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On Wednesday, Cypress Ranch quarterback Blake Nevins announced via Twitter that he’ll be joining the Texas Longhorns football program as a preferred walk on:
Extremely blessed to continue my academic and football career as a preferred walk-on at the University of Texas pic.twitter.com/LmycMTUcbs
— Blake Nevins (@Blake_Nevins) February 1, 2017
The ‘Horns will likely enter the 2017 season short on quarterbacks — Tyrone Swoopes graduated and Sam Ehlinger was the only addition to the roster, leaving Texas with three scholarship players at the position.
Head coach Tom Herman has said that he doesn’t anticipate adding a graduate transfer at the position.
In the walk-on ranks, junior Logan Vinklarek was honored on Senior Day despite possessing an extra year of eligibility and Trey Holtz also graduated.
So Nevins will provide the Texas program with depth at that position and could eventually emerge in a role such as holder, which is often occupied by a non-scholarship quarterback or wide receiver.
The 6’4, 185-pounder was also a standout basketball player in addition to throwing for 1,794 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. A good athlete, Nevins averaged 7.0 yards per carry and also scored five rushing touchdowns.
The best-case scenario for Nevins personally is that he gets to attempt a pass or two in an Orange and White game some year, but walk ons can play a valuable role in a program on a number of different levels.