40 times in The Forty Acres: Who are the fastest Texas Longhorns?

Mack Brown placed a point of emphasis on the importance of speed in the 2013 and 2014 recruiting classes, which makes sense as the offense looks to make the switch to an up-tempo scheme. But are the incoming Longhorns, freshman and beyond, speed demons or is the assertion smoke and mirrors?

To answer the question, we compiled the 40 yard dash times to get a clearer picture. For the sake of accuracy, we’re electing to use each player’s average 40 time. We also are only addressing the 40 times of select skill positions that include quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties. Discussing the speed of an offensive linemen is as pointless as guessing who Taylor Swift will be dating five years from now. It’s important to remember that there is also a distinction between 40 speed and football speed, which we unfortunately can’t quantify. Use the statistics below to form your own opinion as you wish.

2013 Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
David Ash QB 4.65 (Watch David Ash go over the top) …….[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]
Case McCoy QB 4.8
Jalen Overstreet QB 4.55
Malcolm Brown RB 4.59
Johnathan Gray RB 4.4
Joe Bergeron RB 4.6
Daje Johnson WR 4.35
Marcus Johnson WR 4.41
Kendall Sanders WR 4.54
Jaxon Shipley WR 4.58
Mike Davis WR 4.53
Cayleb Jones WR 4.69
Bryant Jackson WR 4.48
John Harris WR 4.73
Greg Daniels TE (N/A)
MJ McFarland TE 4.8
Quandre Diggs CB 4.48 (Most versatile player in major college football?)
Carrington Byndom CB 4.45
Sheroid Evans CB 4.4
Leroy Scott CB 4.4
Bryson Echols CB 4.5
Duke Thomas CB 4.56
Kendall Thompson LB 4.76
Peter Jinkens LB 4.49
Steve Edmond LB 4.76
Dalton Santos LB 4.5
Tevin Jackson LB 4.89
Jordan Hicks LB 4.58
Tim Cole LB 5.0
Aaron Benson LB 4.5
Mykkele Thompson FS 4.5
Josh Turner FS 4.4
Adrian Phillips SS 4.5
Kevin Vaccaro SS 4.57
Adrian Colbert SS 4.56

A quick examination of the players’ times indicates that the current Texas starters definitely have a deficit in speed at the moment, outside of Daje Johnson.  The most alarming area would be at the wide receiver position, where the majority of the players run above 4.5. We understand that players like Marquise Goodwin don’t grow on trees and, as said before, there isn’t a direct correlation between 40 speed and football speed. Wes Welker ran a 4.65 at the NFL combine and he turned out okay. Still, from a strictly analytical perspective, you can see why Texas feels a need to find faster players.

2013 Freshmen

Tyrone Swoopes QB 4.51
Antwuan Davis CB 4.35
Jake Oliver WR 4.60
Jacorey Warrick WR 4.49
Montrel Meander WR 4.46
Geoff Swaim TE 4.6
Deoundrei Davis LB 4.65
Naashon Hughes LB 4.44
Erik Huhn S 4.53
Chevoski Collins ATH 4.5

Tyrone Swoopes clearly is the standout here. At 6-4 and over 220 pounds, he could be a game changer at the quarterback position. He already flashed his mobility at the Spring Game and trumps any of the other QB’s with his ability to turn the corner. Antwuan Davis and Naashon also deserve mentions with their 4.35 and 4.4 times at the corner position.  The freshman class, overall, will bring a slight uptick in speed in 2013. The question is how many of them will get enough playing time to make a significant impact.

2014 class

Jerrod Heard QB-DT 4.59 (This kid is exciting)
Donald Catalon RB 4.49
D’Onta Foreman RB 4.4
Armanti Foreman WR 4.40
Emanuel Porter WR 4.43
Garrett Gray WR 4.4
Roderick Bernard WR 4.2 (Unofficial)
John Thomas TE-Y  4.6
Jermaine Roberts CB 4.4
Otaro Alaka LB 4.7
Cameron Hampton LB 4.6
Andrew Beck LB 4.56
Lorenzo Joe ATH 4.53

2014 looks like the year where Texas really gains speed, and hopefully an edge as the result. Scouts have raved about Heard’s dual-threat abilities at quarterback and he has the speed to back it up. The wide receiver and tight end positions are where to look closest for a jump. All four wide out recruits posted sub-4.45 times and Roderick Bernard will turn your head with his unofficial 4.2 time. It would be unwise to scrutinize his speed. After all, he did win the  District 21-4A 100-meter and 200-meter titles in 2012. He’s slight in size, at 5-10, but the dream would be to make him a player in the mold of Tavon Austin.

JUCO tight end John Thomas also gets some love for his 4.6 speed. That’s impressive when you consider the dude’s 6-6 and 255 pounds.

Only time will tell whether the Longhorns’ collective speed will allow them to outrun their opponents. Based on the numbers, it appears that by 2015 we should see Texas making strides quickly to earn the reputation as one of the fastest teams in the country.

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