Message-ID: <25788492.1075857348360.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 12:35:00 -0700 (PDT) From: jdickinson@mail.utexas.edu To: clint.dean@enron.com Subject: Fw: True Orange, June 12, 2000, Part 1 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-From: "Jennifer Dickinson" X-To: "BABY" X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \Clint_Dean_Dec2000\Notes Folders\Info X-Origin: Dean-C X-FileName: cdean.nsf I'm still getting these. Are you getting them also? Love you, Jenn -----Original Message----- From: TruOrange@aol.com To: TruOrange@aol.com Date: Monday, June 12, 2000 10:55 AM Subject: True Orange, June 12, 2000, Part 1 Jerry Scarbrough's True Orange The newsletter and fax/e-mail service for the True Texas Longhorn Faithful Volume 10, No. 18, June 12, 2000 Two of State's Top Offensive Line Prospects Commit to Longhorns at Summer Camp Coach Mack Brown has revolutionized recruiting in Texas, making June just a= s big as January, and he got the ball rolling again last week with pledges from the state's best offensive lineman, Jonathan Scott, 6-7, 295, 4.9, of Dallas Carter, and another top o-line prospect in Will Allen, 6-5, 280, 5.2= , of Houston Cypress Falls. Scott is on all the national top 100 lists and turned down offers from 17 other schools such as Florida State, Michigan and Tennessee to pick the Longhorns. Scott's father, Ray, a former tight end with the New York Jets, said Jonathan "was very impressed with coach Brown and all the coaches and he told me he felt like the players were just one big family." Scott also said his son "wants to get a degree from Texas because he wants to live in Texas after he graduates." Scott committed last Wednesday at the conclusion of UT's first full 3 1/2 day summer camp. It was the third straight summer he came to a Texas camp. "I just like everything about Texas," Scott said, adding that the coaches told him they want to work him at the key left tackle spot. Allen, who already had scholarship offers from Arkansas, Duke, Tulsa and South Carolina, also committed at the camp Wednesday, but didn't make it public until Thursday. He has been a starter since his sophomore year. Allen said he came to the camp hoping to get a scholarship offer and was eager to accept it when it was offered. "I knew this was where I wanted to go if the opportunity presented itself," he said. "I like all the coaches and players at Texas, and the facilities are great. I feel like I can get a great education at Texas and just feel reall= y comfortable with my decision to commit early." Allen had taken unofficial visits to Texas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, LSU and Baylor prior to coming to the Texas camp, and he said, "Texas has great facilities, it's one of the top academic schools and it has an outstanding football program with great coaches and kids. I just felt like it fit in better here than anywhere else." Both Scott and Allen are honor students who already are full qualifiers. Another UT camp is underway right now, and there is good chance the Longhorns will get some more early commitments within the next several days. Shane Simms of Tomball, another of the state's top offensive line prospects= , is attending this week's camp, and he wants to come to Texas, so he is likely to commit if he gets an offer. The Longhorns have zeroed in on two nationally recruited quarterbacks =01) = Matt Nordgren of Dallas Bishop Lynch and Bret Rawls of Shreveport Evangel =01) a= nd offered scholarships to each of them when they attended UT camps last week. Both are 6-5, and both are strong-armed passers with good mobility. Rawls weighs about 200 pounds and Nordgren weighs 225. The Longhorns will sign at least one quarterback, and it is hard to get two top ones in the same class, so they probably are ready to take a commit fro= m either Nordgren or Rawls and call it quits on quarterback recruiting this year. Nordgren, who had been looking primarily at Stanford and other out-of-state schools, said he is still wide open, but he said Texas and Texas A&M have moved to the top of his list right now. Asked if there is a leader, he said, "I'm still pretty open, but I like the two big Texas schools. They both have outstanding coaching staffs." He said the Longhorn coaches "told me I was the No. 1 quarterback for them in the state. I had an hour meeting with the coaches when I got there, and the= n I had another meeting with coach Brown after the camp was over." The Longhorns also appear to be homing in on an in-state running back, and he is Anthony Johnson, a 5-11, 196-pounder with 4.4 speed from Jefferson. Johnson told me he was coming to Austin last Saturday to talk to the UT coaches. He said they had invited him to come for an unofficial visit. On tape, the thing that is most impressive about him is his speed at the point of attack. He gets through a hole as quickly as anyone I have seen this year. He has a great combination of speed and power and he should be a 210-pounder after a year on a good college weight program. The Longhorns probably will sign about 20 recruits, and 10 or 11 of them will be linemen if the coaches can get the ones they want. Texas loaded up on speedy skill players in the last class, but this class will be