Texas football: Assembling the all-time Mack Brown team
David Thomas, TE
Among the all-around great tight ends in program history for the Longhorns, David Thomas is an easy choice on this list from the Brown era. There are too many program records that Thomas holds to keep him off this list as the best tight end of Brown’s era.
There’s also a good argument to be made that Thomas is the best tight end in program history for the Longhorns.
Thomas was a key cog for the Texas offense that helped lead this team to the win over USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl. He reeled in a program record then, with 10 catches in that Rose Bowl/BCS National Championship Game to cap the 2005 season. The 88 yards that Thomas posted in the 2006 Rose Bowl also helped make this one of the most memorable performances in the last few decades in a single game by a Texas tight end.
At a high level, Thomas was an incredibly productive and consistent tight end throughout four seasons for Brown and the Longhorns. In his last three seasons at Texas, Thomas registered double-digit catches for at least 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
It’s also worth mentioning that Thomas registered over 1,000 receiving yards on 75 catches, good for 10 touchdown catches in 2004 and 2005.
Thomas ended his career on the Forty Acres with the program record for the most catches (98), receiving yards (1,367), and receiving touchdowns (15) for a tight end. He was a two-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and a two-time semifinalist for the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end.