The football program at the University of Texas, known by the name of Texas Longhorns is not just a name, but it is a sea of emotions. Players have invested everything into the Football program, their mind, their soul, to take this program to new heights.
The Texas Longhorns we know today is the result of undying, never failing attempts of the recruits. Some of them went fairly unidentified, while some made a strong case for themselves and are still remembered for their contributions to the Football program.
It is ultimately the players who take a team forward, and here we are talking about one of the most successful teams in the history of collegiate football.
Cherishing the spirit of the players of this Football program, we have picked up the top 10 all-time favorite recruits for Texas Longhorns. While surfing through this list you will understand that it isn’t always true that a quarterback has an edge over other players to make into the top rankings. The ranking is open for all to present their candidature.
Top 10 all-time recruits in the history of Texas:
The ranking is drawn keeping in mind a variety of parameters. Such parameters include the contribution of the players to the Football program, their role as a team man, how popular they were among the fans, and most importantly their career stats.
10- Mike Davis, WR, Dallas Skyline
Position: Wide Receiver
Class: 2010
During his 4 years at the university Davis featured in 49 games, and ended up achieving a career-best ranking of 13 nationally. He was also the No. 2 wide receiver and the second-ranked prospect in Texas. His junior season saw the best of him. He made 939 yards along with seven touchdowns in 13 games he played during the 2012 season. His college career included 200 catches, 2,753 yards of running, and 18 touchdowns. Though he wasn’t fortunate enough to get drafted, he played as an undrafted free agent for the Oakland Raiders. He never made it to the NFL, however, he played in the CFL. Currently, he is training young college football players as a skill trainer.
9- Malcolm Brown, DT, Brenham
Position: Defensive Tackle
Class: 2012
He was a 2-year starter for the Austin university and was fortunate enough to feature as a finalist in the Outland Trophy and Nagurski Trophy. During his playing career at the college, he featured in 39 games and started 26 of those games. The rest of them will be participating as a substitute. In his career, he notched 147 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Out of these 8.5 sacks, 6.5 sacks came in 2014, so we can say that he was at the purple patch of his career in 2014. Brown was picked up in the first round of the NFL draft, he was the 32nd player overall to be picked up. He was signed by the New England Patriots in 2015. His biggest achievement was winning 2 super bowls with the Patriots.
8- Tray Allen, OG, South Grand Prairie
Position: Defensive Tackle and Guard
Class: 2007
He was arguably the best player from the class of 2007. Having played 44 matches for the Football program, he also notched up 6 starts with the senior team in 2011. He was best ranked as No. 11 nationally, also the No. 1 OG and No. 3 prospect in Texas as his best ranking. Allen’s career never really picked up pace after high school. He never came close to playing in the NFL, he played briefly in the Arena league. But that was short-lived and his playing career was a short one. He ended up being the offensive line coach for the South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas.
7- Jordan Hicks, West Chester (OH.) Lakota West
Position: Left Back
Class: 2010
Hicks started for 3 years for the University of Austin. In the meantime, he featured in 45 games out of which he played as a starter in 28 of them, and a substitute in rest. On his best days, he amassed 12 double-digit tackle games. Hicks’s career received a major jolt when he suffered injuries in 2012 and 2013. Injuries kept him out of the playing field for nearly two years, and that too when he was at the peak of his career. His career stats include 248 total tackles, along with 5.5 sacks, and two interceptions. He also had the onus to play in the Senior Bowl and Philadelphia Eagles picked him up in the 2015 draft of NFL. With them, he also won a championship, and later on, signed a $36 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. He also was the best prospect in Ohio.
