Before Texas begins its first season under Charlie Strong, we're taking a deep dive into all the talent he inherits in 2014. Our Burnt Orange Breakdown series will take a closer look at each scholarship player returning this fall and what we can expect from him. We're going down the roster from No. 1 Shiro Davis all the way to No. 99 Desmond Jackson.
No. 18 Kevin Vaccaro
Sophomore defensive back
Recruitment rewind: The brother of Kenny Vaccaro initially received a grayshirt offer from Texas coaches, but in December 2011 that was elevated to a full scholarship offer and Kevin quickly committed. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound three-star recruit played corner as a junior and safety as a senior at Brownwood (Texas) High under coach Bob Shipley and also held offers from UTSA, Louisiana Tech, Nevada and Wake Forest. Thanks in part to his younger brother's pledge, Kenny elected to return for his senior season at Texas.
Career so far: Played in 12 games as a true freshman on special teams and recorded four tackles. An ankle injury held Vaccaro out for fall camp in 2013 and he ended up missing Texas' first nine games of the season. He didn't play in a game the rest of the year and will count that year as his redshirt season.
Best-case scenario for 2014: Kevin is two inches and 35 pounds smaller than his big brother, but if he can channel some of Kenny's ferocity as a hitter he'll slide right back into his role chasing kicks on special teams and could even work his way up to the No. 2 defense at safety. Adrian Colbert hasn't had his breakthrough yet and Chevoski Collins is still young, so it's not inconceivable that Vaccaro could have some opportunities there.
Worst-case scenario for 2014: Another year lost to injury would be frustrating, no doubt, but for Vaccaro the greater issue is where he fits into this defense going forward. We haven't seen much from the scheme that Charlie Strong and Vance Bedford intend to install, but is there a place in that D that makes sense for Vaccaro? Perhaps he's more of a nickel corner? Regardless, Vaccaro has an uphill climb to see the field on defense in any capacity. There's just too many people ahead of him at the moment.
Future expectations: There was hope when he signed that a redshirt year would give Vaccaro time to grow in the weight room, and that perhaps he'd develop into a replica of his brother. We haven't seen that yet, but if Vaccaro stays healthy this offseason he'll have a chance to take a step forward under new strength coach Pat Moorer. And if he can make some big plays on special teams in 2014, he's going to get a look in the future.