a true class of beef, with six or seven offensive linemn and four o= r five defensive linemen if things break right. If linemen do get 10 or 11 of the scholarships, look for the Horns to take one quarterback, one or two running backs, one tight end, one or two wide receivers, one or two linebackers and two or three defensive backs. We've already looked at the quarterback situation and the in-state running back picture. There are several out-of-state blue-chip running backs who ar= e interested in Texas, but they are long shots. One of the running backs might be a fullback if the Horns can sign a great one like 6-2, 240-pound James Buchanan of Sarasota, Fla. He says he might visit Texas, but FSU is the leader right now, so he is a long shot for the Longhorns. The tight end Texas is after is James Moses, 6-3, 225, 4.7, of Galena Park North Shore. He is the best one in Texas and one of the best in the nation. He told me he might come to a Texas camp, and he said he likes the Longhorn= s and the way they use their tight end. The Longhorns are recruiting at least six wide receivers to try to fill two spots. They are Armon Dorrough of Lancaster, Brandon Jones of Liberty-Eylau= , Bennie Brazell of Houston Westbury, Thomson Omboga of Grand Prairie, Keith Mills of Garland and Lynzell Jackson of Union HS in Tempe, Arizona. All of them are speedsters and all of them have some interest in Texas. The Longhorns loaded up on wide receivers last year, but they have two senior wide receivers and would like to sign two recruits to replace them. Derrick Johnson of Waco is the linebacker of choice for Texas and everyone else. He is a great prospect with size and speed. He came to the Texas mini-camp last week, and he says the Longhorns are slightly ahead of Florid= a State and Texas A&M. Jonathon Jackson of Galena Park North Shore is another linebacker who is rising on the charts. He is supposed to come to one of the Texas camps, and he likes Texas and Penn State. If the Longhorns can get Johnson and Jackson, they will have hit it big at linebacker. In the defensive backfield, safety Dewayne Brandon of Temple is the main man. He's 6-3, weighs 198 and he ran a 4.46 40 at the Austin Nike camp. He likes Texas, but Nebraska and Florida State are in the hunt, too, along with Texas A&M. Texas wants to sign two cornerbacks, and there are some very good ones who are interested, including Moses Harris of Dallas Carter, Cedric Griffin of San Antonio Holmes, Dee Durham of Mansfield and Roger Ross of Denver Jefferson. That brings us back to the lines. There are more really top-notch offensive linemen in Texas than I have seen since in the 10 years I have been doing this, and, luckily for the Longhorns, that is their area of greatest need. Texas has had depth problems in the offensive linemen ever since Brown and his staff arrived. This is the year they should be able to sign as many top prospects as they need. With Scott and Allen already committed, there are four or five spots still open. One of those will be filled by Alfio Randall, if he graduates from Blinn JC and becomes academically eligible. He signed with Texas out of Houston Yates, but failed to qualify and went to Blinn. He is on track to graduate in December and he says he will enroll in Texas in January. Another possibility is Greg Barnum, a former Killeen Ellison star who was being boomed for All-America honors as a sophomore center at Tennessee before he abruptly quit the team last month, citing homesickness. But Phil Fulmer, the Tennessee coach, won't grant Barnum a release to atten= d a Division I school. That means he will have to pay his own way during the year he is sitting out at his new school =01) if he picks another Division = I school. If he picks Stephen F. Austin, where his former coach at Killeen Ellison no= w coaches, he can go on scholarship immediately. I talked to Barnum Sunday night and he said he was going to drive to Austin Monday "to just look around at UT. I know the coaches can't talk to me (because he doesn't have a release), but I just want to come over there and look around." He said he has already visited Stephen F. Austin and probably will make up his mind later this month about the course he will take. "I'd like to go a big state school, but I'd also like to have a scholarship right away," Barnum said. "I can't get a release from Tennessee, so I'll have to decide what I want to do." He said he will try to get some student loans and grants if he enrolls at U= T as a non-scholarship student for the first year. Under NCAA rules, he will have to sit out a transfer year at his new school= , then will have three years of eligibility remaining. Other offensive line prospects Texas is recruiting include Simms, Abe Robinson of Houston Jersey Village and Roman Reeves of Livingston (who all came to UT camps this summer), plus Jami Hightower of Jacksonville, Ben Wilkerson of Hemphill and William Winston of Houston Madison. Hightower, Wilkerson and Robinson join Scott on many of the national top 10= 0 lists. Texas has a good shot at all of the offensive linemen I mentioned except Wilkerson, and the Horns are on his radar screen now after being absent throughout the year. The supply of offensive linemen is so plentiful that I think the