AUSTIN—Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley were country kids who dreamed of playing football together at tiny Abilene Christian.

Afternoons were spent rolling around in sandlot games and watching the Division II school, where their fathers had been teammates and roommates.

Their talent soon outgrew their dreams. The Wildcats’ loss turned out to be Texas’ gain.

Although the best friends went to different high schools in small towns several hours apart, those playground games proved serendipitous when McCoy, a quarterback, and Shipley, a wide receiver, both ended up...

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