Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN, Texas -- Mack Brown met with reporters for only the second time since Texas’ Holiday Bowl victory on Thursday afternoon and broke down the state of the program going into the first spring practice of the new season.

Be sure to check out Carter Strickland’s story from today’s press conference on the competition that’s about to begin for every job. We’ll have more in the next few days on some of the topics Brown touched on today, but here’s a few key notes from the day.

Williams to be honored with statue

Texas will unveil an eight-feet, 1,000-pound bronze statue of Ricky Williams at the April 1 spring game. The 1998 Heisman Trophy winner recently retired after an 11-year NFL career.

Brown said the gesture was one Texas has been saving for when Williams’ pro career came to an end, and it was only fitting considering Earl Campbell already has one in the southwest corner of DKR.

“Words can’t describe how honored I am,” Williams said in a statement. “Wow, having a statue at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium is something I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams when I came here from San Diego.

“Texas was such a welcoming place, and with its unbelievable history and tradition, it’s extra special to be a part of that. I’m just humbled and grateful to be recognized in such an amazing way by a school and city that has meant so much to me and my family and is a vital part of my life.”

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Junior college offensive tackle Trenton Brown (Milledgeville, Ga./Georgia Military College) names his top five and includes the Longhorns.

For every returning starter and proven commodity who will take the field Thursday for Texas’ first spring practice, there’s another who needs these next five weeks to prove himself.

From the backups to the redshirts to the newcomers, spring ball can mean the difference between a fall spent under the bright lights or on the bench. And in a program with the recruiting tradition of Texas, no starter should get too comfortable.

Here are the position battles we’ll be keeping an eye on during the Longhorns’ first 15 practices of the 2012 season. We all know what No. 1 is on this list, but don’t ignore the openings at these other spots. What goes down in the next month will have significant implications on what kind of team will take the field Sept. 1 against Wyoming.

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Another spring camp is opening, and it's time to take a closer look. Today, the Texas Longhorns get started.

Schedule: Practice starts today leading up to the spring game on April 1. Practices are closed to fans and media, though the team will have two open practices, a change from last year, when all 15 practices were closed.

What's new: Not much, as opposed to last year, when the answer was "almost everything." The Longhorns' staff all returned for 2012 after Mack Brown shook up his staff and replaced six assistant coaches after going 5-7 in 2010. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz will have to replace defensive leaders Emmanuel Acho, Blake Gideon and Keenan Robinson, but the offense returns 10 starters, including both quarterbacks, David Ash and Case McCoy.

New faces: Quarterback Connor Brewer joins the fold, but the biggest news may have been a shift in recruiting philosophy with new assistants on staff with SEC ties. The Longhorns took a junior college signee for the first time since 2002. Offensive line coach Stacy Searels came from Georgia last season and will have offensive tackle Donald Hawkins from Mississippi to work with. Meanwhile, defensive tackles coach Bo Davis (Alabama) will work with Brandon Moore from Alabama.

Big shoes to fill: Linebacker Jordan Hicks. The Ohio native and No. 1 linebacker in the 2010 class made 55 tackles last season, but without Robinson and Acho, it's Hicks' time in Austin this year. Look out for a big year, and that starts this spring. He's battled through a broken foot, but if he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder who has added 20 pounds since leaving high school.

Don't forget about: Receiver Mike Davis. He was the team's top target this time last year, but had a slightly disappointing sophomore season and Jaxon Shipley surpassed him as the Longhorns' top receiver. Davis is very talented, though. He and Shipley could both be stars, but don't rule out Davis surging this spring. He turned the coaching staff's collective head last year.

Breaking out: Quandre Diggs was part of the freshman invasion at Texas last year, and he could have made a case for being the best freshman in the Big 12. He's a shutdown corner ready to become a star. In a league with the type of offensive talent the Big 12 has, his skills are invaluable. Don't rule out the sophomore cracking the All-America team next year.

All eyes on: Texas' quarterback battle. Texas will be best off if Ash asserts himself and boxes out McCoy with a strong spring, but there's no guarantee that happens. Ash's physical attributes (size, speed, arm strength) give him a much higher upside than his counterpart, but for now they amount to just that: upside. The two had comparable numbers in 2011 and neither was solid. Will we see separation this spring?

