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University of Texas OT Jonathan Scott (Dallas, Texas/Carter HS) and DT Rodrique Wright (Houston, Texas/Alief Hastings) will be honored this weekend as members of the 49th Annual Playboy Preseason All-America Football team. It marks the fifth straight year UT has had two players recognized as part of the prestigious team that was first selected in 1957.
Texas' senior duo will travel to Phoenix on Friday, May 6, to join the other members of the squad for a weekend of events, fun competition and the annual photo shoot.
Scott and Wright have helped the Longhorns post three-straight 10 (or more) win seasons as well as three final Top 12 rankings during their time at UT. They have helped the Horns register a three-year record of 32-6 (84.2 percent), including victories in the 2003 Cotton Bowl and 2005 Rose Bowl. The 32 wins are the second-most nationally over the last three years, tied with Miami (32-6) and trailing only Oklahoma (36-5).
UT has now had a Playboy Preseason All-American 43 (40 players/three head coaches) times since the team was first honored in 1957. Scott is the 12th Longhorn offensive lineman and Wright is the seventh defensive lineman to be named to the squad. Those are the two most-represented positions by UT players on the annual preseason squad, outdistancing the five running backs the Horns have had selected.
The Longhorns have had at least one player chosen to the team in each of the past eight seasons, including two players on the last five squads. Among that group, RB Cedric Benson (2004), LB Derrick Johnson (2003-04), OG Derrick Dockery (2002), DE Cory Redding (2002), CB Quentin Jammer (2001), OT Mike Williams (2001), OT Leonard Davis (2000) and RB Ricky Williams (1998) have all earned post-season first-team All-America honors.
Scott is a three-year starter who earned second-team All-American (Associated Press and Sports Illustrated) and first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2004. A starter in the last 31 straight games, Scott helped pave the way for a UT offense that ranked second nationally in rushing (299.2 ypg), seventh in total offense (464.4 ypg) and 12th in scoring (35.3 ppg) last season. He was an anchor on a line that cleared the way for the Horns to rush for 232.5 yards per game (8th/NCAA) and 41.0 points per game (6th/NCAA) in 2003.
Wright is a three-year starter who earned second-team All-America (The Sporting News) and first-team All-Big 12 honors last season. He has started 32 of 37 career games and posted 181 tackles, 13 sacks, 28 tackles for loss, 52 QB pressures and five caused fumbles in three seasons. A second-team All-Big 12 pick in 2003 and Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year selection in 2002, Wright has played a key role on a UT defense that has ranked among the nation's top 25 in total defense the past three years.
Several draft experts projected Scott and Wright as potential NFL first-round Draft picks after their junior seasons, but both decided to return to Texas for their final campaigns.
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