Kindle gets a spark lite under him!

The reports assuredly weren't what Sergio Kindle wanted to read. So when the stark prognosis from NFL evaluators came back about what Kindle's draft prospects would be if he declared early, the Texas defensive standout didn't waste much time with the rest.
"After they said I was a second- or third-round choice, I didn't even bother reading all of it," Kindle said. "I saw that and threw it away. I said, 'OK, I'm coming back.'"
If Kindle has a dramatic senior season that drastically improves his stock for the 2010 NFL draft, that balled-up NFL scouting evaluation might be the biggest piece of inspiration that got him there.
Texas coaches are using Kindle as a down lineman this spring after alternating as a defensive lineman and linebacker last season. His development as the team's major play maker along the defensive front will be critical in settling one of the Longhorns' critical lingering questions in their hopes of challenging for the Big 12 championship.
In his first season as a starter in 2008, Kindle produced 10 sacks and ranked fifth on the team with 53 tackles. Such a performance was remarkable considering that Kindle barely had a chance to work at defensive end before the season started. He missed last spring recovering from knee surgery and was moved to his new position for some snaps by Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp shortly before the season started. "We weren't really fair to him last year putting him at a new position without repping it enough in the situations we put him in at defensive end," Muschamp said. "We really didn't know what we had until we were rolling in fall camp. We need to get ready to play by getting guys comfortable with what they are going to do." To get ready to battle the bigger offensive linemen he will be regularly facing, Kindle boosted his weight to 255 pounds 16 pounds heavier than he finished the season and dedicated himself in the weight room during the offseason. He's also come back as a determined and forceful leader in a new role for him.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has noted a change in Kindle since his return for spring ball. "That's why the spring is a lot of fun because you see personalities develop," McCoy said. "You see guys step up and take positions on the team that need to be taken. It's a new position for him and a new role. But he has no doubt that Kindle can emerge as a defensive leader and a big producer wherever he ends up playing. "When I saw him lined up at defensive end, I didn't like to see it as a quarterback," McCoy said. "He's a stud who gets off the edge really quick and can still stop the run. Wherever they put him, Sergio will make plays." That ability will be important as Kindle attempts to replace Brian Orakpo as the team's featured pass-rushing threat.