OTF Premium Final Confidence Rankings of Texas Position Rooms Entering 2025 (10:15 a.m. Thursday)

[CJ Vogel]

Two days ahead of kickoff, I wanted to revisit position room confidence rankings ahead of the season.

This was an exercise I posted earlier in the offseason, but given that things have changed since the beginning of fall camp, it is worth revisiting expectations and evaluate where things stand by position group.

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1. Linebacker

Steve Sarkisian mentioned he has four starters at the position and I believe him. Anthony Hill Jr. is the national name, but look for TyAnthony Smith to surprise a lot of folks. Lefau and Moore round out a very talented 2-deep at backer.

2. EDGE

Headlined by Colin Simmons, Texas has its healthiest group of pass rushers that I can remember. The room is deep, talented and hungry.

3. Quarterback

When your quarterback is Arch Manning, it elevates the room into conversations it otherwise wouldn't be in. Matthew Caldwell has some experience and it appears that the hope for KJ Lacey is rising by the day.

4. Safety

Returning a 2nd Team All-American is just the start. Derek Williams Jr. returns to the field and joins 2024 breakout player Jelani McDonald to make for a very sturdy front line. Xavier Filsaime received plenty of praise as fall camp progressed as well.

5. Defensive Line

The talk of the offseason was the five portal additions to the Texas defensive line room, and while there isn't any continuity, there is experience and that is my biggest selling point at five. Alex January will start, now pick Cole Brevard or Maraad Watson and high ceiling remains.

6. Running Back

 CJ Baxter's return to the field has been a revelation in fall camp and for good reason. Texas' running back room looks significantly different from this time a year ago, though they don't crack the top five simply out of the "Go Prove It" aspect for Baxter. Very bullish on this room.

7. Cornerback

I feel great about Malik Muhammad taking the next step, though am waiting to see how the opposite cornerback position plays out. Sources have expressed confidence in Jaylon Guilbeau, and his experience should certainly help. Kobe Black had moments, but not much burn. Perhaps the star of the defense is just that, STAR Graceson Littleton.

8. Tight End

Adding Jack Endries to this unit allowed for a very firm floor for what to expect in 2025. Now the versatility of Endries, Washington, Shannon and Townsend gives Texas as deep and multiple of a tight end room as Sarkisian has ever had at Texas. The No. 8 ranking comes just as a result of other talent elsewhere.

9. Wide Receiver

The glaring question mark right now is what is happening with Emmett Mosley V. Until there is a specific time table for when we will see Mosley on the field, this room takes quite a hit. Two players have receptions in the room, and even with Livingstone's pending emergence, there just is not any other type of production at the moment.

10. Offensive Line

Depth is in question and the guys in the film room are still playing musical chairs with the starting five this close to game time. Could the offensive line be better in run blocking this fall? Perhaps, but I have quickly detoured away from this unit being an overall improvement from a year ago when four guys ended up on NFL rosters.

[tommynobis]

OL. Sheesh. 

[John F.]

LB is so deep Spence didn’t even get a mention. 

[CJ Vogel]

Just now, John F. said:

LB is so deep Spence didn’t even get a mention. 

Expect him more off of the EDGE, but LB remains very deep.

[Assistant Regional Manager]

Good sign as a program when all 4 of the lowest-ranked rooms still have surefire NFL guys in them. 

[HDub1995]

@CJ Vogel hypothetically is there anything you would’ve liked to have seen differently with the OL to prepare for losing 4 guys?

Guessing it is what it is. Hard to replace 4 NFL guys, but curious to get your thoughts. 

[CJ Vogel]

1 minute ago, HDub1995 said:

@CJ Vogel hypothetically is there anything you would’ve liked to have seen differently with the OL to prepare for losing 4 guys?

Guessing it is what it is. Hard to replace 4 NFL guys, but curious to get your thoughts. 

I would have liked to have seen the offensive line not jumbled around three days before kickoff for the season, and I don't just mean due to injury. The Stroh/Neto news is great because of competition, but not necessarily instilling a lot of confidence in one or the other and therefore the group.

Plus, it's just new. That's what happens when you have minimal turnover no one from 2022-2024. New takes time.

[EHoff99]

Trey Owens down at 4th on the depth chart? That's unfortunate but suppose at the same time, its encouraging to hear for Lacey.

[CJ Vogel]

Just now, EHoff99 said:

Trey Owens down at 4th on the depth chart? That's unfortunate but suppose at the same time, its encouraging to hear for Lacey.

Holding out hope for Trey.

In that same breath, the returns on KJ and his ability to create with his legs have been spectacular dating back to the spring.

[Bunk Moreland]

14 minutes ago, CJ Vogel said:

I would have liked to have seen the offensive line not jumbled around three days before kickoff for the season, and I don't just mean due to injury. The Stroh/Neto news is great because of competition, but not necessarily instilling a lot of confidence in one or the other and therefore the group.

Plus, it's just new. That's what happens when you have minimal turnover no one from 2022-2024. New takes time.

They must be panicking about Neto getting Arch killed in pass pro. I can’t think of any other reason for changing things up this close to game time, even if Stroh is showing out well as has been reported. Definitely concerning to hear. I’ve gotta believe Ohio State is going all out to try and collapse the pocket like Georgia did so effectively last year.

[f1revo]

If that's true about the OL, that means the guys in the 22' class not named Banks didn't pan out like they intended them to.

[Hornito]

Just curious, is there an explanation for Wingo not having a bigger role last year? I’m excited for a breakout, but I recall Bobby singing his praises all camp last year, and he was good early against Michigan. With Bond’s struggles you might thought the young “superstar” would come on quickly. He seemed to fade. We’ve heard about the lasik, but I’m just curious if there was a reason he didn’t seem to grow in role throughout last year. Was he struggling with anything specific? Just a freshman wall? 

[Bunk Moreland]

40 minutes ago, f1revo said:

If that's true about the OL, that means the guys in the 22' class not named Banks didn't pan out like they intended them to.

I mean, Cam Williams was drafted and probably would have been very good had he stayed one more year. DJ Campbell hasn’t lived up to his ranking but he almost certainly will be drafted. He’s pre-season all-SEC. Hit rate of 50% on 6 OL is pretty solid. That’s beating the math. I think the problem has more to do with the misses in recruiting since then. Flood just hasn’t brought in enough blue chip linemen since 2022, which has hurt our talented depth.

[Flynn]