Aug. 25, 2010
Senior P John Gold and junior DT Tyrell Higgins have been awarded scholarships, Texas head coach Mack Brown announced Wednesday.
"We're extremely proud of John and Tyrell," Brown said. "They've worked really hard and it was unanimous in our staff meeting room to reward them with a scholarship this year.
"John has worked very hard to make this football team better. As a non-scholarship player in the National Championship game he changed the field with his tremendous leg strength. We think he can be a great weapon in our kicking game. Tyrell didn't start well his freshman year at Texas, but since that time he has worked very hard on and off the field. He is in the mix at defensive tackle for a lot of playing time and possibly even a starting position."
Gold is a two-year letterman and two-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection who has shared the punting duties over the last two seasons. He has punted 36 times for 1,607 yards (44.6 ypp), with 11 punts over 50 yards and 11 punts inside the 20 for his career. Last season, he appeared in eight games and punted 15 times for 662 yards (44.1 ypp). He pinned four punts inside the 20 and booted five for over 50 yards.
"When (coach Brown) presented me with it, it was just such an honor," Gold said. "This is such a great place. There's nowhere I'd rather be. They treat us so well here. I'm so thankful and so blessed and I thank the Lord."
Higgins has appeared in five career games, all of which came last season, and posted three tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss.
"It was a surprise," Higgins said. "I felt like there was probably a senior walk-on who deserved it more than me. I didn't even realize I was up for the chance, but when they called my name, it was a surprise and like a burden off my shoulders. I'm excited and really thankful.”
Gold and Higgins, who traveled together on a medical mission trip to Nigeria with Sam and Emmanuel Acho over the summer, were recognized in a team meeting on Tuesday and quickly engulfed by their teammates after the announcement.
"I was about to fall down because somebody was holding my legs and my head kept going down, but they got me," Gold said. "It was so cool having all my teammates supporting me and so happy for me. It means a lot."
"It's crazy to see how much they really care and how excited they got to see that happen to me," Higgins said. "I didn't realize they'd cared that much about the opportunity or the situation I was in for them to get so excited about it. I definitely felt a lot in my heart to see how they reacted."
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