Texas isn’t the first program that Brown has overhauled and made into a winner. He did it in four short years at Tulane, where his first team in 1985 went 1-10 and his last team went 6-6 and appeared in the 1987 Independence Bowl. At the time, it was only the program’s fifth bowl game since 1940.
In 1988, Brown took over as North Carolina’s coach, inheriting a team that had suffered consecutive losing seasons and three non-winning seasons in the previous four years.
In 1988 and ’89, the Tar Heels went 1-10 both years, but the turnaround began the next year. They went 6-5-1 in 1990, starting a run of eight straight winning seasons. In 1992, the Tar Hears earned a bid to the Peach Bowl, the start of a six-year streak in bowl games.
After leading the Tar Heels to a 10-1 record in the regular season and a No. 6 national ranking, Brown was hired to restore the Longhorn pride.
He took over a program that went 4-7, its fourth non-winning season in a 10-year span.
It is a big job surrounded by the highest of expectations -- winning or at least contending for Big 12 and national championships and sending players to the NFL.
Brown has posted four straight seasons with nine or more victories, a first since a run in 1961-64. The Longhorns have made four straight bowl appearances, a first since the program played in nine straight bowl games from 1977-85. Texas has finished in the top 25 the last four years, and that hasn’t happened since the program did it eight straight times from 1968-75.
QUARTERBACKS
Chris Simms (6-5, 225), a senior and the son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, returns as the only quarterback with much game experience, but as long as he’s healthy, the lack of depth won’t be a problem.
Last year, Simms had some stiff competition from Major Applewhite, but he won’t be looking over his shoulder this season. Applewhite played in 10 games and completed 29-of-46 passes for 379 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
After rallying the Longhorns in the fourth quarter of the Big 12 Championship Game, Applewhite got the starting job for the Holiday Bowl. Applewhite completed 37-of-55 passes for 473 yards and four touchdowns as the Longhorns rallied from a 19-point deficit late in the third quarter of the bowl game.
Simms, who started every game last season except the Holiday Bowl, was chosen to the coaches’ All-Big 12 third team and was a second-team selection by the Austin American-Statesman and The Dallas Morning News.
It was a record-setting junior season for Simms, who set Texas single-season record for touchdown passes with 22 and tied Ricky Williams’ school record for touchdowns accounted for in a season with 28.
Last season, Simms completed 214-of-362 passes for 2,603 yards, the second-most passing yards for a single season in school history. He was intercepted 11 times and ranked third in the Big 12 in pass efficiency. He was a semifinalist for the O’Brien Award and was one of 10 favorites for the Walter Camp Player-of-the-Year Award.
Simms’ backups will be sophomore Chance Mock (6-2, 215) and red-shirt freshman Matt Nordgren (6-5, 220). Mock played in four games last season, completing the only pass he threw for a 21-yard gain.
RUNNING BACKS
Texas’ rushing attack should be formidable again with the return of almost all of its backs.
Leading the way will be sophomore Cedric Benson (6-0, 205), the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. Benson’s 1,053 rushing yards was a record for a Texas freshman, and he was chosen to The Sporting News Freshman All-America team.
The league coaches chose Benson to their All-Big 12 third team.
He also set Texas freshman records with 1,256 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns and became the first freshman to earn the team’s offensive MVP award. He had five 100-yard games -- also a Texas freshman record -- and had a freshman-best 213 rushing yards and 281 all-purpose yards against Kansas.
Benson missed the second half of the Big 12 Championship Game and the bowl game with a pinched nerve in his neck.
Junior Ivan Williams (6-1, 240), who missed the spring with a knee injury, should be full speed by fall practice. Williams started three of the first four games last season before Benson took over as the starter. A bruising runner, Williams rushed for 501 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, and scored five rushing touchdowns last season. His best game was against Houston when he gained a career-high 152 yards on 26 carries. He also rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns against Texas Tech.
Senior Matt Trissel (6-0, 240) returns as the starting fullback after earning the team’s most consistent offensive player award last season. Used primarily as a blocker, Trissell has started the since his sophomore season.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
One of the deepest receiving corps in the nation returns for the Longhorns. All six of the wide receivers who caught almost every pass last season are back.
Three juniors lead the returnees -- Roy Williams (6-4, 210), B.J. Johnson (6-1, 200) and Sloan Thomas (6-2, 200).
