Texas vs The Nation

Jan. 27, 2007

By: Texas vs. the Nation Staff

Texas vs. The Nation Practice Photo Gallery 

El Paso, TX - The over eight months of strategy, organization and marketing of the first annual Texas vs. the Nation Game is just 36 hours away from realizing it's goals of producing a highly competitive contest, while displaying some of the countries most talented prospects in a great back drop like the one available in the city of El Paso, Texas.

Over 120 collegiate athletes will begin their stay at the newly built Hilton Garden Inn on Sunday morning and throughout the day as scouts from all 32 NFL teams and several other CFL and AFL organizations also ascend on the city. The average professional team has listed between 2-to-5 scouts attending on their behalf, which could very well put the first year game in third place behind the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game in terms of the number of pro evaluators in the audience for practice.

The TEXAS team, who will be coached by UTEP's own head coach Mike Price is led by a number of state-wide prospects and a handful of regional and "Wild Card" additions. Meanwhile, the NATION team, which has venerable former NFL coach Buddy Ryan at the helm will feature a variety of National Champions, All-Americans and NFL Combine invitees the like of which no other first year game has ever featured.

According to the players who have responded to their player bio and questionnaires, this year's game currently features over 20 prospects who have been invited to next month's NFL Combine, as well as a number of decorated prospects that spent this past season enduring a variety of circumstances. Those players include former Minnesota running back Gary Russell, 1,000-yard rusher as a sophomore two years ago, former Texas running back/wide receiver Ramonce Taylor, who scored 15 touchdowns during the Longhorns' National Championship campaign, former Oklahoma State defensive tackle Walter Thomas, 6-foot-3, 335-pound interior defender that starred at Galveston-Ball High School before being heavily recruited throughout the Big 12, Virginia nose tackle Keenan Carter, who several 3-4 teams are admiring for his run stuffing ability and former UCLA defensive end Kevin Harbour, Jr., who was one of the Top-20 defensive prospects in the country coming out of high school.

Former Miami, FL wide receiver Ryan Moore

Then there are players with potentially high NFL grades, including Florida defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, Miami, FL wide receiver Ryan Moore, Missouri Southern offensive lineman Allen Barbre, Kansas State defensive tackle Quintin Echols and Florida International wide receiver/return man Chandler Williams.

Also, the rosters feature a number of dynamic runners, starting with Justin Vincent from LSU, Sam Houston State's D.D. Terry, Rice's Quinton Smith and a trio of the leading rushers from the Division I-AA level, Justise Hairston of Central Connecticut State, Marcus Mason of Youngstown State and Clifton Dawson from Harvard. Those six backs combined for well over 7,000 yards rushing this year alone.

USC offensive tackle Kyle Williams will help anchor the line for the TEXAS squad, while the NATION will have Iowa State center Scott Stephenson as the leader of their blocking scheme.

Players will get their first taste of practice on Monday morning following a vigorous work day on Sunday, as they fill out paper work from all 32 NFL teams, as well as have a meeting hosted by National Scouting, the group that runs the NFL Combine.

Our website will have daily updates and even video highlight clips from both practice sessions to review on a regular basis.