UT coaches can sign five, six or seven very good ones, depending on how many they thin= k they need. The picture isn't as rosy on the defensive side of the ball. DT Tommie Harris of Killeen Ellison is a great prospect, and DT Thomas Derricks of Dallas Jesuit is very good. Harris is strongly considering Texas, but Derricks has no interest in the Longhorns at this point. They are the only sure-fire top tackles I have found in the state at this point. There are some big ends who might grow into tackles. For example, Simeon Jones of Houston Jones is 6-3 and 240, but he has just turned 16, too. He's a year younger than most of the guys being recruited, so he might get a lot bigger. There also are some out-of-state tackles who have a little interest in Texas, including Marcus Spears, 6-5, 275, 4.8, of Baton Rouge Southern Lab, and Marquise Hill, 6-7, 280, 4.9, of New Orleans DeLaSalle. Some other tackles who could emerge as seniors include Sharod McGowan of Waco and Jeremy Calahan of Pflugerville. They both looked great at times as juniors and could become top prospects with more consistent performances as seniors. The picture is brighter at end. Kevin Everett of Port Arthur Jefferson, Jones, McKenzie Tilmon of Irving MacArthur, Jamie Jackson of Andrews and Colin Allred of Dallas Hillcrest are very good in-state prospects, and the Horns are in on two out-of-state DEs who were born in Texas =01) Eric Hall= , 6-3, 232, 4.5, of Clarksville, Tenn., and Kaelen Jakes, 6-4, 240, 4.75, of Valencia, Cal. It's a Great Time to Subscribe To The Fax/E-Mail Service Get Instant Year-Round Fax/E-Mail Updates. I Did Three Last Week With Hot Recruiting News ! Save As An E-Mail Subscriber ! The True Orange Fax/E-Mail Service is the way to keep up with Longhorn football and Longhorn recruiting =01) instantly. Follow Mack Brown and the Longhorns with frequent fax updates. There are at least 99 timely faxes a year, primarily about football and football recruiting. To subscribe, sen= d your check to True Orange, Box 26530, Austin, Texas 78755, and copy or clip the coupon below and fill in the blanks. If you want it mailed, or by E-Mail, just include the right numbers. o I'm enclosing $99 for the 99-fax package for the next year o I'm enclosing $130 (a $14 saving) to renew my subscription to True Orange and to subscribe to the 99 faxes. o I'm enclosing $79 for the 99-fax package for the next year by E-Mail (a $20 saving) o Here's $110 to renew my subscription to True Orange and to subscribe to the 99 faxes by E-Mail (a $31 saving) o Here's $99 to subscribe to True Orange by E-Mail and to subscribe to the 99 faxes by E-Mail (a $42 saving) Name Fax No. (or E-Mail or mailing address) 900 Number Updated Often I update my 900 number every Wednesday and Sunday by 8 p.m. with recruiting and other football news. The number is 1-900-288-8839. It costs $1.59 a minute. You must be 18 to call. Longhorns Fifth in NCAA Golf The young Longhorn men's golf team finished in fifth place at the NCAA Championships in Opelika, Ala. Texas started the final round in second place just three shots off the lead= , the Longhorns finished with a four-day total of 1125 (-27). Oklahoma State captured the national team title after defeating Georgia Tec= h on the first hole of a playoff. Both OSU and Georgia Tech posted four-round scores of 1116 (-36), breaking the NCAA Championship record for team score. Arizona recorded a final-round 274 (-14) to place third at 1118, while Houston registered a final-round 272 (-16) to finish in fourth place at 1122. After scoring just one over-par round in the first three days of the tournament, Texas was forced to count three over-par scores on the final day. Sophomore David Gossett posted a four-over-par 76 in the final round to sli= p into a tie for third place in the individual standings. Gossett posted a four-day total of 275 (-13). Freshman J.J. Wall tied for 20th at 283 (-5). Sophomore John Klauk tied fo= r 34th at 286 (-2). Sophomore Matt Brost tied for 53rd at 291 (+3). Sophomore Russell Surber finished in a tie for 68th at 295 (+7). "I'm really proud of our effort as a team," said third-year head coach John Fields. "Although we did not play at the same level which we did during the first three days, placing fifth in the nation with four sophomores and one freshman is a great achievement for our program." The fifth-place showing marked the best performance by Texas since the Horn= s placed third in 1995. It also marked the best performance by a Fields-coached squad, as his New Mexico team tied for sixth in 1996. Women 3rd in NCAA Golf The Texas women's golf team finished third at the NCAA Championships in Sunriver, Oregon. The Longhorns, who finished ninth in last year's NCAA Championships, finished two strokes behind second place Stanford (301-298-297-300=3D1196, +44) and = 23 shots behind first place Arizona (299-285-281-310=3D1175, +23). The third-place showing is Texas' best finish at the NCAAs since Kelli Kuehne led UT to a third-place mark in 1996. It is UT's 11th overall and third straight top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships, dating back to 1982. "I'm so proud of this team," said Texas head coach Susan Watkins. "We put forth a lot of effort today and everyone on the