40 Acres Sports

The big one got away today (under suspicious circumstances) but the 2008 Texas recruiting class is still a good one. Mack Brown and the Horns signed 20 young athletes to letters of intent, nine of which are already on campus for the spring semester.

The class is headlined by defensive backs Aaron Williams and DJ Monroe, who along with safety Nolan Brewster, should anchor the Texas defensive backfield for the next four or five years. On the offensive side WR/RB DeSean Hales is electric with the football in his hands and wide receiver Dan Buckner is huge and will catch anything thrown in his general direction.

Here’s the full list of signees:

Name	Position	Rating	Hometown
	LB		Dallas
	DB		Denver, CO
	OL		Austin
	WR		Allen
	RB		Giddings
	DB		Leander
	WR		Austin
	RB		Klein
	ATH		Mansfield
	RB		Alief
	DT		Cedar Hill
	LB		Nederland
	DB		Angleton
	RB		Southlake
	OL		Brenham
	DT		Beaumont
	RB		Brenham
	OL		Gilmer
	K		Austin
	DB		Round Rock

Congratulations to the newest Texas Longhorns!

Just like last year the 2008 recruiting season is just a few weeks old and the Longhorns have already bagged nine of the top recruits in the state.

The headliners of the group are possible 5-star wide receiver Dan Buckner out of Allen and offensive lineman David Snow from Gilmer. Buckner is big (6-foot-5) and fast (4.5 forty), he could be the next number 4 out at wide receiver for the Horns. Some have Buckner rated as the top receiver in the country.

I’m also excited about Justin Tucker, a kicker out of Austin Westlake. Tucker is the nation’s top rated kicker and the Horns didn’t let this one get out of their own backyard (see Mason Crosby). Tucker will be a redshirt freshman when Hunter Lawrence is a senior, meaning we’re actually stacking the roster and won’t have to rely on a true freshman walk-on kicker for once.

2008 Commits

• LB – Dallas
• OL – Austin
• WR – Allen
• ATH – Giddings
• RB – Alief
• DB – Angleton
• RB – Brenham
• OL – Gilmer
• K – Austin
• DB – Round Rock

Update: Added Emmanuel Acho to the list as his commitment became official this morning. The 6-foot-2 linebacker out of Dallas St. Mark’s is of course 2007 signee Sam Acho‘s little brother. Check out some great video highlights of Emmanuel.