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Aaron Carrara

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Blog Entries posted by Aaron Carrara

  1. Aaron Carrara
    Story via University of Texas Athletics
    SAN FRANCISCO — The 2015-16 season opener for The University of Texas Men's Basketball team against the University of Washington will be played Nov. 14 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai at 11 a.m. local Shanghai time, the Pac-12 Conference announced Wednesday morning. ESPN will broadcast the inaugural Pac-12 China Game live in the United States on Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. Central."Opening the 2015-2016 season against the Washington Huskies in Shanghai, China allows Texas Athletics to provide an unparalleled educational experience for our students, builds upon the international reach of the Longhorns brand and presents a tremendous opportunity to develop academic and other broad-based relationships for the entire University of Texas," University of Texas Men's Athletics Director Steve Patterson said.
    The Pac-12 and Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA), the world's largest online and mobile commerce company, also announced a partnership to support the upcoming historic Pac-12 China Game. The game and two-year partnership with Alibaba Group represent a major first for sports in China. Alibaba Group is the unrivaled leader in mobile in China, and the game will be distributed live via Alibaba's mobile and digital distribution platforms.
    With this game, the Pac-12 will become the first U.S. sports league, collegiate or professional, to host a regular season contest in China. The partnership with Alibaba Group will continue into the 2016-17 academic year and support a second regular season Pac-12 China Game between schools to be announced at a later date.
    "This partnership is about so much more than a basketball game," said Jim Wilkinson, Alibaba Group's Senior Vice President. "As these student-athletes complete their education and enter the global economy, China/US relations will be central to the future of the world in which they live. We truly believe that this trip will provide these student-athletes with a once in a lifetime chance to learn about China, to make new friends, and to hopefully impact their futures in a positive way."
    In addition to being the presenting sponsor, Alibaba Group is also developing an academic program for the visiting student-athletes. While the game will be played in Shanghai, during their visit to China both teams will travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou, China for an educational program there.
    Longtime Pac-12 partner Federation of University Sports of China (FUSC), which operates under China's Ministry of Education, will serve as the co-host of the game. The FUSC is China's national solely-authorized organization for university sports. Since 2011, the Pac-12 and FUSC have worked together to put on exhibition games featuring Pac-12 men's and women's basketball teams, as well as coaching clinics and educational symposiums on collegiate sports.
  2. Aaron Carrara
    The USA Today Sports Preseason college football rankings were released today and the Texas Longhorns check-in at #25. After finishing last season with a 6-7 record which included an embarrassing 31-7 loss to Arkansas in the Texas Bowl, the Longhorns looks to take advantage of an up-tempo offense in 2015 behind quarterbacks Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard.
     
    The Longhorns found themselves ranked at #24 in the Amway Preseason Coaches poll last season but dropped out in week 3 of the poll's release after a 41-7 loss to BYU in Austin.
     
    The Big 12 has four teams in the poll's Top 25 including #2 Baylor, #6 TCU, #15 Oklahoma and #25 Texas.
     
    Texas will face #21 Notre Dame in the season opener for both teams on September 5th in South Bend, Indiana.
     
    Complete USA Today Sports Preseason Top 25:
     
    1. Ohio State
    2. Baylor
    3. Auburn
    4. Alabama
    5. Boise State
    6. TCU
    7. Oregon
    8. Arizona State
    9. Michigan State
    10. Stanford
    11. UCLA
    12. Florida State
    13. Clemson
    14. Mississippi
    15. Oklahoma
    16. Georgia
    17. Southern California
    18. Georgia Tech
    19. Arizona
    20. Virginia Tech
    21. Notre Dame
    22. Nebraska
    23. Missouri
    24. Wisconsin
    25. Texas
  3. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Student Sports

    Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong and his football staff were busy on Wednesday, offering at least six prospects from the 2016 recruiting class. Texas' Junior Day is slated for February 28th and will host an array of players from the class, including 4-star QB Dwayne Haskins Jr., who was offered last July.

    Confirmed offers that were extended today.

