The core four of the 2023 Texas defense

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

6 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Out of curiosity, how come you morons aren’t obsessing over our strength and conditioning program this go around?

LOL that's always my favorite thing that comes up around coaches. It even came up last year under Sark....amazing what wins and better talent does to that.

5 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Because it improved.  

Same guy as last year that people bitched about all off-season.

[Constant 6722]

I think I was most impressed with Barron. Physical play from him every time I watched. Also, seemed good in coverage to this outsider. 

[Vertigo 20267]

Here is my list of things in order that I am most bullish on for next season:

Interior DL: Sweat, Collins, Murphy, Broughton, plus young guys like Sydir Mitchell, Dylan Spencer, Kris Ross, and Jaray Bledsoe could be salty for a long time. 

Corner/Nickel: Brooks is an upgrade over Jamison straight up, Watts will have another year of development, and Barron is a difference maker. Pair that with Gilbeau as a primary backup to go along with Malik Muhammad, Jamier Johnson, and Austin Jordan should give plenty of depth. I would be surprised to see them go portal here.

Inside Linebacker: Ford is obviously the dude, but next to him we have some very good options to replace Dorsey/Overshown who both had obvious shortcomings as a LB. I don't buy Gbenda ever being a starter, I think it is one of Hill (if he commits), Burrell, or Lefau. The problem is they are all true freshmen. Portal is an option, but if you land Hill, you may bypass that decision.

Safety: Thompson coming back provides continuity and a good player, and I really want to see BJ Allen make a move at the other safety. I have heard rumblings of some portal options here, so if that happens, I think you finally have some genuine depth, particularly if Derek Williams sticks. Hell, Williams may end up your starter regardless.

my list of things in order That we need big improvements:

EDGE: Sorrell is a solid floor setter and a capable player, but he is not a true game changer yet. Can he continue to improve? Sure, and I hope he does. Behind him, Ethan Burke has looked interesting much faster than I thought he would, but he needs 2 years in a strength program to really maximize. On the other side, we threw numbers at the problem to no avail. Overshown, Ovie, Richardson, etc. Nothing really worked. Portal is a must unless Tapp has a Jaylon Ford moment, or Vasek somehow comes in as the second coming of JJ Watt.

OLB: Ovie was what he was. We should get an upgrade at this position next year via Portal. If Derrion Gullette is as good of a football player as athlete then he could be the future. Both he and Lefau are great in space. Gullette was manning up wideouts prior to his injury. I like the long term options here, but need someone to step in next season.

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by Vertigo

[Hookem2147 20932]

33 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Isn't Mitchell an EE?

Yes. Mitchell, Lefau, Vasek, Muhammad and Williams are the EE on defense.

[Hookem2147 20932]

1 minute ago, Vertigo said:

EDGE: Sorrell is a solid floor setter and a capable player, but he is not a true game changer yet. Can he continue to improve? Sure, and I hope he does. Behind him, Ethan Burke has looked interesting much faster than I thought he would, but he needs 2 years in a strength program to really maximize. On the other side, we threw numbers at the problem to no avail. Overshown, Ovie, Richardson, etc. Nothing really worked. Portal is a must unless Tapp has a Jaylon Ford moment, or Vasek somehow comes in as the second coming of JJ Watt.

Burke is a Buck, right? So you have Burke/Tapp/Dorbah/Walton/Harris (I guess) at Buck replacing Ovie and Sorrell/Finkley/Bledsoe at Jack. Could they start out Vasek at Buck before moving to Jack down the road?

Definitely agree we need a solid floor setter at Buck to add to the room. 

[Vertigo 20267]

13 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Burke is a Buck, right? So you have Burke/Tapp/Dorbah/Walton/Harris (I guess) at Buck replacing Ovie and Sorrell/Finkley/Bledsoe at Jack. Could they start out Vasek at Buck before moving to Jack down the road?

Definitely agree we need a solid floor setter at Buck to add to the room. 

