THREE THINGS WE LEARNED

1. Former Longhorn tight end Blaine Irby has an interesting story to tell

When we asked you readers a couple weeks ago for some content ideas that you all would like to see while sports are on a hiatus, the number one suggestion was to check in on some former Longhorn players in a bit of a “Where are they now?” feature. The name that seems to come up as often as any other in those types of requests is former Longhorn tight end Blaine Irby, who was at Texas from 2007-2011.

For those of you who don’t remember, Irby was an all-American tight end coming out of St. Bonaventure High School in California. He was off to a very promising start to his Texas career when in the third game of his sophomore season, he suffered a devastating knee injury when a Rice player hit him low in an injury that sent chills down the spines of the Longhorn fans who saw it happen live. Irby would miss the rest of his 2008 season and the following two years as well, as he worked his way back for a near miraculous recovery that saw him suit up for Texas again as a senior in 2011.

I covered Irby pretty closely as a recruit and got to know his father pretty well when Blaine was a freshman on my trips out to St. Bonaventure to cover Darrell Scott’s recruitment. On a personal note, I want to thank you fans for the suggestions on the update because it was fun to catch up with Blaine for the first time in more than a decade and it’s always great to see a guy that I covered closely as a teenager going on to do good things in life on a professional and personal level. I hope you all enjoy the Q&A as much as I enjoyed conducting the interview.

When you look back at your career as a whole, your time at Texas, what are the memories that you take away and that really stand out in your mind?

I would say when I look back at my time at Texas, I think it's two different stories. First, obviously, was in 2007-2008, when I was playing pre-injury, and we had a really, really good team, with Colt (McCoy) and all those guys. And then obviously, I got hurt in 2008 versus Rice.

I'm actually very thankful for that. A couple of reasons why is it being at such a young age, facing that level of adversity and having to kind of battle through that and going through rehab, countless surgeries, not being able to walk for a while. I know you guys have heard the list of injuries that I've had, but the number one thing with me was my nerve damage. I stretched my peroneal nerve, so I had drop foot for about a year and I still actually have significant drop foot in my leg. But honestly, coming to Texas, facing that level of adversity and coming back to my last year, my senior year, playing in 2011, it's a roller coaster of emotions, honestly.

As far as my football career, you can always play the ‘what if’ game, which I don't play, but I would say this - one of the best decisions I made was coming to Texas. I met some unbelievable people there. Some mentors, some friends. Most of all I met my wife, Lacey. We have two beautiful children here. I have the greatest joy now with these kids, and that wouldn’t have happened if I wouldn’t have gotten hurt, because I actually met her right after my injury. And so it all kind of comes full circle to me when it comes to that question.

What do you remember about that play when you were injured? And I'm just curious, are you ever able to go back and look at that play and actually watch it? Or is that too personal for you?

You know what? That play happened, what, 11 years ago? It happened in 2008, so almost 12 years ago. What I remember about that play, playing against Rice, it was in the second half, third quarter – I guess I actually do remember a lot. One thing I do remember is, the first thing that comes to mind is I remember dropping the ball, and I let up and my body kind of loosened up when I thought the play was over. I think I yelled out a cuss word. And then all of a sudden, everything kind of fell.

I remember the feeling of the initial injury. It almost felt like a break, a snap. You’ve probably seen the video. After that, everything kind of just went still. I think I was in a little bit of shock, honestly. I know I was in a lot of pain and I remember looking down at my leg and seeing my foot and ankle twisted to my knee. It didn't have like the proper alignment. Right then and there, I knew something was really serious.

As far as that game, I've watched the play maybe one time. I know Longhorn Network did a segment when I came back and they put my injury right close up and they replayed it countless times … I didn’t really like that too much. But that's really about it as far as the initial injury.