    McTelvin Agim (6-3, 250)
    Defensive End
    Hope High School, Hope, AR



    Bowman Sells (6-3, 205)
    Quarterback
    Lovejoy High School, Lucas, TX



    Saivion Smith (6-1, 175)
    Defensive Back
    IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL



    Khalil Ladler (5-10, 175)
    Defensive Back
    IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL



    Trayveon Williams (5-9, 185)
    All Purpose Back
    C.E. King High School, Houston, TX



    Brandon Stephens (6-1, 205)
    Running Back
    Plano High School, Plano, TX




    Texas commit Reggie Hemphill-Mapps confirmed to HornSports that he will be in attendance at UT's Junior Day on February 28th while commit Collin Johnson told HornSports he would not be in attendance.
  4. Aaron Carrara
    Big 12 Conference Football Media Days will take place on July 21-22 in Dallas with 5 schools participating each day. The Conference recently released the lineup of players scheduled to participate on behalf of their respective schools:
     
    Monday, July 21, 2014
     
    Baylor: Quarterback Bryce Petty (QB), Antwan Goodley (WR), Bryce Hager (LB), Shawn Oakman (DE).
     
    Kansas: Nick Harwell (WR), Ben Heeney (LB), Jimmay Mundine (TE), Cassius Sendish (SAF).
     
    Oklahoma State: Jhajuan Seales (WR), corner back Kevin Peterson (CB), linebacker Ryan Simmons (LB).
     
    TCU: Safety Sam Carter (SAF), defensive tackle Chucky Hunter (DT), Joe Hunt ©, David Porter (WR).
     
    Texas Tech: Wide receiver Bradley Marquez (WR), linebacker Sam Eguavoen (LB), Kenny Williams (RB).
     
    Tuesday, July 22, 2014
     
    Iowa State: Tom Farniok (OL), Cory Morrissey (DE), E.J. Bibbs (TE), Jevohn Miller (LB).
     
    Kansas State: Tyler Lockett (WR), Jake Waters (QB), Ryan Mueller (DE), Jonathan Truman (LB), B.J. Finney (OL).
     
    Oklahoma: Trevor Knight (QB), Geneo Grissom (LB), Chuka Ndulue (DT), Daryl Williams (DT), Julian Wilson (SAF).
     
    Texas: Dominic Espinosa ©, Malcolm Brown (RB), Quandre Diggs (CB).
     
    West Virginia: Kevin White (WR), Daryl Worley (CB), Nick O'Toole (P).
     
    Notably for the Longhorns, quarterback David Ash will not make the trip to Dallas to participate.
  5. Aaron Carrara
    DISH subscribers finally got what they wanted on Wednesday, May 28th as the Longhorn Network made its official debut with the Meridian, Colorado-based satellite provider. With the airing of the Network on DISH, which services 14 million customers, its national exposure has doubled, allowing more Longhorn fans across the country to enjoy exclusive Texas Longhorns programming. DISH customers can thank the Walt Disney Company (which owns ESPN, which owns the Longhorn Network) for solidifying a long-term deal that adds a vast array of Disney-owned programming to the company's existing lineup of channels.
     
    With the addition of DISH, the Longhorn Network is available with the following providers:

    AT&T U-verse
    DISH
    Time Warner Cable
    Verizon FiOS TV
    Bay City CableVision
    Cablevision
    Charter Communications
    Consolidated Communications
    Cox Communications
    En-Touch Systems
    E-Tex Communications
    Grande Communications
    Google Fiber (in Kansas City)
    Mid-Coast CableVision
    Texas Mid-Gulf CableVision.

    For upcoming programming highlights and details click here.
     
    And, everybody's excited.
     
  6. Aaron Carrara
    The Texas vs. Texas A&M rivalry was rekindled today at Reckling Park as the #2 seed Longhorns faced the #3 seed Aggies in Game 1 of the Houston Regional. Texas rode the arm of senior pitcher Nathan Thornhill for 7 innings before handing things over to Morgan Cooper, who pitched two solid innings in the 8-1 victory.
     