They will pair Burke and Vasek across from each other, the question is simply who is the better pass rusher to go to Buck. Personally I like Burke at the Jack, he is a really violent player at the point of attack, he just needs to get stronger and he has the frame to add the muscle.

Edited November 27, 2022 by Vertigo

[TheMailBox357 213]

2 hours ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

I'm curious to see how Justice Finkley develops over the spring. I know many were surprised by us pulling a freakish athlete like him out from Alabama. He's played in 11 games this season but I'd be lying if I said I remembered him dominating on any specific play. Is he too small to consistently play the edge or is this a case of a young guy learning to play at a different level?

 

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

He’s not as big as you’d like, but he wasn’t just getting mauled when he played. My view is that he’s going to be solid, but not dominant, even for brief spells. He needs to get stronger and get more experience. I assume he starts and replaces OvieO next year. That will be a net gain on defense. OO was being abused early against Baylor and it seems like they replaced him with Finkley and that stabilized the edge as the game wore on. 

Hopefully the film dorks will come along and tell me I’m an idiot and how you should really feel about him though.  

LOL. CTJ this is what Scipio Tex wrote on how the UT defensive staff fixed the issue of Oghuofo get dominated early in the Baylor game:

 

A great group effort from all of the interior guys, but the insertions of Collins and Ojomo on the edge with DMO on the opposite edge firing in at SAM linebacker changed the complexion of the defense. Oghoufo was having trouble holding up to the volume of outside runs and this was also degrading his pass rush. Substitution and a scheme tweak solved the problem. Alfred Collins had 4 tackles, a sack (he pushed his OL into a scrambling Shapen) and two big pressures. Moro Ojomo was also extremely active, notching 7 overall tackles including an early hustle tackle for no gain on a 3rd and 8 midfield run that had Baylor gotten a few positive yards, would have led to a 4th down conversion attempt and quite possibly a scoring drive. A fresh Oghoufo was reinserted late and pass rushed well in the late 4th quarter. 

[Codaxx 5602]

30 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

Here is my list of things in order that I am most bullish on for next season:

Interior DL: Sweat, Collins, Murphy, Broughton, plus young guys like Sydir Mitchell, Dylan Spencer, Kris Ross, and Jaray Bledsoe could be salty for a long time. 

Corner/Nickel: Brooks is an upgrade over Jamison straight up, Watts will have another year of development, and Barron is a difference maker. Pair that with Gilbeau as a primary backup to go along with Malik Muhammad, Jamier Johnson, and Austin Jordan should give plenty of depth. I would be surprised to see them go portal here.

Inside Linebacker: Ford is obviously the dude, but next to him we have some very good options to replace Dorsey/Overshown who both had obvious shortcomings as a LB. I don't buy Gbenda ever being a starter, I think it is one of Hill (if he commits), Burrell, or Lefau. The problem is they are all true freshmen. Portal is an option, but if you land Hill, you may bypass that decision.

Safety: Thompson coming back provides continuity and a good player, and I really want to see BJ Allen make a move at the other safety. I have heard rumblings of some portal options here, so if that happens, I think you finally have some genuine depth, particularly if Derek Williams sticks. Hell, Williams may end up your starter regardless.

my list of things in order That we need big improvements:

EDGE: Sorrell is a solid floor setter and a capable player, but he is not a true game changer yet. Can he continue to improve? Sure, and I hope he does. Behind him, Ethan Burke has looked interesting much faster than I thought he would, but he needs 2 years in a strength program to really maximize. On the other side, we threw numbers at the problem to no avail. Overshown, Ovie, Richardson, etc. Nothing really worked. Portal is a must unless Tapp has a Jaylon Ford moment, or Vasek somehow comes in as the second coming of JJ Watt.

OLB: Ovie was what he was. We should get an upgrade at this position next year via Portal. If Derrion Gullette is as good of a football player as athlete then he could be the future. Both he and Lefau are great in space. Gullette was manning up wideouts prior to his injury. I like the long term options here, but need someone to step in next season.

 

Bledsoe didn’t put on much weight. He might not make it inside as people originally expected. 

