AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas football coach Mack Brown refuses to
talk about depth charts in the early days of training camp.
But it wouldn't do much good at running back anyway since the
Longhorns have a three-way battle brewing for the starter's job.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. Jamaal Charles, who rushed
for more than 1,600 yards last season, was going to be a senior in
2008. But Charles changed course, entered the NFL draft and is now
with the Kansas City Chiefs.
That leaves senior Chris Ogbannaya, sophomore Vondrell McGee and redshirt freshman Fozzy Whittaker to battle it out.
Between all three, Texas has a total of 521 career rushing yards
and the cutest name on the team.
McGee, who earned the nickname "Bulldozer" in high school,
would seem the early favorite after rushing for 297 yards and eight
touchdowns last season.
But Whittaker impressed in the spring with his shiftiness in
tight spaces. Ogbannaya's pass-catching skills helped make him a
valuable third-down player last season. He's also lost weight,
shedding about 25 pounds to get down to 205.


(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)