    Brooks Marlow homered for Texas in the first inning and C.J. Hinojosa and Collin Shaw led the Longhorns, each with 2 RBI's.
     
    Texas A&M starting pitcher Daniel Mengden gave up 7 runs on 7 hits in 2 1/3 innings to the Longhorns and was replaced by Aggie sophmore pitcher Matt Kent. Kent gave up one run and 4 hits in his relief effort.
     
    With the win the Longhorns improve their all-time record against the Aggies to 241-123-5.
     
    Texas will face the winner of the Rice (#1) vs. George Mason (#4) game on Saturday at 7:00 pm.
  7. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: DailyTexanOnline
     
    The Longhorns fought a rain delay and extra innings in Houston to beat the Rice Owls for the 3rd time this season. Brooks Marlow ripped a single up the middle in the 11th inning, scoring Zane Gurwitz, which turned out to be the game winning RBI.
     
    Starting pitcher Parker French went 6 2/3 innings allowing 2 runs off 6 hits.
     
    Mark Payton extended his consecutive games on base streak at 97 with a walk and two hits.
     
    Texas advances to the Championship Game on Sunday at 7:00 pm and will face the winner of the Rice vs. Texas A&M game. The Longhorns are 2-0 in the Houston Regional.
     
  8. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Texas Athletics
     
    Texas A&M starting pitcher Tyler Stubblefield pitched a complete game and Texas A&M beat Texas 3-2 at Reckling Park to force a deciding game on Monday. Lukas Schiraldi pitched 3 1/3 innings for Texas giving up 2 runs on 4 hits.
     
    The Longhorns had trouble getting the bats going, mustering up only 4 hits and two runs off of Stubblefield.
     
    UT center fielder Mark Payton reached base for his 98th consecutive game, going 1-3 with a walk.
     
    Texas will play Texas A&M on Monday at 6:00 pm with the winner advancing to the Super Regional in Baton Rouge.
     
    And if you're wondering, some things never change...
     
  9. Aaron Carrara
    Photo credit - USA Today Sports Images
     
    The Longhorns stayed alive in Omaha after defeating the Louisville Cardinals 4-1 behind a strong outing by Texas starting pitcher Parker French. French went 7 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking three, giving up only one earned run in the 8th before he was replaced by Travis Duke.
     
    Duke was spectacular in relief, striking out two while allowing no hits and no runs. The Cardinals committed four errors and managed just four hits in the loss.
     
    Texas dinged Louisville starting pitcher Anthony Kidston for six hits and three runs before he was replaced in the 9th inning by Cardinal closer Nick Burdi. Burdi gave up a sacrifice fly to Brooks Marlow in the 9th which scored Madison Carter, adding an insurance run for the Longhorns.
     
    After losing to Vanderbilt on Saturday, today's loss eliminates the Cardinals from the College World Series.
     
    Texas stays alive and will face the loser of Monday night's game between Vanderbilt and UC-Irvine on Wednesday, June 18th at 7:00 pm.
     
  10. Aaron Carrara
    Photo credit: Donald J. Boyles
     
    Moody High School (Corpus Christi, TX) catcher Michael Cantu has decided to forego playing professional baseball and will instead maintain his commitment to play at The University of Texas, as confirmed by Horn Sports' Kylie Hopkins on Tuesday. The 6-5, 220lb. catcher was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 30th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Cantu swings a big bat and will add instant offense to the Texas offense next season.
     
    While it is unclear what position Cantu will ultimately play at Texas (incumbent catcher Tres Barrera will only be a sophmore in 2015), it is evident that with Cantu's talent he will have a starting role in some capacity with the Longhorn baseball team. The Longhorns have also added another high school catcher to the 2014 class in Cedar Ridge High School's (Round Rock, TX) Michael McCann.
     
    Cantu was named to Perfect Game's 2014 3rd Team of All Americans and the Texas All Region 1st Team.
     
  11. Aaron Carrara
    Omaha -- CJ Hinojosa hit a solo home run over the left field fence in the top of the 7th inning to propel the Texas Longhorns to a 1-0 victory over the UC Irvine Anteaters in an elimination game in Omaha. Hinojosa's home run was the first hit at TD Ameritrade Park in the College World Series this year.
     
