With a school that has a storied history, there are plenty of legends to discuss. There are plenty to choose from, from coaches like Darrell K. Royal to Mack Brown and quarterbacks like James Street to Vince Young and Colt McCoy. We haven’t even delved into the legendary running back duo who won Heisman Trophies for their campaigns.
When choosing the best players of the modern era, one Texas Longhorn stood head and shoulders above the rest of the names you could come up with. Vince Young put this team on his shoulders and led them to the school’s fourth national championship, ending USC’s dynasty.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked the top 25 players since 2000 and Vince Young was ranked 4th overall.
What ESPN had to say…
2005 Davey O’Brien Award, 2005 Maxwell Award, 2005 First-Team All-American, 2005 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, 2005 First-Team All-Big 12, 2005 National Champion; 6,040 career passing yards and 44 TDs, 3,127 career rushing yards and 37 TDs.
During the first half of his three seasons in Austin, Young was up and down, an incredible athlete who was inconsistent as a defender. But halfway through his second season, in 2004, everything fell into place. As a junior in 2005, Young became the first player to throw for at least 3,000 yards and rush for at least 1,000 in the same season — just five years earlier, it was a big deal that Clemson’s Woody Dantzler hit as high as 2,000/1,000. And in Young’s final game, he threw for 267 yards and rushed for 200 and three scores as Texas beat USC in arguably the biggest game of the 21st century.
A perfect ending to a perfect career arc.
Our response…
Without a doubt, Vince Young is a top-five player since 2000. However, I have a hard time ranking him behind a quarterback who has never won a national championship. Although Baker Mayfield won a Heisman Trophy, VY was robbed of the trophy but had the last laugh on Reggie Bush when he led Texas to the BCS national championship in a game many still talk about 20 years later.
Just missing from this list is former Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson, who was a tackling machine for the Longhorns defense. The 2023 Hall of Fame inductee is a two-time All-American and the 2004 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year recorded nine interceptions, including one for a touchdown. He also finished third in Texas history with 458 career tackles and first with 65 TFLs.
It’s a little surprising to not see Colt McCoy listed, you could argue that the Longhorns’ all-time passing leader wasn’t considered.
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