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Who Is David Ash?

Updated: Friday, August 31 2012, 02:00 PM CDT
Belton, Texas has a population of less than 20,000. It's located along the famous Chisholm Trail - the route used to drive cattle in the 19th century. Some 14 decades later, residents of Belton still enjoy bragging about a prized Longhorn - especially if it's one of their own.

From the Gin at Nolan Creek to B-town Burgers, customers' food would get cold if you'd let them tell every glowing story they have about native son David Ash.

"He is going to give it 100 percent every time," says Belton resident Glen Sumerford. "He comes from a long line of family with good principles."

It took 13 games for Mack Brown to see enough out of Ash to anoint him as UT's starting quarterback. For Belton High head coch Rodney Southern, his vetting process was much shorter.

"We knew from the first time I saw him throw that he was going to be special," Southern told KEYE TV sports.

But the 185 pound freshman with the huge arm and even bigger potential wasn't unique because of athletic ability alone.

"He didn't have much exposure to the outside world," says Belton offensive coordinator David Brewer. "His mother and father did a great job of bringing him up, but he was a bit sheltered."

"David wasn't involved in much other than school, family, and athletics," says Coach Southern. "He joked about drinking milk that was milked, like from a cow. Not the kind you buy in a store."

But what really moves Ash is his faith. He was raised in a home with Christian values stronger than any offensive line or recruiting pitch.

"Texas had a recruiting event, a junior day, that fell on a Sunday," Southern said. "I told Coach Muschamp at the time that 'David will not be there if it's a Sunday' so [UT] made arrangements to meet up with him after church."

Saturday night, when Ash enters Royal Texas Memorial Stadium to start the season opener, he may be 61 miles from his hometown, but Belton isn't nearly that far from him.

By Adam Winkler
Who Is David Ash?