40 Acres Sports

I’m not sure when or if Texas running back Chris Ogbonnaya is going to be drafted in this weekend’s NFL Draft, but no matter what this young man is going to be successful in life. The official site has yet another great article on Chris’ life and academics off the football field:

When Chris Ogbonnaya came to Texas in 2004, he wasn’t totally sure how he’d fit into the Longhorn football program, but one thing was certain. He was going to take advantage of the opportunity, both on the field and off. The results of five years of hard work were All-Big 12 honors both athletically and academically, two degrees and a chance to play in the NFL. Ogbonnaya will share those experiences as the student-athlete speaker during the 2009 Academic Awards Presentation on Monday at the Frank Erwin Center.

Source

After getting bad news on Christmas, Texas fans awoke to more bad news on the first day of 2009. Three redshirting freshmen did not make the trip to Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl due to various reasons. The three players are defensive tackle Jarvis Humphrey, linebacker Dravannti Johnson and wide receiver DJ Monroe, all of which are important four-star 2008 recruits. The Statesman reports that each of the players was left behind for a different reason and that none were “serious”.

Unsubstantiated (and hopefully untrue) rumors on Orangebloods are that Monroe is a grade casualty and “don’t expect him back.” That of course would be counter to what the Statesman is reporting that none of the three issues were serious and if true would cost the Horns a possible future dynamic playmaker. Losing Humphrey for the spring or longer would also be a huge blow at one of the team’s least deep positions.

While they obviously would not be playing in next Monday’s game against Ohio State, bowl practices are a time when young players gain a great deal experience during the extra practice time and these guys are missing reps. Hopefully all three players are still in school and back on the practice field for spring football.

Kevin Durant wants to earn his degree from Texas. Took one class this summer and hopes to take more next summer.

Receiving his T-Ring: Chris Ogbonnaya. Chris discusses the honor of getting his degree and earning his ring.

Vince Young is back on campus to finish degree. Good for him, he’s definitely setting a good example for youngsters.

Twelve years after leaving school, Texas’ all-time leading scorer Terrence Rencher graduated this weekend. Brad Buckman also picked up his diploma.

Senior center Dallas Griffin was awarded the 2007 Draddy Trophy Tuesday night, an honor often referred to as the academic Heisman. The award is handed out to the student athlete who best exhibits the combination of academic success, football performance, and exemplary community leadership.

Griffin, who suffered a season and career ending knee injury against Nebraska, graduated last May with a 3.88 GPA in Business Honors and Finance. As someone who was booted out of the Business Honors program I can vouch for how hard it is to get A’s (but it’s actually also near impossible to get worse than a B). This fall he was probably one of the youngest people in the Red McCombs’ MBA program, which usually requires at least 3 - 5 years of real world experience.

Congrats to Dallas who not only played hard on the field but obviously has represented the university well in the classroom as well.

Related Links

• MBTF: Dallas Griffin wins 2007 Draddy Trophy
• The Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth

Derek Lokey & Dallas Griffin earn all-academic, All-American honors. Nice honor for the two young men for their hard work in the classroom.

Texas leads Big 12 with 23 all-academic selections. Not only are we better but we’re smarter than everyone else too.

Frank Okam and Derek Lokey hit backs & books. A pair of healthy DT’s would be huge for our defense this season.

Longhorns receive no penalties from NCAA for latest APR figures. Football team is above average.

Myron Hardy and Jeremy Campbell are both out of school and off the team. It is unclear if they’ll be back in the fall.