When the college football season ends, an even more competitive season begins: recruiting season. The University of Texas consistently comes up victorious in the recruiting game and has allowed for us, here in Austin, to be able to watch some amazing football talent.
Here are the top five recruits of the past 15 years:
5. Brian Orakpo - A highly touted 4 four-star recruit out of Houston, the 2008 consensus All-American tallied 11.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles during his senior season, on his way to winning the 2008 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. His illustrious college career led to being drafted 13th overall by the Washington Redskins.
We'll discuss his series of Geico commercials another time.
4. Cedric Benson - One of the single greatest running backs in Texas history, Benson rushed for 5,540 yards (No. 6 on the NCAA all-time list/No. 2 on UT's all-time list) and amassed 67 touchdowns, becoming just the third player in NCAA history to rush for over 5,000 yards and score 400 points in a career. Benson remains the only player in Texas history to run for 1,000 yards in 4 seasons and was subsequently drafted fourth overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2005 NFL draft.
3. Roy Williams - The all-time career leader in touchdown receptions with 36, Roy Williams was an absolute force on offense. Standing at 6 feet 4 inches, Williams possessed the size, speed and athleticism to dominate any secondary in the nation--and did just that. When his career came to a close, Williams finished with 241 receptions, 3,866 yards receiving and 16 games, totaling 100 receiving yards or more, all of which are school records.
2. Colt McCoy - When Colt McCoy set foot on the UT campus, very little was expected to come from his football career. Upon his graduation, Colt McCoy left as the all-time NCAA leader in wins as a quarterback with 45. As a freshman, McCoy threw for 29 touchdowns, setting the all-time record at Texas, while also tying the NCAA mark . During the most productive career in UT history, McCoy threw for 13,253 yards and 112 touchdowns and rushed for 1,571 yards and 20 touchdowns, while guiding the Longhorns to the 2009 BCS national championship game. The two-time Heisman finalist left Austin as the most decorated player in the school's history.
1. Vince Young - The hands-down single greatest recruit of the past 15 years for the Longhorns, Vince Young easily took his place atop this list by bringing UT its only national championship during that time. Although McCoy's career may overshadow that of Vince Young's, VY turned in what is widely considered the greatest single game performance in NCAA history. Young completed 30 of his 40 passes, throwing for 267 yards while rushing for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 2006 BCS national championship. The two-time Rose Bowl Offensive MVP finished second in Heisman voting to Reggie Bush of USC that year, but by all accounts it looks as though Vince Young had the last laugh, bringing the championship trophy back to Austin and achieving the title of "Best Recruit of the Past 15 Years" for UT.
I am an Austin resident since 2005 and my girlfriend of 7 years is a graduate of the University of Texas.
