Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN, Texas -- Geoff Swaim was knocked down because he stood up.

Twice.

"This isn’t junior college," Texas coach Mack Brown said.

Nope, to steal a line from Dan Hawkins -- sans the hysterical screaming voice -- it's Division I football. And Swaim, a junior college transfer working in his first spring practice with the Longhorns, found that out from the seat of his pants during practice Friday.

Texas found out on Saturday that Swaim had learned his lesson as he stayed low in his blocks and, surprisingly enough, on his feet. Consider it a learning curve successfully traveled.

Now all Texas has to do is learn how to most effectively use Swaim and the rest of the tight ends.

"We’ve got to figure out with what we are doing now and not substituting what Greg [Daniels] and Geoff Swaim can do as compared to [Miles] Onyegbule, John Harris and [M.J.] McFarland," Brown said.

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HornsNation is counting down the top five moments of Texas’ 2012 season this week.

Play No. 1

The game: Days before the Iowa State game, Mack Brown knew he wanted to honor the recently deceased Darrell K Royal. And the Texas coach told the world the Longhorns would do just that against the Cyclones. Brown’s team, which had been Royal’s long before Brown arrived, would line up in the wishbone on the first play of the first drive. It was a tip of the cap to the man who made Texas football and who made Brown feel at home in the program.

The play: The wishbone was famous for its multiple options. Texas had just one on this day. Backed up at their own 6-yard line, the Longhorns lined up in the wishbone and hoped for the best.

"When we were backed up [co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin] said, 'What do you think?' " Brown said. "And I said, 'Heck run it. What the heck -- he’s watching. He’s got enough spunk, he’ll like the fact that we took a shot at it.' And you could tell it was going be open from the beginning, so it was a fun play and maybe had a little intervention from up above on that one."

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AUSTIN, Texas -- Believe it or not, there was a time not long ago when tight end was a position of strength for the Longhorns.

David Thomas caught everything thrown his way while acting as Vince Young's security blanket during Texas’ run to the 2005 BCS national championship. When he left for the NFL, the Longhorns made a seamless transition to Jermichael Finley, a better athlete who produced at such a rate that he only stayed for two years before being picked 91st overall by the Green Bay Packers.

The evolution of the position was supposed to continue upward with the arrival of Californian Blaine Irby, and his wavy surfer-boy hair, in 2007. But injuries decimated his career, which he finished on a high note during his senior season in 2011, by playing in all 13 games.

Not only did Irby miss all of 2009 and 2010 with a knee injury but his backup, current Longhorns senior D.J. Grant, was also relegated to the sideline over that span with a knee injury of his own.

That left Texas with little wiggle room at a position that seems to still be recovering from seasons devoid of a certifiable pass threat. It’s a recovery process that seems to be lingering as the 2012 season rapidly approaches.

Texas head coach Mack Brown listed tight ends as one of his two main concerns when he met with the media on Wednesday. In the Longhorns’ first scrimmage of fall camp, Brown said that they dropped at least five passes and that they “did not get done what we want to get done.”

What they want to get done varies. The position has always been an essential part of co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin’s offensive philosophy.

Whether it’s putting them in a three-point stance and asking them to seal the edge, motioning them to H-back or out wide to create mismatches with slower linebackers and smaller defensive backs, Harsin, who coached Boise State's tight ends from 2002-05, has always made tight ends a vital part of his game plan.

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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.

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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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.