OTF Premium Deep defensive tackle rotation is a key piece of Steve Sarkisian's plan to get Texas over the hump

AUSTIN, Texas — Steve Sarkisian won’t know how the Texas interior defensive line measures up to the program’s last few groups until the No. 1 Longhorns meet No. 3 Ohio State in the Horseshoe on Aug. 30.

Still, through six practices, Sarkisian knew enough to make a definitive statement about Kenny Baker’s unit.

“We're deep,” Sarkisian said after the team's Aug. 5 practice. “That's probably the biggest thing I can say about that group right now. We're playing a lot of guys, which has been good.”

Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins were two of the first 71 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Along with losing two of the most prominent members of a Texas defense that was No. 3 in FBS in total defense (283.4 yards per game and 4.4 yards per play allowed), scoring defense (15.3 points per game allowed) in the red zone (62.9 percent conversion rate allowed), the expired eligibility of Jermayne Lole and Bill Norton put the Longhorns in a position in which the 94 snaps Alex January logged as a true freshman made him the team's most experienced returning tackle.

Cole Brevard (Purdue), Hero Kanu (Ohio State) and Travis Shaw (North Carolina) joined the program out of the transfer portal during the winter window. Even with January and Melvin Hills III back with a year under their belts, and Myron Charles, Justus Terry and Josiah Sharma making up a strong signing class that was on campus for spring practice, Texas went back into the portal and snagged Lavon Johnson (Maryland) and Maraad Watson (Syracuse) heading into the summer.

Ten defensive tackles occupying scholarships on the 2025 roster might seem like overkill. Regardless, Sarkisian wanted to ensure the Longhorns had enough depth to fortify the rotation through what will be a long season if Texas makes another deep run in the College Football Playoff.

“When you look at our team, I think about January,” Sarkisian said. “As much as I'm thinking about Aug. 30, I'm thinking about this journey we're trying to go on.”

While it might take a few games for Sarkisian, Baker and Pete Kwiatkowski to figure out an optimal rotation, a deep mix of tackles is something the Longhorns didn’t have in 2024.

Collins (593 snaps) and Broughton (588) both logged more than 500 snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Lole (469) and Norton (260) were the only other Texas tackles to play more than 100 snaps, with January’s snap total finishing a distant fifth among Longhorn interior defensive linemen.

“Where we're at now, a lot of these guys probably would've been able to spell those guys more than we were able to last year,” Sarkisian said. “I think that's probably the difference. Some of those guys, if they were on our team last season, Vernon and Alfred might not have had to have played as many snaps as they did a year ago.”

What that might look like when the dust settles on the 2025 season is a distribution of snaps similar to how the Texas defensive tackles operated in 2022.

A group that eventually produced six NFL draft picks, including a first-rounder (Byron Murphy II in 2024) and two second-rounders (Collins in 2025 and T’Vondre Sweat in 2024), the defense’s top six tackles in Sarkisian's second season got enough snaps to be impactful during a 13-game campaign. Sweat’s 35.7 snaps played per game led the unit, followed by Keondre Coburn (31.9), Moro Ojomo (31.3), Murphy (30.2), Collins (21.6) and Broughton (20.3).

When looking back at the snap totals within the tackle group in 2021, the Longhorns got more from Sweat (26.3 snaps per game in 2021) and Murphy (24.8), which helped Ojomo (35.9) and Coburn (32.4) maximize their time on the field. A deeper, more effective tip of the spear helped Texas finish 22nd nationally in yards per rushing attempt allowed (3.48) and 32nd in rushing yards per game allowed (125.7), a drastic turnaround from Kwiatkowski's forgettable debut (201.6 yards per game and 5.15 yards per attempt allowed).

According to PFF’s snap totals from the 2024 season, Watson (37.9 snaps per game) logged the most playing time at his previous stop, followed by Brevard (34.7), Shaw (25.9), Johnson (20.5) and Kanu (7.8). Based on their season-long PFF grades, a rotation could help Texas get more consistent production from Watson and Brevard.

No defensive tackle in the Sarkisian era has logged as much playing time in one season as Watson did as a true freshman in the ACC. A few fewer snaps per game could do for Watson what it did for Brevard, whose PFF grade improved from a 60.6 in 2023, when he played in 11 games for the Boilermakers and averaged 35.6 snaps per game, to a 75 last season (a PFF grade of 70 is considered above average).

The competition for snaps will bleed into the regular season, which is fine with Sarkisian. If the master plan Sarkisian put into motion works, and the 2025 defensive tackle outlook rivals what happened in 2022, Baker's group should have a lot left in the tank when it matters most in December and January.

“That's what my goal was coming into the season: Could we develop that room into where we can play a lot of players, a lot of people, so that over time, that wear and tear wouldn't take its toll on us?” Sarkisian said. “I think we've done that.”