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

4 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

Bledsoe didn’t put on much weight. He might not make it inside as people originally expected. 

My guy, he didn't play HS football he entire senior year.....the weight lifting and college conditioning probably made him lose a lot of the bad weight he may have had. I'd expect to see him bulk up this off-season as you generally don't put on mass during a season.

Edited November 27, 2022 by BurntOrange&White

[Codaxx 5602]

8 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

My guy, he didn't play HS football he entire senior year.....the weight lifting and college conditioning probably made him lose a lot of the bad weight he may have had. I'd expect to see him bulk up this off-season as you generally don't put on mass during a season.

He was an early enrollee. He redshirted. Your first year on campus is usually where you see your biggest gains. His only snaps this year came from the edge, not DT.. perhaps he gains weight and moves, but I’m assuming there was a reason he was moved to edge 

Edited November 27, 2022 by Codaxx

[SuckitKevin 915]

43 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

LOL that's always my favorite thing that comes up around coaches. It even came up last year under Sark....amazing what wins and better talent does to that.

Same guy as last year that people bitched about all off-season.

He deserved criticism, trying to convince people that players needed an entire season before they could learn to lift weights properly was one of the dumbest statements that ever came out of one our coaches mouths.

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

2 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

He was an early enrollee. He redshirted. Your first year on campus is usually where you see your biggest gains.

As I said, I bet the training he got caused him to lose bad weight and replace it with more muscle mass. I'd imagine we see him bulk this off-season.

2 minutes ago, SuckitKevin said:

He deserved criticism, trying to convince people that players needed an entire season before they could learn to lift weights properly was one of the dumbest statements that ever came out of one our coaches mouths.

lmao....okay bud. Blaming S&C for our players not trying at all last year was retarded.

[Horn Dogg 3808]

Are we saying we’re cool with PK hanging around?  I think I’m there, but was wondering what others thought.

[TheMailBox357 213]

51 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Out of curiosity, how come you morons aren’t obsessing over our strength and conditioning program this go around?

 

50 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Because it improved.  

 

44 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

LOL that's always my favorite thing that comes up around coaches. It even came up last year under Sark....amazing what wins and better talent does to that.

Same guy as last year that people bitched about all off-season.

@BurntOrange&White You're forgetting that Nahlin did report on changes were made to S&C program earlier this year. I believe they ended up consulting a UT alum who is a Hall of Fame S&C coach or athlete.

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

1 minute ago, TheMailBox357 said:

 

 

@BurntOrange&White You're forgetting that Nahlin did report on changes were made to S&C program earlier this year. I believe they ended up consulting a UT alum who is a Hall of Fame S&C coach or athlete.

Oh yeah the consultant....right! lol

[SuckitKevin 915]

3 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

As I said, I bet the training he got caused him to lose bad weight and replace it with more muscle mass. I'd imagine we see him bulk this off-season.

lmao....okay bud. Blaming S&C for our players not trying at all last year was retarded.

Not what I said at all, bud

[ClubWhatever 12087]

1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Oh yeah the consultant....right! lol

So why do you think the same DL players didn’t get pushed around this year?  Coburn went from playing patty cake standing straight up to being pretty much unblockable in one year.  

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

2 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

So why do you think the same DL players didn’t get pushed around this year?  Coburn went from playing patty cake standing straight up to being pretty much unblockable in one year.  

Because the defensive line this year wasn't asked to do what they did last year. Last year they were asked to eat up blocker....this year we rushed them more? And if you disagree with that then you don't know shit about football.

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by BurntOrange&White

[Codaxx 5602]

13 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

As I said, I bet the training he got caused him to lose bad weight and replace it with more muscle mass. I'd imagine we see him bulk this off-season.

lmao....okay bud. Blaming S&C for our players not trying at all last year was retarded.

The #1 reason to believe that Bledsoe will be on the edge is the fact the coaches moved him there. Would be odd to move a player from DT to Edge and waste a year of coaching, if you believe he will put on the weight and be a DT next year. It’s possible, but that would appear to be bad roster management 

[SuckitKevin 915]

Just now, BurntOrange&White said:

Because the defensive line this year wasn't asked to do what they did last year. Last year they were asked to eat up blockers....this year we rushed them more?

