Bevo Bulletin by Johnathan Oberhoff
Well folks…I can’t really call this an experiment anymore. The Longhorn Coaches didn’t change, the philosophy didn’t change, and the schemes didn’t change, so the experiment has now turned into a reality. So now we post up notes on the Bevo Bulletin Board.
First off everyone in the Burnt Orange Nation should tip their Longhorn emblazoned ball cap in respect to Ricky Williams. He is now sat next to the great Earl Campbell in Longhorn eternity with a statue at DKR stadium. I never got to see him play in person, but I do have a few Ricky memories. He deserves the honor bestowed on him for more than just football. He was a character and a personality that will never be duplicated or replaced. Congrats Ricky, you earned every inch of that statue.
The Texas recruiting class was once again a top 5 class nationally, with well known names like Connor Brewer at QB and Malcolm Brown on the defense (yes now we have one on each side of the ball). During spring practices a few of the early enrollee’s have already made names for themselves. The young Corner Backs have gotten praise for their football ability and instinct. With Byndom and Diggs coming back, having secondary players already making noise means the future of the Diaz defense looks as strong as anyone would like. Some of the more surprising news in recruiting was Mack Brown finally reaching out to the JuCo ranks and bringing in two players on each side of the ball. Donald Hawkins and Brandon Moore were each brought in from Junior Colleges to help on each side of the ball. Brandon Moore was once an Alabama Defensive line player who wound up in Junior College and is now in the Burnt Orange. A defensive player once recruited and suited up for the SEC power that is Bama' is always good to have. Donald Hawkins is a 6’5” offensive lineman who comes in over 300lbs that should bolster the protection of the quarterbacks. Speaking of Quarterbacks, reports are that both Ash and McCoy are markedly better than last year. Ash is projected by most as the starter, but the team and the coaches both see each of these guys as capable of helping the team win now. Jaxon Shipley is healthy and getting rave reviews, while Mike Davis is said to have his head back on straight and ready to be the breakout star he was when he was the only guy capable of catching passes thrown by Garrett Gilbert. The running backs will add to the family in the fall with the much anticipated arrival of record setting runner Jonathan Gray. Both Bergeron and Brown have both commented that they look forward to a 3 headed monster running out of the back field.
The Orange and White game has already been played and showed some promise. David Ash played well and did not turn the ball over and seemed to have a deep command of the offense. Case McCoy did throw two interceptions, but also took more long shots down the field and connected on a handful of good tosses. The kicking game is still a question, but looking at Longhorn History we should all know that Mack Brown will find the answer. Kicking is rarely a problem for the Longhorn squad. Although the spring game was a high scoring affair, the defense looked solid….they weren’t allowed to hit the Quarterbacks or the score may have wound up a little different in totals. Kenny Vacarro has returned for his senior year and looks poised to assist in the return to prominence for the boys in orange. All in all, until they come out and play against another team all reports are promising.
Fun fact of the article: The best passer on the UT roster according to state since the beginning of last year is Jaxon Shipley. He has 5 passes for no incompletion, and 4 of them went for touchdowns.