The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorns football season to officially kick off this week
08.04.2002 | Football
AUSTIN, Texas -- The high school all-star games, voluntary offseason workouts and strength & conditioning programs are complete and the long Texas summer is beginning to heat up. With that comes the official start of the 2002 Texas Longhorns football season.
On Monday, Aug. 5, the Class of 2002 - tabbed by many as the nation's premier class last spring - reports for its inaugural season at UT. The former high school standouts will begin their collegiate careers when they check in on Monday afternoon (defensive ends Bryan Pickryl and Chase Pittman, who participated in spring drills after graduating high school early, will report with the veterans on Thursday). The following day, the group hits the practice field for the first time when it works out at Frank Denius Fields for the first of four freshman-only practices on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"This is always an exciting time of the year because the arrival of the freshman class signals the start of the season," head coach Mack Brown said. "We felt really good about this class when we signed them, and from all reports, they are going to report in great shape. It is an excellent class, athletically and academically, and we're anxious for them to get started. The NCAA gives us a few days with them before the varsity reports and that's a good thing. It is important for classes to bond with each other and to develop pride as a group."
This year's freshman class features five Parade All-Americans (including that publication's Offensive Player of the Year), four USA Today All-Americans (three first-team/ one second-team) and 17 all-state honorees. On top of that, 17 student-athletes were prep honor roll students and nearly all of them participated in community service projects during their high school careers.
Freshman two-a-day practices begin on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at Denius Fields (10:30 a.m. & 5 p.m.). The newcomers will go through a second day of freshman-only practice the following day at (9:15 a.m. & 5 p.m.) before joining the Longhorns veterans on Saturday, Aug. 10, for the first full-squad practice (9:30 a.m.).
Texas, ranked second in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll, opens the 2002 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 31, when it hosts North Texas at 6 p.m. at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