 

I believe scheme helped. Sark hinted that Bo Davis was given more control of the dline this off-season but Coburn lost weight and appeared to get weaker last year. The other thing Sark said was that the players didn’t lift as much his first year because they had to learn how( to me that was an excuse for something that he knew was a mistake). I believe it was remedied. You may not like the 9.95ers but for my money, IT is the best. They were saying this as well. I don’t think this is a dumb opinion but I’ve been called worse, so whatever.

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

7 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

The #1 reason to believe that Bledsoe will be on the edge is the fact the coaches moved him there. Would be odd to move a player from DT to Edge and waste a year of coaching, if you believe he will put on the weight and be a DT next year. It’s possible, but that would appear to be bad roster management 

I'm all for going bigger with athletic defensive linemen...just creates match up nightmares. Him being able to slide in or out depending on package would be better, yes?

Edited November 27, 2022 by BurntOrange&White

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

 

7 minutes ago, SuckitKevin said:

I believe scheme helped. Sark hinted that Bo Davis was given more control of the dline this off-season but Coburn lost weight and appeared to get weaker last year. The other thing Sark said was that the players didn’t lift as much his first year because they had to learn how( to me that was an excuse for something that he knew was a mistake). I believe it was remedied. You may not like the 9.95ers but for my money, IT is the best. They were saying this as well. I don’t think this is a dumb opinion but I’ve been called worse, so whatever.

I think the reason he did it that way was a legitimate reason. The S&C under Tom herman was some early 2000s meathead shit. We had tons of players too bulky for their positions, we had tons of soft tissue problems, etc. Flexibility and change of direction training was smart to build the base.

[Ignatius 4002]

3 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Because the defensive line this year wasn't asked to do what they did last year. Last year they were asked to eat up blocker....this year we rushed them more? And if you disagree with that then you don't know shit about football.

 

Lol….here’s my opinion and if you disagree YOU DON’T KNOW SHIT!!!!!

Edited November 27, 2022 by Ignatius

[Bodacious Bevo 3576]

For me, an early sorting of our defense would be something like this: 

Returning contributors
Studs: Ford, Barron, Murphy, Sweat, Watts
Good contributors: Thompson, Sorrell
Solid baseline: Taafe
I still believe: Crawford, Collins, Gbenda, Broughton, Blackwell
Young guys in line for a bigger role: Guilbeau, Brooks, Finkley
 

Young guys and croots
Liked what I saw in limited action: Burke, Tapp
Might get rotation work: Bledsoe, Ross, Jordan, Bryant
True frosh that might get some work: Hill, Vasek, Williams, Muhammad, Mitchell

 

Redshirts: Gullette, Burrell, Spencer, Lefau, Walton,
Depth: Bush, Richardson, Coffey, Brockermeyer, Dorbah, J. Johnson
Depth but not in a bad way: Brice, Turner-Gooden, Harris, Swanson
Lowkey worried they didn't get a single snap: Allen, T. Johnson, Brown

[DanTheHorn 4901]

On 11/27/2022 at 1:08 PM, Horn Dogg said:

Are we saying we’re cool with PK hanging around?  I think I’m there, but was wondering what others thought.

I am very hopeful PK is going to be fine since I liked the hire based on his resume. For some time there it sure looked like he was not fit to lead a defense without his other half. Maybe he still needs someone but things sure changed after the Come to Jesus Meeting with Sark and that staff. Now Sark needs to have a Come to Jesus with himself.

[pyrohornIII 4809]

Did Burke play enough to get his shirt burned?

 

[Fumbles 299]

My biggest worries on the defense for next year are:

(1).  LB.  After Jaylan Ford, the roster is a smoking crater of JAGs and outright busts.  Choate's development of Jaylan Ford is revelation which gives me some hope that Gbenda or Dorbah can become quality starters, but they haven't flashed anything like Ford did at the end of the 2021 season.  Jett Bush is slow and has poor instincts.  The dude lives to create highlight moments for our opponents.  And everyone else on the roster couldn't even get snaps over Jett Bush, so.....yeah, I'm nervous.  Bring in two transfers, secure Anthony Hill, and process the dead weight.