I remember my parents being there, I believe my grandma was there. I didn't get too emotional until I saw my mom and dad when I was getting carted off. And that was about it. The doctor, Doctor (Carey) Windler, actually moved my knee back in place at the stadium, which is what you need to do with a dislocated knee. We went straight to the hospital. I think we went to Brackenridge and they had to do a couple tests just to make sure my arteries were fully functioning down in my leg, because there's obviously a small chance that they could have amputated my leg or something like that. So that was a little bit nerve-racking.

As far as the initial injury, that wasn't the biggest problem. After my surgery was the biggest challenge for me, just because I tore my ACL, my LCL, my posterolateral corner. And that posterolateral corner damaged my peroneal nerve. My leg was locked up and being, I think I was 18 or 19 at the time, being locked up in college with my leg up, I mean it was definitely a tough time. And again, like I said, the people there at Texas were there with me the whole time, my friends, and then about six months later is when I met my wife and so we started dating that next year. And so it's been great since the surgery. I mean of course I've had my little bumps and bruises since then, but I kind of look at life a little bit differently now.

Was there ever a time when you thought that your career was done or did that seed of doubt ever come into your brain?

Absolutely. I would say maybe a year or two after my injury, I didn't think I was going to play football again, just because I couldn't move my foot at all. And like I said, it was kind of a dark time just because my identity growing up has been an athlete and has been a football player and I was doing well. In my first year at Texas, I was playing behind your Jermichael (Finley), and he went off and did well. And then it was my time to shine and I felt like I was I was doing well in those first couple of games, but I was still, I was still trying to figure it out. I was the one of the youngest guys on the offense, the offensive starting lineup, so I always felt like I needed to prove something to the guys. And then that (injury) happened.

I think I was trying to figure out what to do with my life after that. And then honestly, when my nerve came back, and my foot was able to move and it happened overnight, and since that moment, I tried to kind of move forward with my health. I looked at our trainer Kenny Boyd, and I just started laughing. And he even brought up the fact, he said ‘Well, I mean, let's try and get you ready just so you can get back on the field.’ It was such a surprise. It was the first time someone actually said, you know, you can actually return and play football. Once I heard that, my whole mindset changed. It was like ‘Okay, well if it could happen, then I'm going to make it happen.’

Before hearing that, people were probably just worried about you walking normally.

Everybody was worried about me walking. Everybody was really nice to me, which is great. But I'm not one to get any handouts and someone hold my hand. I didn't like that that much. So I’m happy that we're able to get my foot rolling and I was able to get after and I've been running since. Since then, I'm trying to run every day and I know the doctors don't advise it, but I'm trying to just stay ahead of the curve.

Let's talk about something a little bit more uplifting. I was going back and looking at some YouTube clips and I when you came back to play they had the press conference and Mack Brown mentioned there was like a 2 percent chance or less that you would ever run or play football again. So you come back, it's celebrated and everybody's excited. And I want to talk about 2011 Texas A&M, the double pass touchdown play. I watched that video today … you're in the clear and as you're crossing the goal line it looked like you wanted to just jump out of your skin. Can you remember what was going through your mind on that play, and what was what was that like for you?

You know, the end of that year was a fun stretch for me because that year coming back is when we had Garrett Gilbert for the first couple games and then he left. And then Case (McCoy) and David Ash were battling at the quarterback position. So it was very it was kind of a trialing time for our team. I think I maybe had one or two catches that whole year until Kansas State and then I scored a touchdown, then scored a touchdown against Texas A&M and Baylor. It was just starting to roll a little bit so it started becoming a lot more fun. But that A&M game, I'll tell you what man, scoring that touchdown, I just knew it was Jaxon Shipley who threw it, the number one thought in my mind was look the ball all the way until it hits your hands because if I drop this, I'm going to be the biggest dope in Texas history.

I just remember once I caught the ball, no one was going to stop me. I was running as fast as I could. But that game was so much fun. It's such an honor to be a part of the last game of the rivalry, especially since we won. I have a good amount of A&M friends but to have that over all of them is fantastic.

