Peter Jinkens figures to see early playing time on special teams at Texas. (Photo Courtesy Of Under Armour)

Vitals

Name: Peter Jinkens

Position: Outside Linebacker

Height: 6'1''

Weight: 208

Speed: 4.45

School: Dallas Skyline (Dallas, TX)

Ranking (Rivals): Four out of five (5.8)

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The high school all-star game season may be finished with the exception of the International Bowl in Austin on National Signing Day, but it's just getting in to full swing for former Longhorns prepping for the NFL Draft in April.

Offensive lineman David Snow and safety Blake Gideon competed in the East-West Shrine game last weekend, while linebackers Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho are currently in Mobile along with defensive tackle Kheeston Randall preparing for the Senior Bowl. Fullback Cody Johnson was slated for the East-West game as well, but was unable to participate.

The games are important measuring sticks for evaluators, who get accurate measurements of height and weight and a chance to see the players in person in advance of the NFL Combine and school Pro Days in the spring.

For the two East-West Shrine game participants, one player elevated his stock, while the other probably hurt it with his performance.

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The start of the spring semester at Texas on Tuesday also marked the first day of classes on the 40 Acres for the six early enrollees from the 2012 class -- quarterback Connor Brewer, offensive lineman Camrhon Hughes, linebacker Alex De La Torre, defensive back Orlando Thomas, and the two junior college prospects, offensive tackle Donald Hawkins and defensive tackle Brandon Moore.

As is typical with early enrollees, the expectations for each new Longhorn are vastly different, with several players expected to contribute early and several expected to need some growth and development time at Texas before contributing. Here's a look at what Texas needs and wants from each this spring.

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When Texas junior safety Kenny Vaccaro announced on Twitter following the Holiday Bowl that he was planning on returning for his senior season without seriously exploring his draft possibilities, it seemed like an interminable wait for January 15th to see if he would indeed make good on his promise.

To a much lesser extent, the same was true for fellow junior Alex Okafor, the Pflugerville product who significantly raised his level of play during the second half of the season.

For Texas fans, then, no news was good news on Sunday night, the deadline for underclassmen to declare their intentions to enter the NFL Draft. It passed with no declarations from either, so both players will return to help bolster a defense that loses only Kheeston Randall, Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho, and Blake Gideon, and was among the best in the country near the end of the season.

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Two more Longhorn football players will miss spring practice following surgeries, the university announced Thursday. Junior defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat and redshirt freshman Greg Daniels won't be healthy enough to practice after having shoulder issues repaired, joining sophomore defensive back Adrian Phillips, who had revealed his own shoulder surgery on Twitter. All three should be recovered in time for summer workouts.

The most remarkable story is that of Jeffcoat, who sustained a torn pectoral muscle against Texas A&M, but was able to play a significant role in the Holiday Bowl victory over Cal, recording two sacks and three tackles for loss. Dude is tough. And while it would certainly benefit his development to practice in the spring, players like Reggie Wilson and Cedric Reed probably need the reps more than does the more experienced Jeffcoat.

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Recruiting season is now in full swing as the completion of the high school all-star games leads into the wild final stretch before Signing Day, which will give way to the Texas Junior Days in February, but for current Longhorn football players, the most important person in their life when they report back to campus over the weekend will be strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie.

Widely considered one of the most important hires of last offseason, the strong finish against California was in no small part a result of the work that Wylie put in with the team both before and during the season. By halfway through the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears were gassed, beaten up, and ready to quit. On the other side of the ball? It seemed as if the Longhorns were simply getting started and could have played another quarter.

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On Tuesday evening, Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro hacked a movement to pieces -- similar to the slice he took out of James Franklin up in Columbia -- by killing off the Machete nickname. RIP Machete.

The man has spoken. Not much else left to say, other than when Kenny V says cease and desist, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that a failure to comply only opens up a world of pain.

Even though the 2012 Texas football season won't kick off for about nine months (237 days, to be exact) and spring football won't start for another month and a half, it's never too early to start talking about next season, no matter how far away it is.

If the narrative in 2011 focused on the process at the expense of setting aside concerns about the number of games in the win column at the end of the year, the 2012 narrative will throw away that emphasis on the process and return to to the typical Texas standard of a 10-win season, conference championship, and BCS bowl game.

However, besides a little luck, to make that leap the Longhorns will have to find some answers for several offseason storylines.

Can David Ash develop into a competent BCS-level starter?

There's no question that evaluating the body of work from Ash this season only using statistics -- particularly his touchdown-to-interception ratio -- leaves a great deal to be desired, caveats about his status as a true freshman and the lack of repetitions throughout the spring and summer aside.

For the Longhorns to make the jump to what appears to be a SEC-type of attack featuring a strong running game and elite defense will necessarily require Ash to avoid turnovers. Reserve the right to punt, as Bryan Harsin likes to say.

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