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It was never a guarantee that Mack Brown would land Vince Young, even as an in-state recruit

What almost didn't happen...
Texas Coach Mack Brown and QB Vince Young
Texas Coach Mack Brown and QB Vince Young | Darren Carroll/GettyImages

Let's rewind the tape two and a half decades.

Mack Brown was the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, and he was hungrier than ever to push his team to the next level: a Big 12 Championship and a National Championship to follow.

The solution to satiating Brown's appetite for more success? Well, that would be none other than quarterback Vince Young.

Young was Houston-raised and the No. 1 overall prospect coming out of the 2002 recruiting cycle. Brown wanted him and, as we now know, Brown got him. However, it was never a sure thing that Young would suit up in burnt orange.

In fact, the now-beloved Texas quarterback didn't even want to play for the Horns when he was growing up. He wanted to play for the Florida State Seminoles.

Earlier this week, Netflix released Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young, a docuseries episode that focused on the career and personal life of the Longhorn Legend. During the episode, Young shared that he wanted to be the next Charlie Ward, a two-sport athlete who won the Heisman Trophy while playing quarterback for the Noles as well as suiting up for the Florida State men's basketball team.

"The school I really wanted to go to was Florida State," Young said. "Coach came in, 'You got your letter from Florida State!' I was going crazy, unwrapping that thing like it was a bag of chips."

However, then-Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden already had his quarterback: Chris Rix. So, Bowden didn't offer Young as a quarterback. That choice would turn into one of the biggest mistakes Bowden ever made.

"They wanted me as a wideout... I was like, 'No, I'm not. I don't wanna play no wideout. I want to play quarterback,'" Young said. "It kind of broke my heart."

Suddenly, Young's plan (and childhood dream) to play for the Seminoles was gone. Well, in swooped Brown, and Young's ultimate destination of the 40 Acres seems to have worked out just fine for the quarterback.

Bobby Bowden offering Vince Young as a WR handed Texas its greatest QB of all time

Young was a monster of an athlete coming out of high school, standing at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds. So, he was honestly built a bit like a wide receiver, even if he would have been on the heavier side of the position.

However, Brown had seen Young play in high school. The Horns' head coach had seen Young play in the backfield and dominate at the quarterback position. He knew where Young belonged on the football field.

Instead of going to his "dream" team, Young committed to the Longhorns. Four years later, Brown and Young led Texas to a National Championship.

Over his two-year career with the Horns, Young earned 4,885 passing yards for 38 touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback tacked on 2,129 rushing yards for 26 touchdowns. He even caught one reception for 48 yards as the cherry on top.

Rix, the guy who Bowden wanted to keep at quarterback in stead of Young?

It took him four years to earn 8,390 passing yards and only produced 823 rushing yards in that time. He earned 75 total touchdowns over his four seasons at FSU, but also threw 40 interceptions.

Ultimately, Texas fans may want to thank Bowden for trying to recruit Young as a wide receiver, and thank their lucky stars that Brown landed a commitment from one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time.

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