[bigboydan]

Pity poor Colt McCoy. He's the quarterback who will take over as the starting quarterback of the Texas Longhorns, replacing some fella named Vince Young or something like that. McCoy is projected as the starter by Street & Smiths, but Jevan Snead is also being given a shot to win the starting job. As the magazine says, though, "Young's talent cannot be duplicated by anybody in burnt orange or anyone else in college football for that matter." That said, will McCoy (or Snead) be good enough to help this team return to the BCS in 2006?

[crackerjack]

It's the question of the year -- how good will the returning national champion be without Vince Young? The Longhorns still have a lot of talent. It's defense should keep them in every game regardless of the inexperienced QB. But it will boil down to the Ohio St game. If they win, it gives them the confidence needed to get to another BCS game. If they lose, look for another performance like Oklahoma last year -- just one year removed from playing for a national title.

[pags11]

have yet to see him play...have read he's a good athlete...don't have much of an opinion on him at this point...

[bigboydan]

he's got a very experienced o-line comming back to help him out this year pags, so that will help him big time.

[onlooker]

Blue Ribbon Yearbook.

Two youngsters -- redshirt freshman Colt McCoy (6-3, 195) and true freshman Jevan Snead (6-3, 215) -- will try to fill the vacuous void left by Young's departure to the NFL.

McCoy posted a 34-2 record in three years as a starter at Jim Ned High School in Tuscola, Texas. He was twice chosen the Texas Class 2A Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press and threw for 9,344 yards and 116 touchdowns in his career. Those yardage totals are tops all time for a 2A player in Texas. Snead, an early enrollee for spring practice, was a two time all-state performer at Stephenville (Texas) High School who was 23-2 as a starter. He posted 7,955 total yards and 100 touchdowns in his 25 games during his junior and senior seasons.

"They are both extremely bright kids, and they're both athletic," Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. "They're not Vince Young athletes, but we probably won't have another one like that. I've been coaching 32 years and he's the first one I've had."

Getting McCoy and Snead to understand that they aren't going to be capable of reaching Young's heights right away is half the battle for Davis.

Obviously, both are enthusiastic and excited about stepping in and taking over a defending national championship offense. But patience, Davis said, will be the key for each as they progress in their college careers.

"I told them before spring that they are going to get tired of hearing how they don't have any experience, but they don't," he said. "I told them, 'you got your driver's license at 16 and you knew all the rules of the road. You knew what the signs meant. But you are a better driver at 20 than you were at 16 just because of experience. You've driven for four years, so you are a better driver now.' That's not a knock. That's a fact."

Early, the two will most likely alternate time behind center. That is, unless one of them steps up and establishes himself as clearly more capable of moving the offense. Either way, the Texas coaching staff isn't even going to consider picking one over the other based on spring practice, especially with most of the spring drills being done without the quarterback taking any contact. Live action, Davis said, is the only true test of a quarterback.

"Until they see live bullets, it's hard to separate them in spring," he said. "Eventually, the guy who is going to start is going to be the one we think will take care of the ball the best."

One thing is certain about McCoy: He's cool under pressure. In late May, McCoy's mother heard neighbor Patina Herrington screaming for help across a lake; her husband Ken was having a seizure on their boat dock. McCoy and his father jumped in the lake and swam 300 yards to the dock, and then McCoy scrambled up a steep, rocky hill to flag down help. His quick actions helped save Ken Herrington's life.

"It was just a true hero story of how everybody came together and saved a life," Patina Herrington told the Associated Press.

Could McCoy have more heroics in store for Saturday afternoons this fall?