Malcolm Brown Commits to Texas Longhorns: UT Lands More Talent

Texas Longhorns fans breathed a deep sigh of relief this week and for a multitude of reasons.

Cibolo Steele running back Malcolm Brown committed to the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday evening, adding to a long list of Longhorn pledges verbally accepting an offer from Mack Brown and his staff.

Brown, a five-star running back heading into his senior year of high school in San Antonio, possesses a skill set hardly seen in the high school football state of Texas since the likes of Adrian Peterson and Cedric Benson. Running with power, agility, quick and determined cuts, and top-end speed, the 6', 220-pound blue-chip back has it all.

Ranked as the nation’s top running back and best player in Texas on Rivals.com (No. 2 RB on ESPN.com), Brown’s verbal to the Longhorns comes with huge implications for a program that has suffered the consequences of not having a top-flight, true home-run threat in the backfield.

Considered by some to be the next Benson or Ricky Williams to step onto UT’s campus, Brown gives the burnt orange the every-down, game-changing tailback they have desperately searched for, but he also gives them a whole lot more.

The Remedy at Running Back

For the past few seasons, the Longhorns' running backs have failed to truly jump into the spotlight in the impressive way that their defense and quarterbacks have done.

Not since the departure of Jamaal Charles to the NFL has UT found the right answer in the backfield. There have been spurts of brilliance in the past from players like Romance Taylor and from the up-and-coming players like Fozzy Whittaker, D.J. Monroe, and Tré Newton, but bites from the injury bug and some struggles away from football have curtailed their full potential.

During those years void of a true home-run threat behind the quarterback, people saw the transformation to a quick-paced, short-passing offense, a style and tempo that fit extremely well with the now former Longhorn Colt McCoy.

The arrival of Garrett Gilbert as the Horns’ next signal caller shifted offensive coordinator Greg Davis’ philosophy from that spread offense to more of a pro-style attack. A player like Brown will seemingly be the feature back in his offense.

With Brown’s verbal commitment, the wobbly bridge that was Texas’ running back situation looks to be all but repaired until the ultra-talented tailback enrolls in Austin.

Major Applewhite’s Diamond Recruit

Since Major Applewhite returned to Texas as the running backs coach, his position on the field has been less than spectacular, and some began to wonder if the one-time quarterback legend could close and bring in a truly special talent like Brown.

This essentially puts an end to any of that speculation.

Brown’s recruitment, his big-game ability and his future performances for the Longhorns could alter the face of Texas’ recruiting at running back in the years to come and possibly even sooner than that.

A Colorful, One-Two Punch Potential

Brown is regarded as the State’s top running back in the 2011 class, but not far behind is fellow San Antonian Aaron Green out of Madison High School.

Green, rated by Rivals.com as the fifth-best running back in the country and third in Texas, reportedly narrowed his college of choice between UT and Nebraska. Austin is just up the highway from San Antonio, and Green’s brother plays for Bo Pelini’s Cornhuskers in Lincoln.

A major selling point to acquire Green’s commitment to the Forty Acres may be the one-two punch combination at running back, a thunder-and-lightning approach at tailback that has gained popularity in the past decade.

It is no news that Brown and Green have become good friends throughout the recruiting process with the top programs from around America showing heavy interest in both of them. But a smash-and-dash method to attain a commitment from Green with Brown already on board could give the green light to the Horns to nab two of the country’s top running backs.