2. Irby’s enjoying his post-football life

Let's talk about life after football. You’re married with two kids. What’s your path been after the University of Texas?

I married my wife, Lacey, in 2015. We stayed in Austin for a long time. After we both graduated I got into medical sales for a while, and switched careers about a year and a half ago, two years ago to American Express. I'm a manager of business development for American Express right now. And that has been a huge blessing. It's been a lot of fun. We just moved down here to New Braunfels. I’m becoming more and more Texan as I'm living here, right. I'm getting away from the bigger city. But life has been great. I mean, we have a pretty simple lifestyle, honestly. We have two kiddos that are locking down the majority of our time. And my goal right now is just to stay healthy and be the best dad and husband I can be right now.

How did your career at Texas, especially the football part of it, prepare you for life, either professionally or just growing as a person?

I think it's just the mindset. Whatever position you find yourself in, whether it's football or in your career or family life or faith or anything like that, if you're in a challenging time, just understand that as long as you keep pushing yourself and waking up and having a purpose in your life, you'll get through it. And that's kind of been my motto ever since playing at UT. It’s just understanding that when times are tough, there's going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. And all you’ve got to do is just keep going back to your fundamentals and keep pushing through. And I’ve got to say, that's helped me a lot.

How closely do you follow the Texas program today? Are you a fan just like millions of others at this point?

This last year, we went to one game. We had season tickets but I went to one game this last year because my wife was six, seven months pregnant. So that wasn't going to work out too well. But I went to the LSU game. I would say I am a fan that watches from a distant eye. I mean, I try not to get too emotional during these games, but I find myself being a damn coach or a player on the sideline yelling at these kids. I think, as far as how we're doing right now, I think we're doing well. The Big 12 is challenging right now. I'm sure you know that, you know the teams better than I do. But it seems like the playing field is a little bit more even than it was when I played and with Baylor doing well - I know they just lost their coach - but Baylor is doing well, Iowa State is always challenging and obviously OU. I try to watch as much as I can but at a safe distance if that makes sense.

What was your relationship like with Mack Brown and do you still keep touch with some of your former teammates?

I have nothing but great things to say about coach Brown. I thought he was a fantastic coach, fantastic mentor to us. It's unfortunate when things kind of start going downhill, you know the decisions you have to make on a business level. But Mack is one of my favorite people in the world, I mean, obviously he opened the door for me to come to Texas and like I said, I have nothing but great things to say. I think it's wonderful what he's doing at North Carolina.

I have a couple other buddies that are in coaching. One of my best friends, Blake Gideon is over at Ole Miss now. He’s doing really well. I just actually just talked to him on the phone yesterday. And then some other buddies that are kind of in the same boat as me - they turn the page and just keep moving on.

3. Recent 2021 wide receiver offer Ketron Jackson grew up watching Texas

Shortly before recruiting was shut down due to coronavirus concerns, the Longhorns extended a couple in-state 2021 wide receiver offers. Hal Presley discussed his offer here, and now it’s Ketron Jackson’s turn. The Royce City product said he’s been in touch with new UT assistant Andre Coleman for a while and it was a pleasant surprise when he got word of the Texas offer.

“Texas recently got a new staff not too long ago, towards the beginning of the year. Wide receiver coach Coleman, he talked to me after he got there, came by and saw me in February,” Jackson said. “He said he was ready to pull the trigger, ready to go ahead and offered me.

“I was surprised. I thought I’d get an offer earlier, but surprised it came now. I’m just blessed to say it came now. I was kind of shocked.”

A Rivals250 member, Jackson is holding about 20 scholarship offers. He took an Arkansas unofficial visit in early March and was extremely high on the Razorbacks coming out of that trip, but has since backed off on talk of having any leader.

“I’m still open to everyone. But it was a great visit out there. They made a really great impression on me. That’s why I said what I said (about Arkansas leading),” Jackson said. “But it’s not just them at the top. There are a few schools at the top, but they just caught my attention.”

