Monday Morning Horn - June 24, 2013

We are in the dog days of summer. College satellite camps, 7-on-7 state qualifying tournaments, and preview magazines are warm reminders that football is around the corner.

And just like every June, I scour the local book stores to collect every pigskin publication I can find.

Dave Campbell’s Texas football, Athlon’s, Lindy’s, Sporting News, and Phil Steele are just a few of the must-have magazines I grab to start my studying for the upcoming season.

Its a blessing to be on the Super Team in the Bible of Texas Football!! @dctf #TrulyBlessed

â€” Terrell Cuney (@TCuney_55) June 22, 2013

This year, I had the idea to take all the predictions from those previews (and numerous other media outlets) and gather a composite average of where the Texas Longhorns might finish. It seems nobody can be perfectly precise on what 2013 has in store on the Forty Acres, but to combine all of them to get one number not only seemed interesting, but also acutely accurate.

So, where does Texas finish in 2013 ??? Let’s take a look.

Texas’ average finish in Big-12 : 2nd (As high as 1st, low as 6th)

Texas’ average finish in Top 25 : 14th (as high as 4th, low of 22nd)

Texas’ average bowl game and opponent : Cotton Bowl vs LSU, Georgia, or Texas A&M

Texas player most likely to have a breakout season : Malcolm Brown – Sophomore, DT

Texas player named to the most preseason All-American lists : Quandre Diggs – Junior, CB/Safety

Texas offensive MVP : David Ash – Junior, QB

Texas defensive MVP : Jackson Jeffcoat – Senior, DE or Diggs

Texas freshman to contribute most : Jake Raulerson, DE

Top Texas’ 2014 NFL Draft prospect : Jackson Jeffcoat

Former Texas high school prospect that Mack Brown offered at DB, that has a breakout season : Dontre Wilson, Ohio State freshman RB (Desoto, TX)

Former Texas high school prospect that Mack Brown didn’t offer AT ALL, that has a breakout season : Damian Haskins, Oregon State freshman RB (New Boston, TX)

Magazines that have Mack Brown listed as ‘coach on the hot seat’ : Almost all of them. This is not a joke.

One thing most of the publications agree on; Texas returns as many starters as any team in the nation. If Ash can maintain the ship, they’ll sail through the Big-12. Simple as that.

With the 2013 NBA draft going down on Thursday, Texas point guard Myck Kabongo is set to be taken within the first round, by many pundits. Kabongo is one of the few complete floor general’s in this year’s draft, but that’s not saying much. He made a big jump in improvement from Year 1 to Year 2, and that was with a 13-game body of work in 2013. Kabongo had been suspended for much of the season for dealings with an agent during a workout with former high school and UT teammate, Tristan Thompson.

Kabongo never became the 5-star guard Texas’ had envisioned coming out of Findlay Prep in Nevada via Toronto, Ontario. He was surrounded in as much turmoil as talent, and therein lies the summary of his brief stay in Austin.

Can he become a top level, NBA point guard in a few years ?? Maybe. He doesn’t have prototypically quick gears, like a lot of the new age floor general’s (Wall, Rose, Irving, and Lillard), but he’s solid in every facet, aside from on-ball defense. He’s got a nice stroke, strong handles, and above-average court vision. He’s a less-athletic Ron Harper. I think he goes between picks 15-25 in the first round.

And he will be added to a growing list of Texas-ex NBA players, which literally litter rosters throughout the league. Rick Barnes’ programs has fallen significantly after reaching the AP College poll at No. 1 Â early in the 2010 season, but he continually puts his players in the pros. Kabongo will make Longhorn #17 on NBA rosters in 2013-14.

Quote of the Week:Â â€œEverybody knows Mario is my man. Heâ€™s been there with me for a lot of victories, and I owe a ton of my success to him. He did a great job of keeping me right through the challenges of handling track and football. And Iâ€™m not the only one. Mario really understands how to work with everyone. I love and appreciate Bubba (Thornton) and know Marioâ€™s the right guy to continue the Texas track tradition. Heâ€™s a great guy, wonderful coach and will do great things for my Longhorns.â€

– Marquis Goodwin, Former Texas wide receiver and 2012 Olympian/ two-time NCAA long jump champion on the new Men’s & Women’s Track and Field coach, Mario Sategna

Tweet of the Week:Â

@HornSports @UTAustin @TexasExes All I hope that is that I can use this to make a REAL difference in this world, S*** needs to change!

â€” Nate Boyer (@NateBoyer37) June 18, 2013