    Texas starting pitcher Chad Hollingsworth pitched another gem, going 8 1/3 innings giving up 4 hits and fanning five in the win. Travis Duke notched the save with a flawless performance, striking out Jonathan Munoz and popping up Grant Palmer to end the game.
     
    UC Irvine starting pitcher Evan Manarino had a strong outing, lasting 6 1/3 innings before being replaced by Evan Brock shortly after giving up the home run to Hinojosa.
     
    Texas center fielder Mark Payton went 2-4 tonight (2 singles), moving him into 2nd place on the all-time career hit list at The University of Texas.
     
    The loss eliminates the Anteaters from the College World Series and earns the Longhorns (2-1) a matchup against Vanderbilt (2-0) on Friday.
     
    Texas head coach Augie Garrido had this to say when asked what he told his team after the win:
     
    CJ Hinojosa did some grinding tonight.
     
  12. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Steven Branscombe - USA Today Sports
     
    Senior RHP Nathan Thornhill threw 8 innings of shutout baseball as the Texas Longhorns won their 3rd straight in Omaha, beating Vanderbilt 4-0. The win by Texas forces a decisive rematch on Saturday at 7:00 pm against the Commodores, with the winner securing a spot in the College World Series Championship against the winner of the Ole Miss/ Virginia series.
     
    Thornhill scattered 5 hits and struck out five over eight innings. The shutout performance by Thornhill and closer John Curtiss (who pitched the 9th inning) was the 10th all-time by the Longhorns in College World Series play and resulted in back-to-back shutouts for head coach Augie Garrido's team.
     
    Vanderbilt starting pitcher Tyler Ferguson was in trouble early on and lasted only 2/3 of an inning before being replaced by Brian Miller. The Longhorns scored a pair of runs in both the first and second innings and held on to a 4-0 lead for the remainder of the game. C.J. Hinojosa, Brooks Marlow, Mark Payton and Madison Carter had RBI's on the day.
     
    Texas pitching has been stellar in Omaha thus far and the Longhorns hope junior right-hander Parker French can continue the success on Saturday.
     
  13. Aaron Carrara
    University of Texas catcher Tres Barrera hit a total of 41 home runs, 25 of them coming in the final round, to capture the 2014 College Home Run Derby crown at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.
     
    The competition began with 8 sluggers and after two rounds, Sharyland High School teammates Tres Barrera (Texas) and Eric Gutierrez (Texas Tech) were leftto battle it out in the final round. Barrera had his work cut out after hitting only 5 home runs in the 2nd round, compared to Gutierrez's 19.
     
    Barrera responded, hitting 25 home runs, followed by Gutierrez's 18.
     
     
    .
  14. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Houston Chronicle
     
    Brenham High School's Blake Wellman has verbally committed to play baseball at The University of Texas in 2015. Wellman (6-3, 175 lbs.), a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, was recently named to the Houston Chronicle's "All Greater Houston Baseball Team" along with Brenham Cubs teammate Teddy Hoffman.
     
    Wellman is the fifth 2015 pitcher to commit to Augie Garrido's Longhorns, joining Beau Ridgeway (The Woodlands, TX), Chase Sugart (Bridge City, TX), Nick Kennedy (College Station, TX) and Nolan Kingham (Las Vegas, NV).
     
    The Longhorns added quality arms to the pitching staff in the 2014 class and it appears they are on track to do the same with the 2015 class.
     
  15. Aaron Carrara
    Texas Running Back Malcolm Brown - Photo credit Brendan Maloney, USA Today Sports Images
     
    On Wednesday the Big 12 Conference unveiled its 2014 All-Big 12 Preseason Team which is selected by members of the media covering the conference. Three Longhorn football players made the team, with running back Malcolm Brown making the offensive unit and linebacker Cedric Reed and cornerback Quandre Diggs earning spots on the defense.
     
