Texas football: Assembling the all-time Mack Brown team

Special teams

Special teams isn’t the first thought that comes to mind when reflecting on the best of Mack’s time as Texas’ head coach. That’s not because the special teams units were bad throughout his time with the program. But Texas just had so many good players on the other sides of the ball that it’s easy to overlook some of the most valuable special teams contributors.

One special teams standout that can’t be overlooked, though, during Brown’s time as the Longhorns’ head coach is the all-time great kicker Justin Tucker. While his production and efficiency in the field goal-kicking game at Texas haven’t necessarily matched what he’s done in the NFL in the last decade or so with the Baltimore Ravens, Tucker was still clutch in college.

Tucker ranks in the top three in program history in field goal percentage (83.3). He also ranked in the top five in the Big 12 among kickers in field goal percentage and points scored in 2010 and 2011.

The most memorable of Tucker’s kicks came when he hit the game-winner in the final seconds of the fourth quarter of the last Lone Star Showdown between Texas and the Texas A&M Aggies in 2011.

K: Justin Tucker

P: Alex King

KR/PR: Jordan Shipley

The nod for the best punter from Mack’s era is Alex King, who averaged more than 45 yards per punt during his only season at Texas in 2012. There wasn’t another Texas punter within three yards of King’s average yards per punt in 2012 during Mack’s tenure.

Lastly, Shipley gets the nod as the best returner of Mack’s era on the 40. Shipley ties for most career punts returned for touchdowns (3) and is top 10 in career yards per punt return (12.5) and career yards per kick return (24.6). He also registered one kick return for a touchdown and one punt return for a touchdown during the 2008 season.