Texas Football: VY said other colleges wanted him to play receiver
Former legendary Texas football quarterback Vince Young apparently had a lot of suitors on the recruiting trail that wanted him to play receiver.
Still the highest ranked all-time recruit in the history of modern recruiting rankings for the Texas football program is the legendary National Championship-winning quarterback Vince Young. Not only was Young potentially the most highly touted recruit ever to sign with Texas, he made an immediate impact on this program once he took over as the starting quarterback in the post-Chris Simms-era on the Forty Acres.
Young is just one of five recruits in the history of the 247Sports Composite Ranking that held a perfect 1.000 score. The other four included the former South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, Ole Miss Rebels defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Rashan Gary, and Florida State Seminoles inside linebacker Ernie Sims.
The closest thing that came to Young in terms of perfect recruiting rankings among dual-threat quarterbacks in the 247Sports Composite Ranking was the Ohio State Buckeyes star signal caller Justin Fields. Clemson Tigers star quarterback Trevor Lawrence is also the second-highest rated quarterback in the history of recruiting rankings in the 247Sports Composite.
However, despite the insane hype and talent as a dual-threat quarterback that Young came out of the Madison High School football program (in Houston, TX) with during the 2002 recruiting cycles, most of the teams that offered him apparently wanted him to play wide receiver. In a recent brief interview that Young did with the USA Today Sports Network, he mentioned that was a point of emphasis for his interest in the Longhorns.
He stated that former Texas head coach Mack Brown and assistant Greg Davis wanted him to play quarterback instead of wide receiver. They made their intentions clear, and that wound up winning Young’s interests over to the Forty Acres.
VY chose to take his talents to Texas over offers from competing schools like the Arkansas Razorbacks, LSU Tigers, Kansas State Wildcats, Florida State, and the Miami Hurricanes. He did rank as the nation’s top overall 2002 high school prospect in the 247Sports Composite, just ahead of the elite five-star all-purpose running back recruit and Florida State signee Lorenzo Booker.
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A massive career on the Forty Acres saw Young register more than 6,000 passing yards, 44 passing touchdowns, 28 interceptions, 62.0 completion percentage, and a passer efficiency rating north of 144. But where he really shined was with the ability to use his legs. Young averaged just shy of seven yards per carry in his college career to go with north of 3,100 rushing yards and 37 rushing scores.