century – Syndication Server

Florida Gators among the best at producing NFL talent this century

No matter who’s the head coach, one of Florida’s main appeals to recruits is the potential for playing on Sundays.

And that pitch is a credible one. Since the year 2000, UF is among the highest-ranked schools in terms of players selected in the NFL Draft, notching 109 overall total picks (24 of which were in the first round) over that time period.

Both of those are tied for the fifth-most in the country, alongside Florida’s divisional rival, the Georgia Bulldogs.

UGA has the edge on the field at the moment, and that has shown on draft day. Overall, it has had 14 players selected in the last two drafts.

The Gators aren’t far behind, though. They’ve had 12 players selected in that span, and coach Dan Mullen is only going into his third season in his current post, as opposed to Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who is going into his fifth.

Only one Florida player — cornerback C.J. Henderson — has been selected in the first round under Mullen, when Jacksonville selected him ninth overall in April’s draft.

Still, UF alumni litter the NFL. Among the best players taken this century for the Gators are Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, Trent Brown (currently the fourth-highest paid offensive lineman in the league) and Joe Haden.

Another Florida rival, the Miami Hurricanes, are ranked fourth with 119 player selected and 30 first-rounders.

Meanwhile, only two SEC schools have done better than UF and UGA when it comes to getting players drafted: LSU and Alabama.

The Tigers have had 126 selections (30 first-rounders) and the Crimson Tide have had 127 (31).

Ohio State leads the nation in total selections with 141, 31 of which came in the first round.

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Texas Roundtable: If you could bring back one defensive player

If you could bring back any former defensive player at Texas for this upcoming season, who would it be?

There have been numerous talented defensive players attend the University of Texas. Continue reading “Texas Roundtable: If you could bring back one defensive player”

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Texas Longhorns team of the century: Tight ends

Texas has never been known for the tight ends but has still fielded some good players. Here are the tight ends of the century for Texas:

Texas has never been known for the tight ends, producing better pass catchers at wide receiver. However, there are a couple guys who have played important roles in the offense the past 20 years.

For both Vince Young and Colt McCoy, the tight end was always a safety valve. The two had big-name receivers to throw to such as Billy Pittman, Limas Sweed, Jordan Shipley, and Quan Cosby. Not being the main focus in the passing game, these two tight ends always came through when called upon.

Here are the tight ends of the century for the Longhorns:

Starting tight end: David Thomas

98 receptions
1,367 receiving yards
15 receiving touchdowns
51 games played

An intricate part of the 2005 National Championship winning team, David Thomas gets the starting spot for tight ends. Over his four seasons with Texas, his numbers grew better, having 50 receptions for 613 yards and five touchdowns his senior year.

Thomas’ best performance of his career came in the 2006 Rose Bowl against USC. On that night, he had 10 receptions for 88 yards. Thomas was the safe and reliable option for Vince Young the entire night. He was the leading receiver for the Longhorns, winning the program’s fourth national championship.

Backup tight end: Jermichael Finley

76 receptions
947 receiving yards
Five receiving touchdowns
26 games played

Only playing for two seasons, Jermichael Finley was productive during his short stint in Austin. During his redshirt freshman season, Finley’s 31 receptions were the most a tight end had ever caught for Texas during their freshman season.

The next season in 2007, Finley showed out in the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma. His 149 receiving yards were the most by a tight end ever for the Longhorns. A career-high, he did so on just four catches and had one touchdown.

Forgoing his redshirt junior and senior seasons, Finley was drafted in the third round by the Green Bay Packers. Despite only being in Austin for two years, Finley’s production for Colt McCoy was outstanding.

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Texas Longhorns team of the century: Wide receivers

Longhorns Wire is compiling a starting roster for team of the century, next up is the wide receivers.

Outside of former Texas legends Roy Williams and Jordan Shipley, this was a tough position group to fill. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns team of the century: Wide receivers”

Texas Roundtable: If you could bring back one offensive player

Longhorns Wire staff each chose one specific offensive player that they’d bring back to this current roster for the upcoming season.

There have been numerous talented offensive players attend the University of Texas. Continue reading “Texas Roundtable: If you could bring back one offensive player”

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Texas Longhorns team of the century: Running backs

Continuing our series of the Texas Longhorns team of the century, we now look at running backs. Find out which two players make the team.

Continuing our series of the Texas Longhorns team of the century, we now look at running backs.

Over its’ history, Texas has had world-class running backs come through the program. Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams both won the Heisman Trophy during their time in Austin.

Moving into the 2000s, nothing changed for the Longhorns as they have continued to produce great running backs. Two players, in particular, stand out, as they were both apart of great Texas teams and are atop the all-time leaderboards in rushing.

Starting Running Back: Cedric Benson

5,540 rushing yards
64 rushing touchdowns
621 receiving yards
Three receiving touchdowns
49 games played

Benson rushing for 1,000+ yards in all four of his seasons is an incredible stat that will not happen in Austin again for a long time. He got better and better as the years went on, eventually rushing for 1,834 yards and 19 touchdowns his senior season.

His 2003 performance against Texas A&M remains one of the greatest in the history of the rivalry. On 35 carries, Benson had 283 yards and four touchdowns. Texas dominated the Aggies and won 46-15.

Second in all-time rushing yards behind Ricky Williams, Benson is in the top three all-time running backs to play for the Longhorns. From start to finish, he put up monster numbers for Texas.

Backup Running Back: Jamaal Charles

3,328 rushing yards
36 rushing touchdowns
539 receiving yards
Three receiving touchdowns
38 games played

A part of the 2005 National Championship team, Charles got to play with both Vince Young and Colt McCoy during his three years at Texas. Sharing carries with Selvin Young in 2005 and 2006, once Charles became the every-down back in 2007, he exploded for 1,619 yards.

Charles’ speed and agility are what made him special for the Longhorns. A play that always comes to mind is his 80-yard touchdown against Oklahoma in the 2005 Red River Shootout.

Despite only playing for three years and having another running back in the backfield with him for two seasons, Charles is still fourth all-time in rushing yards. What if Charles had returned for the 2008 season to help a 12-1 Texas team? It could be one of the biggest ‘What ifs?’ in Longhorns history.

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Texas Longhorns team of the century: Quarterbacks

Longhorns Wire will be compiling a starting roster for team of the century at Texas, which quarterbacks made the cut?

Longhorns Wire will be publishing their choices for team of the century by each position group. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns team of the century: Quarterbacks”