2011 Preseason All-Texas: Offense | Defense | 2nd & 3rd Teams | All-Junior | Rising Stars

DE Devonte Fields, Senior – Arlington Martin

Vitals: 6’4, 235 lbs., 4.6
Commitment: TCU Horned Frogs (11+ offers)
Fields is an athletic beast off the edge that has really come into his own with each passing game.  Last season, he lived in the opponent’s backfield registering 23 tackles for loss and six sacks.

DT Dallas McClarty, Senior – Clear Springs

Vitals: 5’10, 255 lbs.
Commitment: Texas State
Dallas may not have the prototypical size that major colleges are looking for from an interior lineman, however, you won’t find anyone more productive.  He has totaled more than 250 tackles and 16 sacks during his career.

DE Jamal Palmer, Senior – McKinney Boyd

Vitals: 6’3, 230 lbs., 4.65
Commitment: Baylor (7+ offers)
Similar to Fields, Palmer is a terror off the edge with a motor that rarely stops.  He really knows how to get to the quarterback and is poised for a big senior year.

LB Marcos Curry, Junior – Round Rock Stony Point

Vitals: 5’10, 200 lbs., 4.6
Commitment: Still early for incoming juniors
As the lone underclassmen on our first team defense, Curry has two more seasons to really cement his legacy.  As a sophomore, he registered seven double digit tackle games and 135 tackles overall.  He may be a  little undersized for a middle linebacker, but that makes him very difficult to block and his instincts are second to none.

LB Peter Jinkens, Senior – Dallas Skyline

Vitals: 6’1, 210 lbs., 4.45
Commitment: Texas Longhorns (8+ offers)
From a pure athleticism standpoint, Jinkens and Nance (see below) top the charts.  He not only excels at chasing ball carries down sideline-to-sideline from his outside linebacker position, but he also excels at carrying the rock himself.  As if that wasn’t enough, he also excels on kickoff and punt coverage.

LB Brian Nance, Senior – Euless Trinity

* 5ATexasFootball.com Preseason Defensive Player of the Year *

Vitals: 6’3, 230 lbs., 4.55
Commitment: None yet (10+ offers)
As mentioned above, Nance is an athletic freak at the outside linebacker position.  When you look at the overall package of size, athleticism, and production, Nance checks in at #1.  Last season, he registered an incredible 175 tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 interceptions.  His ability to pursue ball carriers or drop back and cover a zone really separates him at his position.  See video for visual confirmation…

LB Kendall Ehrlich, Senior – Pearland

Vitals: 6’2, 210 lbs., 4.5
Commitment: None (11+ offers)
Another no-brainer pick for the first team.  Ehrlich was the heart and soul of a championship winning defense as junior.  He’s fast, instinctive, and uses great technique to punish ball carriers.  Similar to Nance, Kendall also excels in coverage.  His skill-set against the run and the pass provides a huge asset against today’s spread offenses.

DB Bryson Echols, Senior – DeSoto

Vitals: 5’10, 175 lbs., 4.4
Commitment: Texas Longhorns (4+ offers)
Echols is one half of a dynamic duo at cornerback for the Eagles.  Jalen Mills, committed to LSU, transferred in for the 2011 season.   This is significant for Echols in that opponents can’t avoid throwing his direction.  Last season, he posted four interceptions and that number should rise this year.

DB Brian Jacquet, Senior – Round Rock Stony Point

Vitals: 5’10, 165 lbs., 4.5
Commitment: None (1+ offer)
Jacquet is what we like to call a gamer.  He doesn’t get the pub that some of the other defensive backs get, but his coverage ability and ball skills are second to none.  As a junior, he registered 44 tackles, 7 interceptions and 13 pass breakups.

DB David Busby, Senior – Coppell

Vitals: 6’0, 180 lbs., 4.5
Commitment: None (2+ offers)
Busby lines up at safety for the Cowboys and hauled in an impressive seven interception as a junior.  He’s also very active in run support and totaled 105 tackles last season.  He’s really everything you look for in an top safety at this level and we expect another huge year playing at the back of a top defensive unit.

DB Ryan Santos, Senior – Klein Collins

Vitals: 5’10, 175 lbs., 4.5
Commitment: None (5+ offers)
Santos is very similar to Busby in that he’s a safety that can do it all.  He hits like a safety, but covers like a corner.  As a junior, he totaled 104 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 3 interceptions.  This will be his third year starting on one of the top defensive units in the state.  His brother will be lining up for Nebraska this Fall.