6- Rodrique Wright, Alief Hastings
Position: Defensive Tackle
Class: 2002
Weight was straight into the action, as soon as he landed with the Football program. He started in a number of matches during his freshman season. In the coming 3 years of his college football career, he was a regular starter and bagged many All-Big 12 honors for his team. Weight took his team to the national championship that too in his senior year. Wright was crowned as the first-team All-American, and also was a finalist for the Lombardi Award. He was later picked by the Miami Dolphins in the 2006 draft of NFL in the Seventh overall round. He also played in the CFL, however soon he switched tracks and shifted focus to coaching. He served as the head coach for Sam Houston State and East Carolina. Currently, he’s the defensive line coach for UT-San Antonio. He was once ranked number 6 nationally, and the No. 1 defensive tackle.
5- Johnathan Gray, Aledo
Position: Right Back
Class: 2012
Stakes were high on Grey when he was brought to Texas from Aledo. He was highly rated and expectations were on the higher side. During his stay with Texas, he featured in 46 career games and started 23 of them. Gray notched a total of 2,610 yards and 17 touchdowns during his brief playing career. Be also had six 100-yard rushing games to his name which is a big achievement. His career was hugely affected by injuries and injuries kept him out of action for a long time. He never came close to playing in the NFL. In 2019 Grey during a press release mentioned that he is indulged in the business of sports training. His best career rankings were No. 6 nationally, the number 1 right back, and No. 2 prospect for Texas.
4- B.J. Johnson, WR, South Grand
Position: Wide Receiver
Class: 2000
He was drafted straight from the ballyhooed high school considering his impressive performance. He played as a starter for all four years for the Longhorns. His stats include 152 receptions, 2,389 running yards, and a handsome 16 touchdowns. These impressive figures made him feature in the Top 10 in all-time receptions. Johnson had a fight with injuries that took him out of the field, he too never played in the NFL or CFL. He currently manages and co-owns a management company. And has a Vodka brand of his own. His son is also a football player and a 3-year starter for the class of 2020. He was the number 2 WR nationally and the number 1 prospect in Texas.
3- Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Plano West
Position: Defensive End
Class: 2010
He was the number 1 prospect in Texas, and also the number 1 strong-side defensive end. Jackson had a patchy career with the Longhorns where he played 27 matches. Out of these 27 matches, he started 20 of them. He notched up 27.5 sacks in his career. His career was largely affected by injuries which kept him away from the contention of playing. Still, in his final year, he was crowned as the All-American, alongside receiving Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end. Despite the impressive stats of his, he wasn’t picked in the 2014 draft, and later on, played for Seattle Seahawks. He was with the winning team of Winnipeg Blue Bombers that won the Grey Cup in 2019.
2- Sergio Kindle, Woodrow Wilson
Position: Left Back
Class: 2006
Expectations were on a high when Sergio came to the program having the reputation as the two-way star at Woodrow Wilson. He went on to play 46 matches for the Football program and started 26 of them. His stats include 45 tackles, 10 sacks and 12.5 tackles that came in losing scenarios. He became the first player to reach the finals of Butkus and Hendricks Awards. All-Big 12 awards were not a big thing for him, he had plenty of them. He played in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens in 2010 after being picked up in the second draft of NFL. He never really played for the NFL team, after serving a skull injury that kept him out of action for the first season. In the next two seasons, he found himself only in the practice squad and not the main squad. Though he was once the number 4 inside Linebacker nationally and the number 1 prospect in Texas.
1- Vince Young, Houston Madison
Position: Quarterback
Class: 2000
Now when we have approached the end of our countdown, it’s time to meet the finest recruit in the history of the program. It is none other than Vince Young, who once was the number nationally, No. 1 dual-threat quarterback, and obviously the number 1 prospect in Texas. His career stats are standing head high with 6,040 yards and 44 touchdowns in passing. He was the prime force that led Texas to the famous Rose Bowl win against Michigan in the 2004 season. You can imagine the level of his game by the fact that he left the Football program in his third year and was picked up by Tennessee Titans in the first draft of the NFL. Young was the Offensive Rookie in the year 2006 and also the comeback Player in the year 2009. He boasts a two-time selection in the Pro Bowl. In the latter half of his career, he played in the CFL for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders and subsequently retired.
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