    The Preseason Offensive Player of the Year was given to Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty while TCU linebacker Devonte Fields, who was injured last season, earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Honors. Oklahoma State wide receiver Tyreek Hill was tabbed as Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
     
    Baylor led all teams with a total of 7 players named.
     
    The complete list of offensive and defensive players named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team can be found below.
     
     
  16. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Matthew Emmons, USA Today Sports Images
     
    Forbes recently published an article with the top 25 most expensive college football tickets on the secondary market and the Longhorns ranked #20, with an average ticket price of $129.14. The analysis, performed by Ticket Company TiqIQ, named Notre Dame football tickets as the most expensive in college football with an average ticket price of $252.25.
     
    Big 12 schools Oklahoma and Oklahoma State made TiqIQ's top 25, with Oklahoma coming in at #8 with an average of $166.84 per ticket and Oklahoma State claiming the #18 spot with an average ticket price of $133.74.
     
    For single game tickets the Texas vs. Oklahoma Red River Rivalry tickets were one of the most expensive in college football, with an average ticket price of $481.66 per ticket.
  17. Aaron Carrara
    After winning their their first Big 12 Championship in 2013, Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles and his team received quite a bit of attention on Day 1 of Big 12 Conference Media Days in Dallas, .
     
    Briles made it clear when discussing his team's perceived need to defend their Big 12 title, that there is nothing to defend. "That title is ours (2013)." "We're attacking 2014 just like everybody else."
     
    If you drive down I-35 corridor in Waco you will see the 2013 Big 12 Champions banner hanging from the newly built McLane Stadium, on the banks of the Brazos River, where the Bears will play football starting in 2014.
     
    Even by shrugging off the notion that Baylor is not one of the teams to beat in the Big 12 (the Bears were picked 2nd in the conference preseason media poll), one has to believe that Baylor will be a formidable team this fall. Fifth-year Senior quarterback Bryce Petty returns to direct what was the nation's top offense last season and All-American wide receiver Antwan Goodley, who caught 13 TDs in 2013 is back for his senior year.
     
    Prior to this season, Baylor was never selected to finish higher than 4th in the Big 12 preseason poll. Things are changing in Baylor and if you ask Bryce Petty why, he'll tell you "it definitely has to do with Coach Briles." Petty also credits the Bears' offensive which he says "allows us to have fun out there."
     
    When asked what he thought about the public perception of Baylor no longer being just another school in Texas, he responded with "the goal of every team is to be relevant." "We're not there but we have come a long way and we are still climbing."
  18. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: USA Today Sports Images
     
    The Texas Longhorns received good news on the eve of Charlie Strong's debut at Big 12 Media Days, when it was announced that quarterback David Ash was cleared to fully participate in fall camp.
     
    Ash missed most of last season after suffering a concussion and concussion like symptoms and subsequently injured his foot in spring training, which required surgery.
     
    Ash is presumed to be the starting quarterback for the Longhorns in the season opener against North Texas on August 30th, ahead of sophmore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and true freshman Jerrod Heard.
     
    Coupled with the announcement about Ash was the release that several other injured Texas players were cleared to practice including running back Johnathan Gray and linebacker Jordan Hicks.
  19. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Brendan Maloney, USA Today Sports Images
     
    It appears the Texas Longhorns will have three running backs at full-strength when the team's 2014 football season kicks off against North Texas on August 30th. It was announced yesterday that sophmore running back Johnathan Gray was fully cleared to participate in fall camp, which left only senior running back Joe Bergeron's status in question.
     
    When asked about Bergeron at Big 12 Media Days in Dallas on Tuesday, Texas head football coach Charlie Strong has this to say:
     
    He followed up that statement with this one:
     
    Bergeron rushed for 362 yards and four touchdowns in the 2013 season.
  20. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Jim Cowsert, USA Today Sports
     
    According to a report by the Austin American Statesman, Kendall Sanders and Montrel Meander, wide receivers for the Texas football program, are facing sexual assault charges stemming from an incident that took place on the UT campus on June 21, 2014.
     