Williams missed the spring while recovering from surgery to remove bone spurs in his ankle in January.
The three receivers combined for 167 catches, 2,206 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns a year ago. In the last two seasons, they have 257 catches for 3,921 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Williams led the receivers last season with 67 catches for 836 yards and seven touchdowns. That reception total ranks second for a single season at Texas. His seven touchdowns ranked sixth for a single season and his 836 yards rank seventh. He was chosen to the All-Big 12 first team.
Williams has 15 touchdown catches for his career, one short of tying the Texas record.
Johnson caught 41 passes for 539 yards and four touchdowns last season and was chosen to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team. For his career, Johnson has 82 catches for 1,237 yards. He has five career 100-yard games.
Thomas has been the team’s deep threat the last two seasons when he led the Longhorns in yardage per catch. Last season, he caught 29 passes for 435 yards (15.0 yards per catch) and five touchdowns. He has 38 catches for 643 yards and eight touchdowns for his career.
"The trio of Roy, B.J. and Sloan is a pretty special group," Davis said. "They are tremendously gifted guys that have the athletic ability and versatility to be explosive in any situation you put them. Roy really proved how mentally tough he is last year. He played through a really difficult ankle injury and still was our most productive receiver. That’s a trait that he has had since he got here. He’s really a mentally tough competitor.
"B.J. is a guy who can run all of the routes and has proven that he can make the big catch or be explosive after he catches the ball. Sloan probably has had more acrobatic catches than anybody. He’s got a great sense of where he is on the field and has unbelievable body control."
Texas is also set at tight end with the return of juniors Bo Scaife (6-3, 250) and Brock Edwards (6-5, 250). They combined for 37 catches, 449 yards and four touchdowns last season.
Scaife, chosen to the coaches’ All-Big 12 honorable mention team last season, was the team’s third-leading receiver with 30 catches for 396 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 13.2 yards per catch after missing all of 2000 with a knee injury. He ranked among the top 15 tight ends in the nation in catches and receiving yards and had a career-high seven catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in the bowl game.
Edwards caught seven passes for 53 yards and three touchdowns.
OFFENSIVE LINE
All-American right tackle Mike Williams is gone. So are All-Big 12 right guard Antwan Kirk Hughes and starting center Matt Anderson.
Their departures leave a big void in the offensive line. They had 91 career starts between them -- 24 straight for Williams, 32 for Kirk Hughes and 35 for Anderson.
Senior offensive guard Derrick Dockery (6-6, 345) has started 18 games in his career, while senior left tackle Robbie Doane (6-6, 315) has 13 starts, all in 2001. Junior offensive guard Tillman Holloway (6-3, 315) has started 13 games. Dockery can play guard or tackle.
Sophomore Jason Glynn (6-2, 275) is a top candidate to start for Anderson at center. Glynn played in 11 games at center last season as a red-shirt freshman. Senior Beau Baker (6-6, 280) has played guard and center during his career and red-shirt freshman Will Allen (6-6, 297) will also get a chance to crack the two-deep chart.
Allen can also play guard.
Dockery, sophomore Lionel Garr (6-7, 350), senior Alfio Randall (6-6, 315) and red-shirt freshman William Winson (6-7, 350) will battle for the starting job. Dockery and Garr played right tackle last season and Randall played mostly left tackle. Winston may also play guard.
Red-shirt freshmen Jonathan Scott (6-7, 297) and Roman Reeves (6-7, 320) were competing for time at left tackle at the start of the spring but could also play in the right side. Red-shirt freshmen Terrance Young (6-6, 350) and Mike Garcia (6-3, 315) will also vie for time at guard.
Davis said the right side of the line was a focal point in the spring.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Longhorns have a fearsome combination of starting ends with the return of senior Cory Redding (6-5, 270) and junior Kalen Thornton (6-3, 270)
Redding was on the Associated Press All-America second team last season and was on the All-Big 12 first team. An explosive end, Redding had 57 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks and 18 quarterback pressures. His most memorable play: an interception he returned 22 yards for a touchdown, then turned a somersault over North Carolina quarterback Ronald Curry into the end zone. It was a demonstration of his athleticism. In three seasons, Redding has 133 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and 38 pressures.
Thornton was chosen to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team last season and was a freshman All-American in 2000. Last season, he missed most of four games because of injuries, but still finished with 44 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and the team-high 20 pressures.