Along with the Razorbacks, Jackson said Texas A&M and Baylor were also high on his list, mostly because he’s taken recent visits to their campuses as well. Before recruiting visits were put on hold, Jackson was hoping to get in a UT visit this spring. Those plans are obviously now on hold, but he said he’s liked the Longhorns for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve been linking Texas since I was like three years old. It’s been my dream school,” Jackson said. “They offered me, so it’s a big relief off my back. I thought I was going to go through high school, not be offered by one of my dream schools, so it was good they offered me.”

Jackson said it’s too early to say where Texas fits in his big picture until he comes in for a visit, but said when that trip happens, if things go well, the Longhorns could challenge for his top spot.

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TWO QUESTIONS

1. Who were the most “undervalued” prospects Texas has signed in the last five years?

The 2020 signees won’t hit the field until September (hopefully), but I thought I’d change things up a bit this week and take a look at five players Texas signed from 2015-2019 that were undervalued as recruits.

2019 – LB Juwan Mitchell (3-star, 5.5 RR) – Mitchell was a late addition to the UT class, signing in May and then moving to Austin shortly after to take part in fall camp. Honestly, I don’t think many people had lofty expectations for Mitchell (most of the focus was on Caleb Johnson) but Mitchell was a pleasant surprise, starting five games and tallying 39 tackles.

2018 – K Cameron Dicker (3-star, 5.5 RR) – Having a reliable kicker is the ultimate luxury, and Dicker has proven to be much better than his recruiting ranking.

2017 – OL Samuel Cosmi (3-star, 5.6 RR) – Cosmi always felt a little underrated when he was a recruit, but when he flipped from Houston I don’t think many fans saw him turning into the type of force he’s been at Texas the past couple years.

2016 – DE Malcolm Roach (3-star, 5.6 RR) – Roach was a bit overlooked as a recruit, partly because in-state LSU didn’t make a run at him. He was a good player for Texas throughout his career and was a valuable asset as a team leader.

2015 – DE Breckyn Hager (2-star, 5.4 RR) – Two star? Really? Hager wasn’t always perfect, but that ranking seems borderline ridiculous in hindsight.

2. Who are the top prospects that got away from Texas in the last five years?

Since we looked above at guys who exceeded expectations, let’s look at some “might have beens” that wound up going elsewhere.

2019 – DL DeMarvin Leal (Texas A&M) – I almost went with Derek Stingley Jr. since Texas probably finished second in that race, but he was always going to LSU. Leal was UT’s for the taking for a while and he was very good as a freshman last year, logging 38 tackles and 2 sacks.

2018 – WR Jaylen Waddle (Alabama) – He’s one of the most explosive athletes to come out of the state in a while and could have added some real juice to the Texas offense.

2017 – RB J.K. Dobbins (Ohio State) – This is one Texas should had a chance to close on early, but the previous coaching staff let him slip through their fingers.

2016 – RB Darius Anderson – Honestly, there wasn’t a ton to choose from in this group. Greg Little would have been nice for Texas, but he was never coming. Anderson was a guy Texas really liked but they waited way too long to make their push and TCU had a big lead.

2015 – Kyler Murray – Unlike 2016, you can make a who’s who of players Texas missed on in this group, including guys like Ronald Jones, Derrius Guice and Daylon Mack. But Murray could have been a game-changer for Charlie Strong if UT had been able to close the deal.

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ONE PREDICTION – New England misses Tom Brady much more than Brady will miss New England

I guess we’re about to find out just how good of a coach Bill Belichick really is. The guess here is that New England is about to take a huge step back, while Brady will probably turn in one of his best performances in the past few years playing with a loaded skill group in Tampa Bay.

I don’t know if Brady has it in him to push towards that 5,000-yard mark, as he’s done a few times before. But I wouldn’t be at all shocked to see him put up numbers like he did in 2015 when he threw for 4,500 yards and 32 touchdowns.

And if I’m betting on win totals, I’ll take Tampa at a higher number than New England.