feel like we stay modern with.”

Brown said he’s had discussions with athletics director DeLoss Dodds and UT president William Powers about how to properly manage how its student-athletes use Twitter and Facebook. Both officials agreed the privilege is an important one.

“We really feel like it’s a right as a student to be on it,” Brown said. “It’s a means that young people are learning to communicate. It’s there and it’s not going to change. It’s a wonderful thing when it’s used right.”

And when it’s used wrong? Texas continues to partner with UDiligence, a social network monitoring company, to track what its football players are posting online.

If a Longhorn posts something inappropriate, Brown is going to hear about it.

“It’s something we need to allow them to learn to use,” he said. “But at the same time, they can’t abuse it.”

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas players signed their scholarship papers and moved into their dorm rooms on Sunday, but there are still a few Longhorns who have some catching up to do.

The most obvious absentee is receiver Marquise Goodwin, whose run at the 2012 London Olympics ended on Saturday with a 10th-place finish in the long jump.

Texas coach Mack Brown said Goodwin and UT track coach Bubba Thornton are working with Olympic officials to arrange his flight back to the U.S. so he can rejoin the program.

“They’re trying to get him on the next flight home, which will probably be on the 9th or 10th,” Brown said. “We will get him back for practice hopefully at the end of this week or next week for sure.”

From there, Goodwin will go through an orientation period to readjust to football and will have nearly three weeks to prep for the Wyoming opener.

Texas’ two summer transfers are also on a delayed schedule to kick off fall camp.

Brown said ex-Duke punter Alex King still has some paperwork to finalize before he can begin practicing, and that process will take new kicker/punter Anthony Fera a bit longer.

The Penn State transfer made the 25-hour drive from State College, Pa., to Houston this weekend and is expected to arrive in Austin on Sunday.

“He’ll have to have some paperwork done, will have to get in school and will have to pass a physical,” Brown said. “It will probably be a couple days before he joins us at practice.”

When it all over, Marquise Goodwin fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands.

This time, he wasn't celebrating.

The Texas senior wide receiver finished 10th in the long jump finals at the 2012 London Olympics on Saturday after failing to surpass the 7.93-meter (26-feet-0¼) standard necessary to qualify for the event's final round.

Goodwin only needed one jump on Friday -- an impressive 8.11-meter (26-7¼) leap -- to reach the final round. This time around, he scratched on his first attempt. His second jump, this one 7.80 meters (25-7¼), put him on the chopping block.

On his third and final attempt, Goodwin couldn't muster the extra six inches he needed to advance to the eight-man medal round. A jump of 7.76 meters ended his day and his pursuit of Olympic gold.

The low marks were a far cry from what Goodwin produced to qualify for the London Games. He leaped 8.33 meters (27-4) at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Oregon in June, and he'd won the NCAA outdoor championship this spring with an 8.23-meter jump.

Great Britain's Greg Rutherford went on to win the long jump gold medal with a leap of 8.31 meters, beating Australia's Mitchell Watt (8.16 m). Goodwin's Team USA teammate, Will Claye, jumped 8.12 meters to earn bronze.

Now he'll fly back to Austin, strap on his helmet and pads and rejoin the Longhorn football team. Fall camp begins Sunday.