    Head coach Charlie Strong, citing "treating women with respect" as one of the core values of the program, took swift action and suspended Sanders and Meander indefinitely.
     
     
    University of Texas President Bill Powers released a statement on the arrests shortly after Strong's comments.
     
     
    Both players were arrested and then released on a personal recognizance bond.
     
     
    Sanders, a junior from Athens, TX, was expected to start for the Longhorns at wide receiver when the season opens against North Texas on August 30th. Meander redshirted (did not play) in 2013.
  21. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Mark D. Smith, USA Today Sports Images
     
    Texas head coach Charlie Strong announced on Thursday that he suspended wide receivers Kendall Sanders and Montrel Meander after the two were charged with sexual assault. Later that day Strong informed two more Longhorn football players that they were dismissed from the team.
     
    According to multiple reports, Thursday night's dismissals were: sophmore running back Jalen Overstreet and freshman safety Chevoski Collins. Both players were shown the door for "violating team rules" according to reports. Overstreet appeared in 9 games last season for the Longhorns while Collins redshirted. Both players were recruited by Texas as 3-star athletes.
     
    Dismissals did not stop with Overstreet and Collins. Running back Joe Bergeron has also joined the growing list of players being told they are no longer part of the team. Bergeron’s dismissal was somewhat of a surprise, especially after Charlie Strong’s comments about the senior at Big 12 Media Days:
     
    Bergeron was expected to play a key role in the Texas backfield, providing support for a running back corps which includes senior Malcolm Brown and junior Johnathan Gray. Brown missed time during his freshman and sophomore seasons due to injury and Johnathan Gray missed the majority of the last season with an Achilles injury.
     
    Bergeron was dismissed from Spring practices and has a history of disciplinary actions since coming to campus. The loss of Bergeron could give true freshman tailback Duke Catalon (Eisenhower HS, Houston) the opportunity to play in the upcoming season.
     
    Bergeron wasn’t the only senior to be dismissed on Friday. Multiple reports indicate safety Josh Turner as also being released for "violating team rules." Turner played on special teams and defense in 38 games with the Longhorns, starting 5 games.
     
    Linebacker Kendall Thompson is also no longer with the team. Although reports are that Thompson is discontinuing his playing career after a history of concussions.
     
    At Big 12 Media Days earlier this week in Dallas, Charlie Strong was asked a question about the primary motivating factors he uses and how much is ‘fear’ one of them. Coach Strong responded with:
     
    It is fairly safe to say that there are more than a handful of players on the 40 Acres that disagree with that statement.
     
    * NOTE: The Texas Athletic Department has not yet released an official statement on the dismissals.
  22. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Brett Davis, USA Today Sports Images

    The Amway Preseason College Football Coaches Poll was released on Thursday and the Texas Longhorns stake claim to the 24th spot in the poll.

    Defending national champion Florida State holds the top spot in the poll, followed by Alabama, Oklahoma,Oregon and Auburn rounding out the top 5.

    Complete Poll


    Rank Team '13 Record Points First Place Votes 1 Florida State
    14-0 1543 56 2 Alabama 11-2 1455 0 3 Oklahoma 11-2 1382 3 4 Oregon 11-2 1314 1 5 Auburn 12-2 1271 0 6 Ohio State 12-2 1267 1 7 UCLA 10-3 1085 0 8 Michigan State 13-1 1050 0 9 South Carolina 11-2 1009 1 10 Baylor 11-2 965 0 11 Stanford 11-3 955 0 12 Georgia 8-5 905 0 13 LSU 10-3 833 0 14 Wisconsin 9-4 654 0 15 USC 10-4 627 0 16 Clemson 11-2 535 0 17 Notre Dame 9-4 509 0 18 Arizona State 10-4 358 0 19 Mississippi 8-5 346 0 20 Texas A&M 9-4 266 0 21 Kansas State 8-5 257 0 22 Nebraska 9-4 228 0 23 North Carolina 7-6 175 0 24 Texas 8-5 143 0 25 Washington 9-4 142 0
  23. Aaron Carrara
    National Signing Day was in early February and most high school senior athletes made decisions on where they would play college football on that day, faxing in their Letters of Intent to the respective coaching staffs.
     
