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Sean Adams from HornsNation takes a look at the state of the Texas Football program. In this video, Sean looks at the depth on at the defensive end position.

HornsNation has more coverage of the Texas Longhorns:

Carter Strickland writes: To find enough carries for its trio of star running backs, Texas might learn from how TCU has done things.

Max Olson writes : The state of Texas is loaded with top defensive backs for the 2014 class. Mansfield Timberview's Edward Paris might be the best of the bunch.

Hassan Ridgeway Q&A: The ESPN 150-ranked defensive end had second thoughts about his commitment to Texas. He talks about how close he came to decommitting, and what it was that kept him with the Longhorns.

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Max Olson writes : Even as West Mesquite (Texas) prospects Eldridge Massington and Kameron Miles gain national notoriety, Texas is sticking with its plan and taking its time.

Collins gets offer : In a move that could show where Texas thinks it stands with other defensive back recruits, the Longhorns have extended an offer to four-star DB Chevoski Collins.

Meet Marcus Johnson: In HornsNation's continuing look at the incoming freshmen, Marcus Johnson's high school coach talks about how his star slot receiver will do in burnt orange.

Meet Nick Jordan: William Wilkerson talks with incoming freshman kicker Nick Jordan about how he is preparing mentally to kick for the Longhorns.

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Sean Adams' Four Downs : Whether it's the NFL draft, the on-going BCS debate or dealing with a crowded backfield, many of the top storylines around college football affect the Longhorns.

Kevin Vaccaro Q&A: In HornsNation's continuing look at the incoming freshman class, William Wilkerson talks with defensive back Kevin Vaccaro about playing alongside his brother Kenny.

HornsNation's Sean Adams takes a look at the state of the Texas football program. In this video, Sean looks at the hype surrounding the running back position.

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Carter Strickland writes: Texas has had 17 players leave the program by transfer or other reasons in the past 11 months. But for the Longhorns, this might not be a bad thing.

Bryce Cottrell Q&A: Before it arrives on campus this summer, HornsNation is catching up with the class of 2012. Up first, Max Olson talks with defensive end Bryce Cottrell, who discusses his late commitment.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas needed a wide receiver.

A threat for the quarterback. A toy for the offensive coordinator. A nightmare for the defense. Another No. 4.

Then it happened. That player was signed. And the hyperbole that had started with his commitment hit a crescendo with Mack Brown’s comments.

“He looks like some of the No. 4s [on film] that we have had around here,” the coach said. “He is tall, can run, and can make a difference for you.”

Now, he is gone.

Darius White transferred. He is one of 17 Texas players who have either elected to transfer or left the program for various reasons in the last 11 months. Texas signed 28 players in February. So the Longhorns are still plus 11 on the ledger.

Still, at first glance, the attrition rate for Texas has been alarming. Eighteen members of the 2009 and 2010 classes were gone before their eligibility expired. But a look back, and more importantly, a look ahead provides clear evidence that the panic button need not be pressed and the outrage should be stifled.

Quite simply the majority of the 17 players who have left in the past 11 months were not as good as the 22 players Texas signed in February of 2011.

Jaxon Shipley was a better wide receiver than White or Chris Jones. David Ash was a better quarterback than Garrett Gilbert. M.J. McFarland was a better tight end than Darius Terrell. And on it went.

Of the 17, only two, Calvin Howell, who was forced to leave Texas after an arrest for possession of a controlled substance, and Nolan Brewster, who had to quit for medical reasons, might have contributed in 2012.

What this spate of transfers does indicate is that Texas got lazy in its recruiting evaluations prior to the new assistants arriving in early 2011. Brown knows that. And he has at least talked about changing his ways.

“Everybody has a good recruiting class. It never changes,” he said. “The truth is, what will it look like in four years? What will it look like in five years? If you go back and study, that's our job. That's the young man's job. This is a starting point. This isn't the finishing.

“We need to make sure that we do a great job of bringing these guys along, making them productive players and hoping that their experience is good at The University of Texas and that they can win a lot of football games.”

The other clear signals sent by the transfers are that Texas now has a young core of players that it believes in and those players are buying into the system. The older players, those from the ‘09-‘10 classes, look around and realize their chances of playing are slim.

Ultimately, players want to play. And if they can’t play at Texas there are still places where they can play.

Adding to the pressures of the youth movement is the new zero tolerance attitude of the coaching staff. Because there are now younger players in the program who produce, the coaching staff is not so hesitant to hold everyone accountable to a higher standard.