In this episode of RecruitingNation 411, we look at the big recruiting weekends for Michigan, Florida, and Texas A&M. We also look into the bizarre day for Davonte Neal, the only uncommitted member of the ESPNU 150 for the 2012 class.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas’ biggest area of concern headed into spring, other than the quarterbacks, is the depth at safety.

Well, that depth is going to get tested quickly. That’s because Adrian Phillips, the heir apparent to Blake Gideon, will be out this spring after undergoing shoulder surgery last month. He is one of three players who will be out for the entire spring.

Defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat will miss the spring after having surgery to prepare his pectoral muscle. Defensive tackle Greg Daniels also had shoulder surgery and is out.

Phillips might be the biggest loss for the Longhorns. The junior does have five starts and has played in 24 of a possible 25 games over his career but still needs seasoning as a safety. The coaching staff also needs to see if he is the right person to line up next to Kenny Vaccaro.

Phillips primarily played in nickel and dime back sets and was backup cornerback. His versatility allowed him to flip between the safety and the corner. He started the first game of the year before yielding to Quandre Diggs at corner.

For 2012, the coaches wanted to work him exclusively at safety. That is the thinnest position on the field and with Sheroid Evans, a potential backup, running track this spring, it means Texas is going to be even thinner when it hits the practice field.

Mykkele Thompson will pick up the slack at the safety spot. Duke Thomas, an early enrollee from the 2012 class, came in as an athlete and has some background as a defensive back. But Texas will most likely keep him at cornerback. So that leaves the burden on Thompson.

At the defensive end position, Texas will have to get Cedric Reed more playing time. The thought headed into spring was that Reggie Wilson, the other backup, was going to see some time at tight end. That will most likely still happen. But Wilson might end up playing both ways.

Chris Whaley had been a defensive end but was moved inside to tackle. Texas coach Mack Brown has said he did not want to move Whaley from tackle back to end.

Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz did throw a few three-man lines out on the field from time to time during the season, and given his plethora of defensive tackles and lack of ends, he might have to work some of those packages during the spring.

At defensive tackle, Daniels was a backup and missing spring means he will not have a chance to move up. Texas is loaded at defensive tackle and will gain one more player in the fall, Malcom Brown. Brown is one of the handful in the class of 2012 not expected to redshirt.

UT Arlington defeated Texas for the first time since 2008 with a 7-5 win on Tuesday.

HornsNation's Carter Strickland stopped by to chat Tuesday to answer questions about the Longhorns' spring practice, which starts on Thursday.

Here's the full chat.

Take a look at some of the best questions:

Jason (Frost): Are people judging David Ash too quickly he was only a true freshmen. Could you see him developing into a really good quarterback overtime. What are his biggest physical weaknesses.

Carter Strickland: I would start with the fact that he cannot throw the deep ball with any sort of accuracy. In high school he could just heave the ball up there and the 5-foot-6 DBs were unable to fend off the wide receivers. In college you have to be somewhat accurate. He does not use his legs well in the throw which is why he cannot throw it all that deep. He can be an adequate college QB if he fixes is mechanics. But highly doubt he will ever be more than that.

Orange Paladin (Corpus Christi, Tx): Who will be starting at DT this year- Brandon Moore, Malcom Brown, Chris Whaley,......?

Carter Strickland: I really like Chris Whaley. I think he has the feet, size and athleticism. Question is whether or not he has the motor and the hand skills. D tackles have to be very skilled with their hands. Moore is going to play a ton. They did not bring him in here to sit. Ashton Dorsey is the other guy you need to remember. He started last year and will be the favorite to start next to either Moore, Jackson or Whaley. Brown is going to be a backup.

Jordan Daniel (Evansville, IN): How is the development of Jackson Jeffcoat coming along? He was a big recruit for us and gave some quality playing time last year, do you see him as an All Big 12 type of player this year?

Carter Strickland: He had to have surgery on his chest muscle and will miss the spring. So that hurts a little bit. But he got much better later in the season. And even with the torn pec muscle he pulled down RG3 for a sack. He is going to be very good and will be fresher this season because Shiro Davis can come in and give him a breather.