Mack Brown has recruited another quarterback out of Houston and he has some striking similarities to Vince Young.
Fort Bend Marshall's Malik Hornsby (2020) committed to play for Brown on Wednesday and it's easy to see what the Tar Heels coach and former University of Texas coach likes about the QB.
I’m %100 committed the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA please respect my decision UNC🏈🏈 BLUEHEAVEN here I come @TimBrewster @samspiegs @JoeHamilton__ @SWiltfong247 @Perroni247 @MarshallBuffs pic.twitter.com/RtihVV031i
— Malik Hornsby (@1MalikH1) May 15, 2019
Hornsby is not as highly recruited or rated as Young was but it's hard to deny the parallels. The 2020 recruit ran an offense at Marshall which could both stretch the field vertically and beat you by using the quarterback's athleticism.
He threw for 1,970 yards and 23 touchdowns with just two interceptions as a junior while rushing for another 758 and four touchdowns, as well.
Young put up much bigger numbers at Madison High School just outside of downtown Houston (which is just 6.3 miles from Marshall), but the players have similar size (6-3 and 6-5) and skill, as well, though Hornsby is a four-star recruit and Young was a five-star.
Hornsby is one of the fastest quarterbacks in Houston and ran the anchor leg of Marshall's 4x100-meter relay team which was ranked No. 1 in the nation and won the state title last week. Young didn't have similar success in track, but his rushing exploits were the stuff of legend in Houston, as some games he played for Madison had 40,000 people in the stands.
Hornsby played in front of 26,000-plus in the state championship game last year, so big crowds have seen him, as well. In that game, though, the Buffaloes did have to deal with some heartbreak. They fell to Aledo 55-19, which ended their undefeated season and a wonderful run. Even that, though, is similar to Young.
The former Titans quarterback fell in the state semifinals to Austin Westlake (the alma mater of Nick Foles and Drew Brees). Both players took losses, but that does not change their talent.
For Young, that didn't affect him at all as he went on to win a national championship at Texas. We'll see how Hornsby's career finishes up at Marshall as he has another year left to go.
Hornsby hasn't officially signed his letter of intent yet to play for North Carolina, but it's easy to see why Brown would want him and why Hornsby would want to play for Young's former Longhorns coach.