Depth at both ends was a focus for the coaches in the spring.
Junior O.J. McClintock (6-2, 260), a former high school quarterback and receiver, moved from linebacker to end last spring and has found a home there. McClintock was red-shirted last season, but he will likely be a No. 2 end this fall.
Sophomore Austin Sendlein (6-3, 265), a former linebacker, and red-shirt freshman Kaelen Jakes (6-5, 260) worked at tackle and end in the spring.
Freshmen Bryan Pickryl (6-5, 210) and Chase Pittman (6-5, 265) enrolled at Texas early to practice in the spring. Pickryl missed the spring with a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery.
At tackles, the Longhorns are searching to fill a spot for the second straight year. Maurice Gordon, who started 11 games last season, has departed. Gordon led Texas with 7.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
Junior Marcus Tubbs (6-4, 305) has emerged as one of the Big 12’s top tackles and should continue to progress. Tubbs had 50 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks and 18 pressures last season. He caused two fumbles and was chosen to All-Big 12 second team by the Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle.
Junior Adam Doiron (6-4, 285) and sophomore Stevie Lee (6-4, 310) are veterans with game experience and should battle for the other tackle spot. Doiron has played in 18 games in his career and has 24 tackles and six tackles for loss in two seasons.
LINEBACKERS
Perhaps the biggest question for the Longhorns will be at linebacker with the departures of middle linebacker D.D. Lewis, strong-side linebacker Trone Jones and weak-side linebacker Everick Rawls, who were starters for much of the last three seasons. They combined for 635 tackles, 73 tackles for loss, 26.5 sacks and 81 quarterback pressures during their careers.
Lewis, who had a Texas-record 51 straight starts, was the program’s first Butkus Award semifinalist. The starter at middle linebacker, Lewis was on The Sporting News All-America second team. In his career, Lewis had 314 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 18 sacks and 45 pressures and recovered a school-record 10 fumbles.
Rawls started 37 games and made 230 tackles in his career. Jones, who had 22 career starts, earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors last season. He had 91 tackles in his career.
Sophomore Derrick Johnson (6-4, 220) had a great debut last season as a freshman, earning The Sporting News’ national freshman-of-the-year honor and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year honor. Playing weak-side linebacker, Johnson was second on the team with 83 tackles and had 13 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and nine pressures.
In the bowl game, Johnson had nine tackles, a sack and an interception.
Senior Lee Jackson (6-3, 223) and junior Reed Boyd (6-3, 235) will contend for starting jobs this season. Jackson started at strong safety in 1999 and posted 83 tackles, but he has battled injuries the last two seasons. He will contend for the starting job at strong-side linebacker.
Boyd has played in 25 games in his career and has 31 tackles. He can play all three linebacker positions and may land a starting job.
Sophomore Aurmon Satchell (6-2, 230), the backup for Lewis last season, and red-shirt freshman Eric Hall (6-3 250) will be in the hunt for time at middle linebacker. Both are athletic players.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Texas ranked third nationally in passing defense, allowing 146.7 yards per game, but it must replace two key components in the 2001 secondary. Gone are starting cornerback Quentin Jammer, who made 49 career starts, and free safety Ahmad Brooks, who made 27 career starts.
Jammer was the program’s first Thorpe Award finalist for the nation’s top defensive back and was a first-team All-American. Last season, he set the school’s single-season record for pass breakups with 24 and the career record with 57. Brooks earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors while leading the team in tackles with 88.
Senior cornerback Roderick Babers (5-10, 187) and junior strong safety Nathan Vasher (5-11, 180) are the two returning starters in the secondary. Both will be among the best in the Big 12 and perhaps the nation.
Babers will start for the third year. He had 40 tackles last season and was chosen as the team’s most consistent defender. He also was chosen to the All-Big 12 second team by the Houston Chronicle. He has started 27 career games and has 86 career tackles and 28 pass breakups. In the Big 12 Championship Game, Babers returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown.
Vasher moved from cornerback to strong safety in the spring of 2001, but worked at both strong safety and cornerback in the spring. His versatility will help the Longhorns put their four best players in the secondary. Last season, Vasher tied the Texas record with seven interceptions and finished with 56 tackles and 18 pass breakups, earning All-Big 12 second-team honors.
