Open Mic: University of Texas' All-Time Lineup of the Mack Brown Era

All-Time Texas Team: Mack Brown Era

I hate all-time lists.  Most of the time they consist of players that nobody has seen play.

When asked who the greatest running back of all time is, my friends answer “Jim Brown” with no hesitation.  We are 23 years old—none of us have seen more than mere highlights of the man.

Jim Thorpe was ranked as the number one athlete of the first half of the 20th century in 1951.  By the time ESPN did their list in 1999, he had dropped to seven behind Jesse Owens and Babe Ruth.  This was done purely on hype.

Had Thorpe become a worse athlete?  Of course not.  But Jesse Owens and Babe Ruth had become legends.

For this reason, my list is only University of Texas players who were signed by Mack Brown.  Sorry Ricky Williams, Leonard Davis, and Quinton Jammer.

The list is dominated by the 2005 National Championship team and contains a good number of guys signed in the 2002 recruiting class.

(No kickers were included to keep this an All-Time Football list.  Sorry Dusty Mangum.)

QB—Vince Young

Was there any doubt?  All he did was lead UT to their first BCS Championship and their first overall Championship in 35 years.  VY single-handedly removed Mack Brown’s tag as an underachiever with two huge Rose Bowl games.

RB—Cedric Benson

Even with Benson’s problems in the NFL, this was a no-brainer.  El Ced is the third-leading rusher in Texas’ history and was one of the best Texas high school football players of all time, compiling three 5A State Championships and player of the year awards. 

FB—Will Mathews

“Head Ache” is the best pure fullback Mack Brown has had in his time at Texas.  Over the last few years the position has been abandoned in the offense, so his position on this team may be safe for a while.

WR—Roy Williams

Roy left the 40 acres as the all-time leader in about every statistical category, including receptions (241), yards (3,866), and touchdowns (36) in his career.  The “Legend” also was a physical freak and maybe the best athlete ever to play at Texas.

WR—Limas Sweed

The all-time season leader in touchdowns (12, tied with Roy Williams) gets the nod at the other receiver spot.  Limas got off to a slow start in his career but came on strong in Texas’ run for the national title.  He caught the most important ball of Mack Brown’s career when he pulled in the game-winning touchdown in “The Horse Shoe” to beat Ohio State.

TE—Bo Scaife

I’m going to go with him over David Thomas.  Thomas was the best pass-catching tight end but Scaife offered more.  He didn’t put up the numbers Thomas did, but his impact at the position was undeniable.

OT—Justin Blaylock

The best offensive lineman at Texas in the 21st century gets the start at tackle because that is what he played at Texas.  He was recruited to and will play guard in the NFL

OG—Derrick Dockery

Derrick is the best guard to play at UT under Coach Brown.  He recently signed one of the biggest contracts ever for a guard in the NFL.  He was a run creator and remarkably nimble for a man his size.

C—Will Allen

Technically Allen ended his career at guard because of a hand injury.  While he was at center he offered the best combination of size, athleticism, and smarts that UT has seen at the position.  He was an Academic All-American and is a member of the All-Time Rose Bowl team.

OG—Kasey Studdard

This could be a biased pick.  Big Stud was my favorite football player ever at UT.  He was the ideal guard.  He was big, he was mean, and his favorite thing in life was lying on top of defenseless D-linemen.  Kasey was also fond of his belly and showed it off whenever he could.

OT—Jonathan Scott

If you just listen to Jonathan’s dad, it doesn't take long to figure out how good he was.  He is the best pure OT that Mack Brown has had.  Scott was unbelievably athletic for his size.  He was also a leader on the football team every year he was there.

DE—Cory Redding

The first big defensive recruit of Mack Brown’s tenure, Cory Redding ended up being a dominant lineman during his four years at Texas.  He played big in big games, like outplaying Julius Peppers in Austin.

DT—Rod Wright

Rod started as many games as almost anyone ever to play at Texas.  He anchored a strong D-line for many years.  Many believed he was an underachiever, but I’m of the opinion he was hyped too much coming out of high school. 

DT—Marcus Tubbs

Tubby picked up where Shaun Rogers and Casey Hampton left off.  Marcus was a joy to be around and a joy to watch on the field.  Even though he was known to take off a play or two, he was the most dominant DT Mack Brown has recruited.

DE—Tim Crowder

Tim Crowder was the most underrated player on the 2005 National Championship team.  Along with Brian Robison, Crowder kept defenses off balance with a great combination of run and pass defense.  He never put up great numbers, but that has more to do with his defensive responsibilities than his skill set.

OLB—Derrick Johnson

D.J. is without question the best defensive player Mack Brown has ever brought to Austin.  He set a record for fumbles forced and was the main concern for every team that played against him.

MLB—Aaron Harris

Minus Mr. Johnson, Mack Brown has had trouble producing big time linebackers.  I’ll put Aaron here because of his number of starts in the middle, his leadership abilities, and his performances in the Rose Bowls.

OLB—Rashad Bobino

Refer to Aaron Harris.  Bobino is probably the worst athlete on the list, but if he starts as expected this year, he will end his career as a four-year contributor in a program that has won the most games over his career.

CB—Aaron Ross

Winning the Thorpe award goes a long way to putting you on the all-time list.  I almost went with Cedric Griffin, but Cedric never had to deal with #1 receivers.

CB—Nathan Vasher

In my opinion, Nathan Vasher is the best DB Mack Brown has ever produced.  “ESPN 3” had it all.  He could run, he could hit, and if you punted him the ball you were stupid.  His battles with Roy Williams in practice are legendary.

FS—Michael Huff

Huff left Texas as the best safety the University had ever produced.  He won the Thorpe award as the best DB in the nation.  Not only was he a good safety, many times Michael was assigned the other team's best WR.

SS—Michael Griffin

There were few choices here, so I went with the man who made the interception that shifted momentum in the 2005 Rose Bowl.  Michael Griffin was a sure tackler and could emerge as a top safety in the NFL.