The staff can push harder and if an older player who is used to coasting wants to leave, so be it, it will not adversely affect the product on the field. Essentially, the staff is telling the players they now have to prove their worth each and every day. In the past there was an attitude that if a player had received a scholarship, he was worthy enough to be a part of the team. Judging from the numbers, that attitude was pervasive.

Now what is sweeping through Texas is change. That means changing faces, attitudes and, above all, the expectations of those new players who are signed to scholarships for the express purpose of making those changes.

Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and Kheeston Randall were the only Longhorns selected in the NFL draft.

Max Olson writes: Being picked in the late rounds means Texas draft picks Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and Kheeston Randall will have to rely on their versatility to make their mark.

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Max Olson writes: While facing an uncertain football future, Fozzy Whittaker will do as his family has done before: face change and adversity with grace and heart.

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Carter Strickland writes: Emmanuel Acho and his family have always been about more than football. Now as he prepares for a future in the NFL, he is ready for the next step.

Carter Strickland and Sean Adams talk Texas and the draft

Sean Adams takes a look at some of the issues Texas must address before taking the field against Wyoming on Sept. 1. In this video he looks at wide receiver Mike Davis and how he must mature and become a true playmaker for the Longhorns' offense to succeed.

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William Wilkerson writes : With seven commits and many other targets in the initial ESPN 150 rankings, Texas is well-represented.

Carter Strickland writes: Even Nostradamus can't predict just how high school players will develop, but Texas has collected former ESPN 150 members, and most have developed into contributors.

It was with muted enthusiasm that Nick Jordan watched Justin Tucker beat Texas A&M one last time.

It was with mixed emotions that his parents, both Aggie grads and seated on either side of him at Kyle Field, watched both Nick’s reaction and experienced their own.

“I didn’t want to rub it in,” the Texas signee from Coppell said. “But they were OK with it. They were happy that Justin made it because it was Justin. And they know someday that could be me.”

Someday is coming real soon.

Walking out of spring practice, Texas coach Mack Brown was practically shouting that he doesn’t have faith in his kickers.

“We will go into the fall with competition in both kicking positions,” Brown said.

Jordan, given the performances of Ben Pruitt and Will Russ, will be squarely in the middle of that competition. He might even be at the forefront of it, and he knows it too.

Pruitt, who was the odds-on favorite to replace Tucker, was too inconsistent from short range and nonexistent from deep. Russ has a big leg but it is better suited for punting and kickoffs.

Jordan watched and listened all spring as Brown lamented the loss of Tucker and the plight of the current kicking game. And with each passing comment he knew the reality of becoming a true freshman kicker in the Big 12 was closer to becoming a reality.

“Really when I first started thinking about (playing in college) I thought that I would redshirt or not really get on the field for the first year or two,” Jordan said. “Now I know I have the opportunity to play right away.”

Here’s the thing though, that opportunity hasn’t pushed Jordan into some impossible workout regimen with unrealistic expectations. He just stuck to what he was doing, because he knew that was more than good enough.

“Before any of this happened, I was already preparing myself to be ready to play right away,” Jordan said.

No over-kicking. No paralysis by analysis. Instead, Jordan decided to take the methodical, intelligent and measured approach to being in prime shape by June. It’s that same approach that led him to be one of the top kicking recruits in the country.

“He has got a really strong leg,” said Brown, who first evaluated Jordan at a Texas kicking camp. “We saw him kick out on a 60-plus-yard field goal, and he pulled it a little bit left.”

OK, it was 60 yards, so a little bit of a pull is understandable. He did make a 65-yarder to win the field goal portion of the National Underclassmen Challenge last year. And at more realistic yardages, Jordan usually is pretty true. Ditto with pressure situations: Like with the 34-yarder he made to put Coppell into overtime against Hebron as a sophomore. Or the four field goals he made in the fourth round of the 2010 playoffs against Trinity.

Now he is stepping into an entirely new and more pressure-packed situation. Texas has had guys thrive -- Texas is 8-for-8 on game-winning kicks in Brown’s 14 years -- but only one has been by a true freshman, Dusty Mangum in 2001. He finished the year 18 of 26 on field goals that season. The most crucial miss coming from 49 yards in the third quarter in a 39-37 loss to Colorado. He made three other field goals in that game.

But that was way before Jordan’s time. What he and Texas have to figure out over is if 2012 will be his time.

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Carter Strickland writes: Multiyear scholarships have become a hot topic. Texas coach Mack Brown is against them, but he isn't backing away from his pledge to his players, either.

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Sean Adams writes : What can Texas learn from Masters champ Bubba Watson? Have trust, confidence, and a little fun, and the success will follow.

Max Olson writes : 2012 defensive tackle recruit Vincent Taylor hopes to become a Longhorn, and he is prepared to wait as long as needed.