team made an impact over the last four days," Watkins said. "I can't ask for anything more from this team." "We accomplished our goal that we set at the beginning of the season, which was to finish in the top five at the NCAA Championships." "Our hard work paid off in the end and I'm pleased that I was able to coach this group of players all year long," Watkins said. "Everyone did a wonderful job." Sophomore Kristin Dufour was Texas' top finisher at the NCAAs, posting a 72-hole score of 13-over par 301 (74-77-73-77) to tie for 25th place overall. Freshman Jessica Reese finished with a 14-over par 302 (75-78-75-74) to tie for 29th place, while sophomore Randi Meadows tied for 34th at 15-over par (74-76-71-82=3D303). "Our hard work paid off in the end and I'm pleased that I was able to coach this group of players all year long," Watkins said. "Everyone did a wonderful job." Sophomore Kristin Dufour was Texas' top finisher at the NCAAs, posting a 72-hole score of 13-over par 301 (74-77-73-77) to tie for 25th place overall. Freshman Jessica Reese finished with a 14-over par 302 (75-78-75-74) to tie for 29th place, while sophomore Randi Meadows tied for 34th at 15-over par (74-76-71-82=3D303). Juniors Suzanne Sowers and Laura Blessey rounded out Texas' play with scores of 16-over par 304 (73-83-72-76) and 21-over par 309 (78-77-78-76) to tie for 41st and 68th place. Arizona's Jenna Daniels won the individual crown with a one-under par 287. High School Subs at 157 True Orange is going to 157 schools, thanks to George Hooper of Austin, who renewed the subscription for his alma mater, Sweeny. I offer a school gift subscription for $35 for 24 issues (omitting the June and July issues when schools are closed for the summer). If you want to subscribe for a school, fill out the coupon below and send $35 instead of $45 for each school you want to sponsor. If you don't have a school in mind, I'll be happy to pick one for you. Ther= e are several schools in all areas of Texas where the libraries need a Longhorn newsletter. A Perfect Gift for the Longhorn Fan Who Has Everything Else A subscription to True Orange is the perfect gift for any occasion for a Longhorn who has everything else. It's only $45 ($35 by e-mail) and I'll send an attractive card announcing your thoughtful gift. The only thing better is a gift of True Orange and the True Orange Fax = =01) and you can give both for just $130 a year ($99 if they can take both by e-mail). o I am enclosing $45 for a gift subscription ($35 e-mail) o I am enclosing $130 for a gift subscription to the newsletter and the fa= x ($99 e-mail) Name of Recipient Address (& fax no., if applicable) City, State, Zip Your Name Any Message You Want on Card Football Notes . . Leonard Davis, UT's outstanding offensive tackle, suffered an ankle injury last week. It is believed to be a sprain. Further tests will be conducted this week. If it is a sprain, he should be able to recover in time for the start of football practice in early July. I= f the injury turns out to be more severe, it could cause him to miss some of the pre-season practices. * * * * The off-season conditioning workouts are going great and some of the offensive linemen appear to be dropping some pounds. Junior Mike Williams and senior Cory Quye, the two veterans who will battle for the right tackle slot, both look more fit than I have ever seen them. Williams still needs to drop a few more pounds so he can have the quickness to pick up speedy outside pass rushers, but he is making progress. Quye looks like he is ready to start the season right now. * * * * Most of the key incoming freshmen are in Austin for the summer. QB Chance Mock arrived last weekend and he looks like he has been following strength and conditioning mentor Mad Dog Madden's recommendations. He appears to be about 6-2 210 or 215 pounds. He looks like he could play linebacker. That's what happened to his dad, Mike, a great QB prospect from Longview more than 25 years ago. Mike signed with Texas Tech and was moved to linebacker, where he starred a= t Tech and earned some playing time in the NFL But that won't happen with Chance Mock. He is a Michael Vick-type quarterback, with a great arm, quick feet and a sturdy body. And even if he could play linebacker, the Longhorns don't have enough bodie= s at quarterback to even give that a thought. * * * * DT Marcel Moses of Texas City has failed to qualify academically and will g= o to Kilgore JC. DT Sonny Davis of Austin Lanier and RB Sneezy Beltran of Abilene are the only other recruits who have not qualified and they are ver= y close to making it. UT Basketball Trio Europe-Bound Three Longhorn basketball players will be traveling to Europe later this summer. Rob Lanier, a Longhorn assistant coach, is taking a collegiate all-star tea= m to Greece next week to play some international teams. Guard Maurice Evans, who sat out last season after transferring from Wichit= a State, and guard-forward Chris Ogden will be on the team. Forward Chris Owens is one of 12 Big 12 players who will be traveling to Europe in August to play several international all-star teams. Colorado coach Ricardo Patton will lead that group.everal schools in all areas of Texas where the libraries need a Longhorn newsletter.