The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Seniors believe foundation set for future
12.22.2014 | Football
Longhorns senior class was pivotal in overcoming 3-5 start, reaching bowl game
By Jessica Stovall, Texas Media Relations
The first year with a new coaching staff can be challenging for all involved.
Players must adapt to new schemes on the field, new demands off the field, academic priorities and a new culture. Coaches too are adjusting to a new environment while putting in place their vision for what will make a successful program. Growing pains are to be expected.
After the Texas football team opened the season 3-5, it very well could have let the season slip away without a postseason appearance. The senior class, however, was key in making sure the Longhorns rallied for bowl eligibility by winning three straight games. And now, as they prepare to leave UT behind following the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl, there is a feeling the foundation has been laid for future success.
The 2014 class will leave behind its mark after buying into the vision of the coaching staff and carrying it out.
"[The seniors] have done a great job this season," said Strong. "Through everything they've been through with adversity, you see a group that's really come together."
Quandre Diggs, who has been one of the more vocal leaders in the senior class, is hoping to go out with a win.
"You'll never get these times back, so I always try to cherish these moments," Diggs said. "It'll just be another great opportunity for us to go out and have that bowl game. I love those guys. We've been through a lot together, so it's very important to us that we finish out strong."
Diggs has been a starter for Texas since the time he was a freshman. He played a big role in the last Horns' defeat of the Texas A&M Aggies in 2011, when he registered an interception and four tackles.
"My favorite memory will always be beating A&M in that game my freshman year," said Diggs, who has 48 career starts. "That was one of my best games I've ever played here. Being an 18-year-old kid at the time and just having the opportunity to go out and compete and play in that rivalry was very important for me."
Throughout their careers, they've created a deep appreciation for one another both on and off the field. Through the wins and losses, they each value and appreciate those who have battled together in the burnt orange from the beginning.
"It's been very fun. Coming in with these guys and spending so much time with them, you definitely build a relationship," running back Malcolm Brown said. "I consider these guys like my brothers now. I've met pretty much everybody's family and spent so much time with them. It's been a great experience to play with them and build a relationship with them."
In preparation for their senior season, the guys had to bond tightly together and rally around one another during the changeover of the coaching staff.
"[Coach Strong] has been a tremendous opportunity and a tremendous blessing," said Diggs. "That guy came into our life and turned a lot of things around. We admire him. He works us to death, but we love him to death. He's always joking around, and that's what you want in a coach. You want someone that can get on your tail, but at the same time, he can get down to a personal level with you. It's very important for people to see that and for people to understand about him as a man."
Their respect for Strong is seen in not only their manner with him during games, but also in celebrated public and private moments. After their home win against West Virginia, the players lifted Strong in the air, and fans were able to capture a glimpse of the personal relationship that is shared between him and his team. He takes the time to relate to each player, and all of the seniors have come to respect him and his total program, which is much more than what occurs between the white lines of the field.
"Coach Strong and the staff that he's hired, they've done a tremendous job of taking us in," said Brown, the team's leading rusher (683 yards) who ranks 11th on the school's all-time list (2,653). "I feel like we did a great job adjusting to them and adjusting to the things that they wanted. I always say Coach Strong is a player's coach. He's very easy to work with."
The combination of Strong, his coaching staff and the seniors -- as leaders of the team -- became what was necessary for a confident atmosphere to flow through the locker room. They schemed and planned and took the necessary steps to changing the mindset of the players as they ran through the tunnel and onto the field for each game this season.
The seniors have laid groundwork for success. Next season, there is a newly revived expectation for Texas football and one that the guys are proud to be leaving behind for future players. They have made history with Strong, and they do not take that for granted.
"We definitely came in and have been through a whole lot," said Brown. "This senior class has been through a lot of ups and downs throughout my whole career that I've been here. Coach Strong coming in our senior year was definitely a coaching change for us. It was definitely something special to be part of, something that will probably go down in history for this program. I'm just really honored to be a part of it."
