Horns247 Board

By Jeff Howe

Until Texas re-entered the mix for national tight end prospect Austin Seferian-Jenkins during the summer, the future of the position for the Longhorns rested squarely on the shoulders of M.J. McFarland.

Seferian-Jenkins ultimately chose Washington over the Longhorns leaving Texas right back where they started – with their top choice among a deep in-state tight end class in the fold.

Even if Seferian-Jenkins had picked Texas, McFarland said he wouldn’t have cared. Now that the dust has settled, McFarland said he’s in the same frame of mind he would have been had Seferian-Jenkins committed to the Longhorns.

“I was honestly fine with it either way,” McFarland said. “If he would have come, it wouldn’t have stopped me from wanting to go there. If he would have committed I would have been cool with it, but he didn’t and that’s fine with me, too.”

The 2011 class is almost full, but having gone after one tight end prospect already since McFarland committed it isn’t out of the question the staff could target another. If the Longhorns decided they wanted to bring another tight end into the fold for 2011, it wouldn’t faze the 6-foot-5-inch El Paso El Dorado standout.

“I’m not sure if they would – I honestly couldn’t say,” McFarland said. “Either way though, I wouldn’t mind. It’s not going to change my feelings on Texas.”

Thoughts on McFarland:
The move to tight end is something he’s sold on which puts him in a better position than some who have to make the move in college. He’s not the athlete Jermichael Finley was when Texas recruited him in 2005, but McFarland offers that type of rebounder’s mentality (thanks to a strong basketball background) in the red zone with body position and big, strong hands being arguably his two best qualities. McFarland said the one thing he worked on more than anything this summer was becoming a better in-line blocker, which is huge in his development as a tight end. He’ll be making a huge adjustment at the next level, but the fact that he’s sold on the move and is sacrificing his senior season in basketball and enrolling at Texas for the spring semester speaks volumes to how much he wants to be a contributor at the tight end position for the Longhorns.

Notes:
*McFarland said he’s currently weighing 235 pounds. He said he’s been around that weight for a while and he’s wanted to maintain it, something he said he’s been able to do. He said he’s continuing to notice that his body is losing fat while gaining muscle mass.

*He also said the changes in his body have helped him with his speed. He said his high school coaches timed him in the 4.58 range this spring. More importantly than the time, however, McFarland said he feels faster than he ever has before. McFarland ran a 5.0+-second 40-yard dash at the Army combine in January that was timed electronically.

*He tweaked a hamstring during Texas’ June 6 camp, but he said he’s fine now. McFarland said rest and physical therapy helped him and to date he said he hasn’t been bothered at all by the injury.

*El Dorado scrimmaged El Paso Andress (the alma mater of 2007 Texas signee Andre Jones) last Friday and while he didn’t play much, McFarland scored on a 30-yard touchdown to highlight his day. He said he caught the ball over the middle on a drag route and out-ran the defense to the end zone for a nice catch-and-run score.