Texas Football 2012: Latest News, Updates and More from Spring Practice

Ladies and gentlemen, it's about that time again, as college football is officially underway. Well, not the good stuff, but it is spring practice, which should hold you over for a month or two as we wait for the regular season to get a bit closer.

The Texas Longhorns have already taken the field to begin their practices, and they are preparing for the spring game that takes place on April 1.

This is a very talented team that head coach Mack Brown is working with, as he returns a total of 16 starters and has a very talented recruiting class coming in.

The last two seasons haven't exactly gone the way most Longhorns fans would have liked, but, on paper, this season could be the year to get things on the right track.

As players fight to earn a starting position, injuries break out and any updates happen over the course of spring practice, we've got you covered. Stay tuned for everything that happens throughout spring practice involving your Texas Longhorns.

Quandre Diggs out After Wrist Surgery

Starting cornerback Quandre Diggs will miss the rest of the spring practice due to wrist surgery. The good news is that he is expected to be completely healthy by the time the regular season kicks off. This is now the second member of the secondary that won't participate in the spring game as Adrian Phillips is also missing time due to shoulder surgery.

Diggs led the team with four interceptions last year and racked up 51 tackles as a freshman.

March 12 Updates

We're less than a month away from the Texas spring game taking place. You're a diehard Longhorns fan and would like to know where the players currently stand on the depth chart. With so many talented players on this team that's returning majority of last year's squad, you'd like to see some type of depth chart, right?

Head coach Mack Brown says you're going to wait a while because there isn't a depth chart to be released anytime soon:

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We'll have more of a depth chart with (the players) than we will with you. You'd like for us to throw a one, two and three out there so you can discuss it, and it's not about you, really. It's about the kids and what's best for them.

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Brown says that keeping the depth chart under wraps until a week before the season begins will only motivate his players.

"We honestly want 22 first-teamers," he said. "We'd like to motivate them, and we'd like for them to feel like there's a chance for them to play."

"We really don't need a depth chart anymore," he said.

That's one way to motivate the players, or releasing a depth chart could motivate them as well. Seeing his name on the bottom of the list, of course, would motivate that player and provide enough motivation for him to do better in practice.

Or Brown could do it his way; after all, he's the one that's won 221 career games. He's obviously doing something right.

March 8 Updates

The Texas Longhorns have already knocked out a couple of practices throughout the spring, and there are some good things to focus on. One of those things is wide receiver DeSean Hales, who has had a great spring so far for the Longhorns:

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DeSean just needs to continue to get consistent. I told him one day, I think he only starts jumping up and down and catching balls when you all are there. So I’m going to have you come to every practice, no doubt. But DeSean’s the only senior. Need an older guy in the room. We’re asking him to give us leadership. We’re asking him to give us plays. He’s not a big-bodied type guy so he’s not going to be a great blocker out on the corner. He’s just got to make the plays that he’s making now in the fall.

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With the youth at the wide receiver position, the Longhorns could really use a big season from the senior wideout. He only has 13 career catches, but if he can continue having a great practice, we may get to see him on the field more often. He's a speedy wide receiver that has big playmaking ability if he's able to keep up the consistency.

One of the concerns this spring may be the kicking situation, and this battle for the starting kicker position may not be settled until the fall:

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Neither one of them has gotten experience yet, and that is something we will look at the latter part of spring. You have some young men coming in in the fall that are walking on and we also have Nick Jordan. We think Nick is really, really good at the field-goal part of it for sure. I didn’t get to see Will punt much this weekend, but watching Will Russ punt in yesterday’s practice he was really good. I was impressed by it.

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The candidates for the starting kicker include freshman Ben Pruitt and sophomore Will Russ. Nick Jordan is a 3-star kicker who was recruited in this year's class and will also get the opportunity to compete for the job. It seems like nobody is standing out quite yet in the spring, and that's a concern, as last year's kicker Justin Tucker has graduated.

Updates

This slideshow will continue to be updated with the latest news, quotes, position battles and more throughout spring practice. Stay tuned for everything involving your Texas Longhorns.