Junior free safety Dakarai Pearson (5-10, 180) and junior strong safety Phillip Geiggar 5-11, 185) missed spring practice with injuries but are expected to be ready for the 2002 season. Pearson made 38 tackles last season and Geiggar 14, including four tackles for loss.
SPECIAL TEAMS
With the return of Bradford and Mangum, the Longhorns’ kicking game should be in good hands.
Vasher, the versatile defensive back, will be the punt returner. Last season, Vasher averaged 15.0 yards per punt return and earned All-America third-team honors by The Sporting News and was on the All-Big 12 second team as a punt returner. He ranked sixth nationally in returns and had the third-best season at that spot in the program’s history.
Vasher was spectacular in the spring game, returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and later returning a punt 54 yards for a touchdown. Mangum kicked field goals of 38 and 22 yards.
Ike, the running back, is expected to be back in the fall as one of the top kick returners. He averaged 30.7 yards on 13 returns, which would have ranked sixth nationally, but he was one return shy of having enough to be ranked in the NCAA statistics. In three seasons, Ike has returned 43 kickoffs for a 25.7-yard average. He returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in the 2000 Holiday Bowl.
RECRUITING CLASS
Success on the field usually means success on the recruiting trails, and Brown and his staff seem to have put together another outstanding class.
Of the 27 signees, 17 were all-state player, five were Parade All-Americans and four earned USA Today honors.
Perhaps the marquee signee was quarterback Vincent Young (6-5, 200) of Madison High School in Houston. Young was the Parade national player of the year, Texas’ Class 5A player of the year and was listed as The Sporting News’ top high school prospect in the country. He passed for 2,545 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior for a team that went 14-1 and averaged 50.3 points per game.
Young was the only quarterback signed.
The Longhorns also signed two running backs, 11 offensive and defensive linemen, five linebackers, three defensive backs, a tight end, three wide receivers and one of the state’s top athletes.
The two running backs are Albert Hardy (5-11, 215) of Galena Park High School in Galveston, Texas, and Selvin Young (6-0, 195) of Jersey Village High School in Houston.
Hardy rushed for 4,001 career yards and earned third-team all-state honors and was on the All-Greater Houston first team.
Young was also on the All-Greater Houston first team after starting for his third year at running back. He also returned kicks and occasionally played in the secondary against passing teams. Last season, Young rushed for 1,417 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. During his junior season, Young played only seven games because of an injury but still rushed for 960 yards and 12 touchdowns.
One of the top defenders is lineman Marco Martin (6-4, 331), a three-year starter at tackle and running back at Mesquite (Texas) High School. Martin was a Parade All-American as a senior and was rated among the nation’s top five defensive linemen by Student Sports. He led Mesquite to its first Class 5A Division I state championship and a No. 16 national ranking by USA Today. The team finished 15-0.
The athlete is Clint Haney (5-11, 190) of Smithson Valley High School in Bulverde, Texas. Haney rushed for 2,046 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, leading the team to a 14-1 record; its only loss was in overtime to Denton Ryan High School in the Class 4A Division I championship game. He also caught two touchdown passes, averaged 24 yards on punt returns and lettered in track and field and baseball.
BLUE RIBBBON ANALYSIS
Brown begins his fifth year as the Longhorns’ coach with the same goals as last year -- putting the team in position to win the national championship.
Texas returns eight starters from the 2001 offense but lost several key players. Three players in the offensive line rotation must be replaced, including All-American tackle Williams and All-Big 12 guard Kirk-Hughes. Also gone is quarterback Applewhite, who along with Simms gave the Longhorns the best one-two quarterback combination in the country.
But the departure of Applewhite means no more quarterback controversy, and that could be in the Longhorns’ favor.
Defensively, the Longhorns lost six starters, including two of the best defensive backs in the Big 12, All-American cornerback Jammer and All-Big 12 safety Brooks.
The other big loss will be middle linebacker Lewis, the program’s first semifinalist for the Butkus Award.
Special teams will be a strength with the return of cornerback Vasher, one of the nation’s top kick and punt returner, and punter Bradford and kicker Mangum.
Brown is among the nation’s best coaches, and he has stockpiled talent in five recruiting classes. His approach to 2002 is the same as it was the year before, and the year before that.
"We want to win our conference championship and hope that puts us in a position to win the national championship," he said. "That’s going to be our goal every year. We put pressure on ourselves to win every game, every year, and we will continue to strive for that."
