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The Five Biggest Disappointments of 2006: #4 - Sergio Kindle

We continue our countdown of the Five Biggest Disappointments of the 2006 season with a true freshman, Sergio Kindle. Normally, disappointment is reserved for kids who've been in the program for more than one season, but the expectations surrounding Kindle were far from normal, and by all accounts, appropriately so.

Kindle, a former prep running back and linebacker star, was expected to come in and provide key minutes for the Longhorns right away. When our guest recruiting writers profiled Kindle over the summer, they wrote:

I won't sit here and list high school stats because they're boring and inflated.  What I will tell you about is his dominance.  Think LeBron in high school dominance.  Man among boys.  Rivals calls him the best player out of Dallas in over ten years.  He's the consensus top player in Texas and most services have him ranked among the top five players nation wide.

Kindle will make an impact as a freshman.  Most experts agree that he will probably start at OLB from the get-go and only improve as the season progresses.

Unfortunately, Kindle suffered a high ankle sprain before the season began, missed the first two games from the injury, peaked with an 11 tackle performance against Sam Houston State, and finished with a mere 20 tackles for the entire season. During a year in which linebacking help was desperately needed, Kindle never emerged as a key contributor. That, I'm sorry to say, was a big disappointment.

It's not entirely clear whether the ankle injury, the coaches, or poor play was the biggest factor in Kindle's disappointing 2006 season, but disappointing it was. He should have every opportunity to win a starting spot in next year's linebacking group, and lofty expectations will likely surround him heading into 2007, as well.

Top 5 Disappointments of 2006
#5: Frank Okam
#4: Sergio Kindle

--PB--