Habe on the Horns – By Steve Habel/Associate Editor
There was little doubt during the season that Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown was often the best player on the field. Now, by garnering his second spot on an All-America team in as many days, the honors for all Brown’s hard work are beginning to flood in.
On Thursday, Brown was named [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]a first-team All-America by USA Today. That spot came a day after he was feted as a member of the CBS Sports All-American team. Expect more honors to come as other All-America teams are announced in the coming days
Brown posted 63 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks this season, each of which was a conference high for defensive tackles. He was a finalist for both the Nagurski Trophy (awarded the nation’s best defensive player) and Outland Trophy (given to the top interior lineman in the country).
Brown also headed a group of 10 Longhorns players who garnered All-Big 12 recognition earlier this week on voting from the conference’s coaches.
“It is an honor just to watch the way Big Malcom goes to work at it every day and the way he practices,” Texas coach Charlie Strong said. “He comes up to the office and wants to watch tape. Then he goes from the tape right to the practice field. He works on the practice field.
“Malcom has a lot of fun and a lot of energy joking around, laughing,” Strong added. “But just for him to have the energy and the passion and the enthusiasm, it’s fun to see. I’m just so happy he is up for these awards.”
Brown is the third Longhorn defensive tackle to claim first-team All-Big 12 honors from both the AP and coaches in the same season, joining Rodrique Wright (2005) and Casey Hampton (1999, 2000).
Roy Miller (2008) was the last UT defensive tackle to claim first-team All-Big 12 honors from the coaches. Wright (2005) was the last one to earn a spot on the AP’s first team.
Brown, a junior who is expected to head to the NFL after this season, anchored the Horns’ all-conference team honors by securing a spot on the first team.
Running back Malcolm Brown, cornerback Quandre Diggs, linebacker Jordan Hicks and defensive end Cedric Reed, all seniors, landed on the second team, while linebacker Steve Edmond, wide receiver John Harris, safety Dylan Haines, wide receiver Jaxon Shipley and cornerback Duke Thomas earned honorable mention nods.
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