When the news broke several weeks ago that 2012 Brownwood defensive back Kevin Vaccaro was taking his official visit to Texas for the banquet weekend, it hardly seemed possible that the younger brother of star defensive back Kenny Vaccaro would end up as a member of the 2012 Longhorn class with an offer for a full scholarship.
Entering the weekend, it was known that lil KV had been offered a grayshirt opportunity by the Longhorns, but a scholarship offer looked like an extreme longshot for a player listed generously at 5-9 and whose best offer is from Nevada or SMU, take your pick. It's now Sunday and, surprise, surprise, Kenny's younger brother is officially the 24th commitment of the class with Adrian Colbert now having gone silent on his status since Saturday afternoon.
The question with Vaccaro has always been about his size -- in every other way, he's a BCS-level prospect. And while there were some reports that Vaccaro had reached somewhere around 5-10, it certainly doesn't look that way in viewing his highlight video or perusing his offer list.
A likely safety prospect at Texas, Vaccaro still has the hips and speed to play cornerback somewhere in college football, showing an impressive knack for arriving simultaneous with the football. If a Vaccaro hits you as the same time that the football gets there, you're probably not catching the ball. Lil KV doesn't have the size to be a machete, but he certainly qualifies as a bowie knife.
Given his height and the fact that he's quicker in short areas than he is fast with the top-end speed to open up and make up ground against Big 12-level receivers, the odds are that Vaccaro will be a safety at Texas, likely projecting as a back up at that. It's hard not to love his striking ability, it just comes in a two-star type of package.
Following rumors of Colbert committing on Saturday, it's hard to believe that the Mineral Wells safety could have so completely reversed course so as to force Texas to pursue other options at safety, but that's the direction that the mind heads to make sense of the sudden offer for Vaccaro. More likely, Colbert is still on the board and the coaching staff simply wanted more depth at the position for the class.
The offer probably does not reflect well on the chances of Corey Coleman or Daje Johnson getting offers, however. Still, keep in mind that the early enrollees in the class, which includes the two recent JUCO commitments, won't count against the 25-man limit, so there is still some room left for players like Colbert, Mario Edwards, Torshiro Davis, or a tight end like Vincent Hobbs.
Brownwood DB Kevin Vaccaro Junior Highlights (via burntorangebevo1)