40 Acres Sports

ScoutingOhio.com has posted video of Jordan Hicks’ commitment announcement from earlier today. You can see Jordan’s coach heaping praise on the young man and then watch as he pulls a Texas Longhorn cap from under the table. He then answers questions from reporters, including an idiotic one asking him about turning his back on Ohio State. Watch…

Congratulations to what appears to be a level-headed young man on choosing the good guys. Welcome to the 40 Acres.

For the second time today, a 5-star defender has chosen the Texas Longhorns. Stud Ohio linebacker Jordan Hicks has announced he’s headed to Texas. He chose the Horns over Ohio State and Florida.

Add another one to the incredible 2010 Texas commit list.

It’s official. Plano West 5-star defensive end [tag]Jackson Jeffcoat[/tag] has committed to the Texas Longhorns. He chose the Horns over Oklahoma and Houston. Congrats to Jackson and welcome to the 40!

He’s been added to the 2010 commit list.

Friday is going to be a busy day for fans of the Texas Longhorns.

According to Dallas sports reporter Mike Doocy, 5-star defensive end [tag]Jackson Jeffcoat[/tag] will announce his choice live on Dallas’ Fox affiliate live on Friday. Linebacker [tag]Jordan Hicks[/tag] will also make his decision known that day.

Jackson is the son of former Dallas Cowboy Jim Jeffcoat, who is currently a coach at the University of Houston. Texas, Oklahoma, and Houston are Jeffcoat’s three finalist with most believing. Jeffcoat will be choosing between the Sooners and the Longhorns. The Jeffcoat family has, as expected, handled the entire process very professionally. No press conferences, rumors, or other BS. They have followed their plan and thoughtfully considered all their options.

Jackson has his dad at Houston and his twin sister is headed to OU, but still Texas reportedly has remained at or near the top of his list. Longhorn fans have to feel good about their chances. Despite family pulling him towards his other finalists, the Horns are rumored to be the young man’s favorite.

Update: According to Orangebloods.com, Jeffcoat will make the announcement from his high school gym at 10am Friday. (Jan. 28. 12:32pm)

Follow along live with 40 Acres Sports on Twitter and below for our thoughts and analysis during tonight’s conference basketball match-up on ESPNU. We’ll be live right around tipoff for Texas versus [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] so join us to discuss the game at 8:00pm Wednesday night.

Things might be a little less wordy than normal, but please feel free to leave comments and questions using the live tool, but not all comments will be published. Read below for more notes on comments and how the live blog will work. Hook ’em!

(continue to read full live blog …)

Jordan Hicks is a talented, polished linebacker from Ohio. (Image: WLWT.com)

Top linebacker recruit [tag]Jordan Hicks[/tag] out of Ohio will finally make his college decision known on Friday morning. Hicks, a top 5-star stud out of Lakota West High School in Ohio, will announce his choice of college football programs at a press conference at his high school at 11:30am CST Friday.

Hicks is down to Texas, Florida, and Ohio State. He grew up a Longhorn fan and was long thought to be a Texas lean, but then recent rumors had him headed to Florida before the Urban Meyer waffling. Now, as things have drawn out longer than expected, people think the nearby Buckeyes may have pulled back in front. Hicks has handled the entire process very maturely and no one knows where he’s headed for sure. It may just be bias, but my money is on the good guys.

Follow along live with 40 Acres Sports on Twitter and below for our thoughts and analysis during today’s big hoops match-up on CBS. We’ll be live right around tipoff for Texas versus [tag]Connecticut[/tag] so join us to discuss the game at 3:00pm Saturday afternoon.

Things might be a little less wordy than normal, but please feel free to leave comments and questions using the live tool, but not all comments will be published. Read below for more notes on comments and how the live blog will work. Hook ’em!

(continue to read full live blog …)

Football player or track star? How about both?

Little more than a week after the BCS Championship Game, Texas wide receiver [tag]Marquise Goodwin[/tag] is already receiving track & field honors. This week, the Big 12 named him the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Male Athlete of the Week:

In his first collegiate meet, Goodwin notched two provisional qualifying times and two titles at the Arkansas Dual meet. The freshman clocked a 6.69 in the 60-meters and posted a mark of 7.72 meters (25-4 ft.) in the long jump. Both marks currently rank third in the nation.

Goodwin, who snagged 3 passes for 70 yards in the title game versus [tag]Alabama[/tag], is expected to be one of the Longhorns’ top wide receivers for the 2010 season.

Link: Goodwin, Pinder and Lucas Named Big 12 Track Athletes of the Week

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against [tag]Alabama[/tag] in the Citi BCS National Championship.