    Not so with one such athlete, Brandon Lyon, a 6-1, 250 lb OG/deep snapper from Lewisville and son of Mark Lyon. Poised to accept an offer from McMurry University as NSD loomed, the board of regents at McMurry held a meeting the Friday before NSD. During that meeting, the board decided that McMurry would cease pursing Div. II NCAA status and instead would drop back to Div. III. This meant that McMurry would no longer be offering athletic scholarships in any sport.
     
    Not a good situation to be left with when NSD is only a few days away.
     
    "We really didn't see that coming," Brandon explained. "It was disappointing for me, but I understand why they did it. They have to keep within their means. But I was really looking forward to going there."
     
    Brandon was named All-District in District 5-5A as an Offensive Guard. He was a two-year starter for the Lewisville Farmers under head coach Gregg Miller and held the deep snapping duties for punts, field goals and extra points. The ability to deep snap, plus the ability to play several positions along the OL drew the attention of several schools. He was invited and visited McMurry last spring.
     
    Lewisville competed in brutal District 5-5A with perennial powers Coppell, Hebron, Flower Mound Marcus and Denton Ryan. Brandon faced off against 2014 star DE Solomon Thomas and also Ennis 2015 DE James Lockhart.
     
    Navarro College in Corsicana had been in contact Brandon since late November. In December, Navarro Head Coach Brian Mayper paid Brandon a visit at Lewisville High.
     
    Earlier this year Brandon was hosted by coach Brian Mayper at Navarro and was given a tour of the campus and spent time showing Brandon how he would be used at Navarro.
     
    "I had a great time, everyone was very nice and I was impressed with all the trophies and championships they had," Brandon said. "Coach Mayper has stayed in touch with me. I don't think he knew what happened with McMurry but he took the time to check on me weeks after signing day, so that means a lot. He had kept me in mind."
     
    The rest, as they say, is history. Brandon signed with Navarro and reported to camp with the Navarro Bulldogs on Tuesday, August 5th.
     
     
    I had an opportunity to talk with Brandon on Tuesday, just before he headed into his first team meeting as a member of the Bulldog football team and asked him how his first day at Navarro went.
     
    "It went really well. We need a really good snapper here (at Navarro)” said Brandon. “I am not the only one competing for the starting job, so I know I need to remain focused. I just have to keep working and grinding.”
     
    Navarro Head Coach Brian Mayper took a few minutes to talk to me about Brandon and the deep snapper position, which is a position in need for Mayper, after all-conference deep snapper Brent Nicholson transferred to Lamar.
     
    “I saw Brandon this spring and he was snapping the ball well. Our deep snapper snapped for us for two years and went to Lamar. We have Brandon and two others vying for the snapper spot, which is wide-open at this point. Because we are a Junior College we expect freshmen to step-up, which is exactly what these kids are doing” said Mayper.
     
    The Bulldogs went 9-3 last season with a win over Hinds in the Brazos Valley Bowl. They open the season on August 23 against Georgia Military.
     
    Best of luck to Brandon, Coach Mayper and the Bulldog football team.
  24. Aaron Carrara
    Photo: Jerome Miron, USA Today Sports Images
     
    Senior wide receiver Jaxon Shipley suffered a hamstring injury in practice on Monday and will miss an unspecified amount of time. News of Shipley's injury was released via the university's Head Athletic Trainer Anthony Pass on Wednesday.
     
    The injury proves difficult for Texas, which lost receivers Kendall Sanders and Montreal Meander due to pending sexual assault charges and Mike Davis, who ranks 4th on the all-time career receptions list at Texas, to graduation. It also means opportunity for some of the younger receivers like Marcus Johnson, Jacorey Warrick and Jake Oliver.
     
     
    There is currently no timetable for Shipley's return to the field.
     
     
    Shipley has 1,933 career receiving yards as a wide receiver at Texas which is good enough for 8th all-time in the Longhorn record books.

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