40 Acres Sports

Name: [tag]Tray Allen[/tag]
Position: Offensive guard
Ranking:

Hometown: Grand Prairie, TX
School: South Grand Prairie
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 305 lbs

Background

Tray Allen is the premier recruit in this class. A dominant offensive lineman in the mold of Justin Blalock and probably the most upside of any lineman signed in the last several years by the Longhorns. Can line up at either offensive tackle or guard but is probably more suited to play inside and that’s where his NFL future likely lies. Great in pass protection and a dominant run blocker. Excellent strength and agility (he’s also a basketball player) and already has solid technique.

Allen is Rivals‘ top overall prospect in Texas and their number two offensive guard. Scout has him as their number six player in the country and the top rated guard. A great kid who is excited to be a Longhorn.

Immediate Impact

Allen has the talent to see the field in 2007 but the offensive line is one of the hardest places for true freshman to make a difference. This past season J’Marcus Webb played in eleven games as a backup tackle but Mack Brown would probably prefer to redshirt all linemen. He’s unlikely to earn a starting spot on the line, but guard depth is lacking and if Allen can beat out Chris Hall or Charlie Tanner he could see playing time.

Future

Should be a three year starter up front. A player to build the offense around. If he fulfills his potential he’s the next great UT All-American and top NFL draft pick. Future anchor in the trenches.

Open Letter From Your Recruit on Signing Day. Funniest thing I have read all week. Not for the easily offended.

Name: [tag]Sam Acho[/tag]
Position: Defensive End
Ranking:

Hometown: Dallas, TX
School: St. Mark’s
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 250 lbs

Background

Sam Acho looks to be the sleeper of the 2007 recruiting class. He came out of nowhere in the summer of 2006, getting multiple offers from several big-time BCS schools such as Oklahoma, USC, Virginia, and Iowa. Texas started to take notice and made a great impression on him in an official visit to Austin in August 2006.

Sam was a three-time All-Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) performer at St. Mark’s in Dallas, TX. He was also a three-sport letterman and a member of ESPN’s top 150 national prospects.

Sam also takes his academics very seriously. He scored a 1220 on his SAT and was a four-year member of the honor roll. He is almost fluent in Spanish and helps teach adults English as a second language at a local community center.

Immediate Impact

Tough to say what will play out with Sam Acho because of his relative obscurity in 2006. Might not play much in 2007, but with his athleticism he has great upside potential for the future.

Future

With his athletic ability, Sam could project as either a tight end or a defensive end. He is a natural fit at defensive end and says he tries to model his game after Julius Peppers. Watch out for him in the years to come. This kid looks to be a special player.

Remember that new clock rule in college football? Well, it looks like CBS made some good money off of it.

We’ll be updating this list as we get news (mostly from Rivals) of which players have officially signed their letters of intent and if everything goes as planned will be the newest Texas Longhorns in August. The first two players to become Longhorns were Ian Harris out of San Antonio and Cody Johnson from Waller. Keep checking back here because we’ll update this list as we hear more names.

Confirmed Signings

• Ian Harris
• Cody Johnson
• Kyle Hix
• Tray Allen
• Michael Wilcoxon
• Russell Carter
• Aundre McGaskey
• Tyrell Higgins
• Sam Acho
• James Kirkendoll
• Brandon Collins
• G.J. Kinne
• Ahmard Howard
• Keenan Robinson
• Malcolm Williams
• Blaine Irby
• Earl Thomas
• Christian Scott

Early Enrollees

• Curtis Brown
• John Chiles
• Michael Huey
• Andre Jones
• Ben Wells
• Fozzy Whittaker

Update: Just added Blaine Irby and Earl Thomas to the list which leaves only Christian Scott remaining. The stud safety just was the last player to commit to the Horns (just this weekend) and it looks like he’ll be the last one to fax in his letter of intent as well. Hopefully he’s not having any second thoughts. (10:38 am)

Update: Christian Scott’s letter is in and confirmed by both Rivals and Inside Texas (thanks Eric!). That means all 24 recruits, 18 today plus the 6 already on campus, are signed and will officially be Longhorns either this summer or in the fall if their grades are in order. Congrats to the class of 2007 and welcome to the family. (11:58 am)

Today is National Signing Day and recruits all around the country finally are able to sign on the dotted line and make those commitments a little more binding. We’ll be posting updates throughout the day as we hear news of the players who have signed their letters of intent and make their commitment to the University of Texas official.

There probably won’t be any surprises (good or bad) for the Longhorns or their fans but stay tuned for all the latest news.

MapGameDay.com has great information on NFL and college football stadiums, transportation, food, and hotels all integrated with Google Maps. Today on National Signing Day they’ll be updating their maps as the letters of intent roll in and plotting players on the map based on school, state or conference.

Check out the incoming Frosh from around the country. Top High School, and Junior College players will be moving this fall, and the recruiting map will help you see where your local favorites will be playing in the fall, or where your favorite university recruits most heavily. Some of these guys are gonna be piling up the frequent flier miles, and we have them covered.

Check out the their recruiting maps now.

(via EDSBS)

After his father’s shooting, G.J. Kinne is looking forward not back. The QB should sign with Texas today.

After only two carries, [tag]Cedric Benson[/tag] may be done for the night. His first carry of the night he coughed up the football after a big hit from Colts’ safety Bob Sanders and his second carry may have been his last. He ran into his own lineman and then was nailed with a helmet-to-helmet hit by one of the Colts’ defenders. Benson was slow to get up after the play and CBS is reporting that he injured his knee and his return to the game is doubtful.

Tough break for Benson who had really been coming on late in the year and in the playoffs. Tough luck for the Bears as well as I’m sure part of their game plan was to bang away at the porous Indy defense with Benson and Thomas Jones. If Benson returns from the injury and is able to score a touchdown, he’d be the first ever Longhorn to do so in a Super Bowl.

Update: CBS’ sideline guy is now reporting that the Bears have ruled Benson out for the game. He will not be returning.

Yesterday at the Super Bowl, Vince Young found out he was voted the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year.