I know that this post is over a week late. I needed at least that much time to get some perspective from attending this National Championship game.

Pre Game (Coin Toss) WTH Saban?! Nick Saban, your team wins the coin toss and you decide to take the ball first. The big bad SEC which claims that no one else plays defense but you guys are the ones that decide to go on offense first. Nick, either you’re tremendously cocky or you saw something that the Horns could take advantage of which you felt you needed to put points on the board first.

1st Quarter (13:01) WTH Saban #2?! OK, Nick. I am starting to think you were scared of the Horns offense. You go for a fake punt on your own 20 yard line. [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] baited the punter PJ Fitzgerald to make the pass, but Nick you gave the green light for your players to execute this play. Hey Saban, looks to me your were a little concerned.

1st Quarter (10:54) WTH Moment of the Season?! The Tide’s Marcell Dareus hit was nowhere close to the shots that [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] has taken while on the 40 acres. One of the most irritating stats of the game was this was Dareus’ only recorded tackle of the entire game. The tackle caused a pinched nerve that affected his throwing arm which ended Colt’s storied career. I hear some people complaining that Colt should have never been carrying the ball because he is too important to the team. These same people said leading up to this week that Colt was going to have to run to keep the Tide’s defense off balance. Isn’t hindsight a beautiful thing?

2nd Quarter (:03) WTH Hix?! To top his only tackle of the game Marcell Dareus recorded an interception just before the end of the half (he won the defensive MVP based on this play alone). The frustrating part of the [tag]Garrett Gilbert[/tag] shovel pass was not the drop by [tag]DJ Monroe[/tag]. It was the lack of a tackle by offensive lineman [tag]Kyle Hix[/tag] who could have held him up for at least a second or two instead of trying to barrel roll him down.

3rd Quarter (12:05) WTH Gold Streaker?! The gold masked man with a website on the back of his shirt wanted to interrupt the football game to protest… the BCS. I believe all universities need to be on look out for more masked streakers who want a playoff system.

3rd Quarter (:45) WTH Pass Catchers?! I have made this statement for a second consecutive game. This young group of receivers needed to come up big in this game even more so since Garrett Gilbert went in to replace Colt. Malcolm Williams’ finger tip touch of the football in the end zone would have brought UT within a single score before the start of the fourth quarter. Dan Buckner had a crucial drop early in the game until he made a solid catch in the endzone for a two point conversion. We need all the receivers including the newest recruits, Darius White and Demarco Cobbs, to help out a developing quarterback like Garrett next year. (Who knew these words would mean so much more with the dismissal of wide receivers Brandon Collins and Dan Buckner)

4th Quarter (3:14) WTH Mack Magic?! I thought of these words when Garrett took over the ball at the seven yard line. After the Longhorn faithful thought the game was over when Colt went down, the UT side of the Rose Bowl was stoked about a possible tie or go ahead score. Just a few seconds later, Alabama’s Eryck Anders recorded their only sack of the game which caused Garrett to fumble and end any momentum. I do need to point out that the OL protection got better towards the end of the game even after losing All-Big 12 center [tag]Chris Hall[/tag].

4th Quarter (1:48) WTH Saban #3?! With the score 31-21 in favor of Alabama, Nick Saban cemented himself as a red a** going in for a meaningless score. His own player, Javier Arenas, who intercepted the ball and fell to the ground instead of trying to score, showed more respect that Saban. Operating from the victory formation with only one timeout left on the Texas sideline would have ended the game. To use basketball terminology, instead of dribbling out the clock, Saban decided to dunk the ball over his opponent. I subscribe to the fact that the defense is the one responsible for stopping the other team from scoring. But when you can take a knee that will end the game with your team hoisting the ball in victory, that is the ultimate ending for a championship team.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the football season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on Twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK ‘EM!!

It was the first time since 1983 that a team from the state of Texas hosted a basketball game as the #1 team in the country, and until overtime it looked like it would be a while before it happened again. The top ranked Texas Longhorns were taken to the buzzer by the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday evening before the Horns finally pulled away in overtime 72 – 67. After only 3 points in the first half, senior All-American candidate [tag]Damion James[/tag] put the team on his back and dominated with 23 points in the second half and overtime. His big 3-pointer and and then game ending block of an Aggie 3-pointer in OT finished off the thrilling victory.

Some brief highlights and thoughts on the game from ESPN are below…

Next up for the Horns are back-to-back road games against top 15 opponents. They’ll face #12 [tag]Kansas State[/tag] Monday night on ESPN and then travel to play #15 [tag]Connecticut[/tag] on Saturday on CBS.