Returning talent may leave freshmen having less of an impact

12/30/2001

By RANA L. CASH / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – When Texas freshman linebacker Derrick Johnson stood on the podium after Friday night's Culligan Holiday Bowl as the defensive player of the game, he said all of the right things.

He thanked the fans. He gave credit to Washington. He thanked his coaches and the bowl officials.

Johnson looked comfortable. He looked like the future of UT football.

Johnson and running back Cedric Benson, and receivers B.J. Johnson and Roy Williams, are soon to become rarities in the Longhorns' program, coach Mack Brown said. All four came in and starred as true freshmen, with Johnson and Williams doing it last season. In Brown's first season in 1998, 10 freshmen logged significant minutes. As the program reaches new milestones – they won 11 games for the first time in 18 years – it will become more difficult for even prized recruits to make big impacts from the very beginning.

In February, Texas will sign what could well be the number one recruiting class in the nation, making an almost clean sweep of the best players in the state and luring several national recruits. The best chance a true freshman has of making an impact is in the spring, before he even arrives on campus.

"If you don't have your spot tied down in the spring," coach Mack Brown said, "we'll allow freshmen to compete for it early. We're at a point now, though, where it will be unusual for a freshman to come in and compete for a job."

The defense will be hardest hit next season. All three starting linebackers this season were seniors: D.D. Lewis, Everick Rawls and Tyrone Jones. There still is not much depth at the defensive end position and the secondary loses Thorpe Award finalist Quentin Jammer and safety Ahmad Brooks, who exceeded expectations during his senior campaign.

On offense, Texas loses projected first-round pick, tackle Mike Williams. Also gone is guard Antwan Kirk-Hughes, who is regarded as one of the team's most passionate leaders, and center Matt Anderson. The most obvious missing element: quarterback Major Applewhite, who rallied Texas to a 47-43 win over Washington and leaves holding 48 Texas records.

"We left this place better than the way we found it," Applewhite said of the UT program. "... It's time for [the recruits] to realize they need to get on the ship and get on it now, because this place is taking off and in a hurry."

Next year, Chris Simms will again be at the helm, minus Applewhite. Brown said that Simms would not enter the spring in a battle with Chance Mock for the starting job. Mock and Matt Nordgren will compete for the backup job.

Freshman defensive back Aaron Ross, who left this fall due to NCAA Clearinghouse issues, was a huge hit in two-a-days and is expected to challenge for a starting cornerback spot. Dakarai Pearson will most likely be back in the starting lineup in place of Brooks, with Phillip Geiggar also vying for the starting safety spot.

Among the linebackers, Johnson is an obvious starter. Lee Jackson redshirted this year and could make a push if he is able to stay healthy. Reed Boyd was a primary backup at linebacker this season. Texas has non-binding oral commitments from at least a half dozen linebackers, including Aaron Harris from North Mesquite.

On the line, the outlook at defensive end is slim behind starters Cory Redding and Kalen Thornton.

Texas received a non-binding oral commitment from defensive lineman Larry Dibbles from Lancaster, considered one of the nation's best at that position. Also among the oral commitments are defensive linemen Rodrique Wright from Alief Hastings and Bryan Pickryl from Jenks, Okla.

While there are some unsettled positions heading into the spring, the Longhorns go in undoubtedly on a high.

Briefly...

Texas running backs coach Bruce Chambers tore his Achilles' tendon while celebrating on the sideline. ... .For the first time in school history, two receivers were over the 100-yard receiving mark in the same bowl. Roy Williams caught 11 passes for 134 yards, while B.J. Johnson caught six balls for 157 yards.

Major Applewhite broke four more records to finish his career with 48 school records. The two that stood out most Friday were the 473 passing yards and four touchdown passes.