We have heard all offseason about the new wide receivers and gadgets at the disposal of Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns on offense. However, there have been some mighty important pieces added to Pete Kwiatkowski’s side of the ball as well. Several veteran portalers and a freshman class with plenty of talent as well.
Texas finished the 2023 season ranked as the No. 12 ranked scoring defense (18.9 PPG). Having to replace Jaylan Ford, Byron Murphy, T’Vondre Sweat and Ryan Watts won’t be easy, but there is promise here.
One sentence summary of the offense: Plenty of opportunities for folks in the front seven to carve out snap share of their own in 2024, it starts this spring.
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Defense Line
Replacing T’Vondre Sweat, Byron Muprhy and even Trill Carter will prove to be a large task for new Texas DL coach Kenny Baker in year one. Luckily, there are bodies here, the question becomes how much will you be able to rely on each individual body? Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton have the most run time of any in the room. The addition of Tiaoalii Savea is big as well in terms of getting bodies who can defend the run.
Texas must see Jaray Bledsoe and Aaron Bryant turn into rotational pieces this fall – Bryant was at the end of the year to be fair. Can Alex January impress the staff in his first spring? And for Sydir Mitchell, the question is at 372 pounds, can he play at that weight. I am holding out hope but am not entirely encouraged.
Last Note: What was the biggest strength of the Texas defense in 2023 is now its biggest question mark.
Defensive End
Returning Ethan Burke, Barryn Sorrell and Justice Finkley is very encouraging. But adding UTSA transfer Trey Moore and five-star Colin Simmons can turn this room from a solid department to a strength of the team. This is five-man rotation I am expecting to see in the spring make most of the noise.
Other questions include what does J’Mond Tapp turn into heading into year three? Is Colton Vasek finally healthy enough to see a full two months of ball? Zina Umeozulu and Billy Walton serve as great depth and developmental pieces as well.
Last Note: I love the makeup of this room, but now it is about turning pressures into sacks and creating those negative plays off the edge.
Linebacker
I won’t lie to you, this is a position that has seen an increase in skepticism since the end of the season for me. Yes, Anthony Hill Jr. has the tools and makings of an eventual All-SEC player, but who else will join him as reliable pieces in this room? I don’t quite know right now.
David Gbenda had plenty of encouraging moments in 2023 but there is vulnerability in the passing game and teams already targeted him when he had extended snaps a year ago. The Longhorns added Kendrick Blackshire out of the portal, but again, he has his limitations at 263 pounds when dropping into coverage.
Out of this group, I am the most bullish on Liona Lefau and believe by the end of fall camp we could see him as the second linebacker on the field next to Hill come week one.
Last Note: I don’t want to overlook S’Maje Burrell or Derion Gullette either. But right now, there are questions marks at the LB spot that I think stretch beyond the depth side of things.
Nickel
Jahdae Barron put together a masterclass at the position a year ago and returns for what should be one final go-round as a Longhorn. Luckily for Texas, this position has plenty of depth and could allow for some movement for Barron to other spots on the field. Both Barron and Jaylon Guilbeau have cross-trained at outside. Austin Jordan is back for year three in the system as well and if worse comes to worst you could potentially see Andrew Mukuba spun down from the safety spot.
True freshman Wardell Mack has been receiving some run here in offseason workouts.
Last Note: At the end of the day, this spot was a strength on the field with Barron’s intelligence in 2023 and should continue to be reliable for PK’s scheme in 2024 and beyond.
Cornerback
Count me in as a huge believer in the Texas cornerback room for 2024. This spring should be very fun for all involved, though most specifically for guys like Malik Muhammad and Terrance Brooks who will be going against an elite WR group. Gavin Holmes will certainly benefit from this as well. Holmes had a solid 2023, and I have been told this offseason he has brought an incredible mindset to offseason workouts to take an extra leap in the spring.
I am very curious to see how Warren Roberson performs this spring. Roberson is incredibly twitchy and has enough length to be problematic at the line of scrimmage. That then leads me to freshmen bunch of Kobe Black and Wardell Mack and what kind of run they get early. Not expecting a whole lot this early, but I do believe they will benefit from the level of talent they will face on a day to day in camp.
Last Note: Plenty of talent on to be optimistic about the future of this unit. Big leaps are in order for the two returning starters.
Safety
What was probably the most concerning part of the 2023 roster has had a completely face-lift and is now in a position to be the most improved position on the team headed into the SEC. Led by Andrew Mukuba out of the transfer portal and a second year Derek Williams, this unit has significantly more athleticism than a year ago. Add in the ever-so important Michael Taaffe, and I am once again a believer in this position group.
Early enrollee Xavier Filsaime has arguably made the most noise of anyone who made it to campus at the turn of the semester. There is a lot of promise from the McKinney native. Jordon Johnson-Rubell is up to 190 pounds already. He has a tremendous football IQ which leads me to think he will be a viable option at either the centerfield S spot, or a potential move to nickel later on.
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