(2).  Safety.  After Jerrin Thompson, nobody has shown they can put it all together.  Again, there is hope.  in 2021 we looked completely lost at safety.  Then in 2022, both Jerrin Thompson and Anthony Cook showed fantastic progress and the safety position went from a weakness to a strength on the defense.  So, again, there is precedent for development with this staff and faith is justified.  Kitan Crawford seems athletic enough, but he has trouble with mental lapses.  Morice Blackwell seems like a spin-down linebacker candidate rather than a true safety.  I could be lazy and say Michael Taaffe is white, therefore bad.  But I'll try a little harder and say Taaffe is more Dylan Haines (athletically limited but scrappy player with nice moments counterbalanced with big gaffes) than Blake Gideon (fundamentally sound, quality starter).  If Taaffe is getting more than 10-20 snaps a game next year, we've mismanaged the roster.  Bring in a transfer and hope someone else has a breakout offseason.  

Between Ryan Watts, Jadae Barron, and Terrence Brooks, I'm comfortable with our starters at corner/nickel.  The depth behind them is a little dicey, but I don't see any need for a transfer there.  Assuming Sweat comes back, I feel like we have an excellent top 4 DT rotation with Sweat/Collins/Murphy/Broughton.  Hot take alert: I don't think we need a transfer at edge.  Between Sorrell and all the young talent we've stacked at edge, I think we'll be fine next year.  If there's a difference-maker in the portal, by all means go get 'em, but that's a luxury more than a need in my mind.  

[texifornia 56522]

 

[Bodacious Bevo 3576]

I'm also excited to see how PK incorporates new things with this defense. He did some cool stuff with box safeties, dominant NTs, anti-air raid stuff, etc. while he was at UW. That takes time and talent though.

[Thatguy 8503]

On 11/27/2022 at 1:15 PM, BurntOrange&White said:

Because the defensive line this year wasn't asked to do what they did last year. Last year they were asked to eat up blocker....this year we rushed them more? And if you disagree with that then you don't know shit about football.

 

 

On 11/27/2022 at 4:37 PM, Ignatius said:

Lol….here’s my opinion and if you disagree YOU DON’T KNOW SHIT!!!!!

   

[LTtxfan 48977]

18 hours ago, texifornia said:

 

 

SCIPIO TEX

The Texas Longhorns 2023 Defensive Nucleus

Paul Wadlington•about 20 hours

Jahdae Barron (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

God laughs at Man’s returning projections in the world of early NFL draft entries, breezy portals and easy NIL, but let’s give it the old college try and pretend there are no surprises.

Texas has a lot of work to do in the offseason developing the young talent already on campus and hitting the portal to fulfill some key needs, but the core returning nucleus is quite promising. The staff has the necessary scaffolding to build out the ’23 defense on all three levels. Look to the coming bowl practices and bowl game to serve as a preview for important spring auditions.

Defensive Line

Barryn Sorrell

T’Vondre Sweat

Byron Murphy

Alfred Collins

An important potential core four return up front.

Sorrell had a big bump up in play from freshman to sophomore and there’s little reason to think that trend line won’t keep pointing up as a junior. His 5.5 sacks led the team and he still has physical upside.

Sweat actually played more snaps than the emergent Keondre Coburn in ’22 and he’ll get an even bigger lion’s share in ’23. Ideally, Bo Davis will develop or find one more big body depth piece inside to keep him fresh. With a focused offseason, Sweat has the baseline talent to go from a late round draft pick to a second day draftee.

Byron Murphy played good ball all year but he lost snaps with the interior logjam of talent. Losing Coburn and Ojomo frees up a lot of snaps for him. 2023 should be his year.

Alfred Collins’ inclusion may get pushback, but he played well over the last half of the season and had a major impact last week against Baylor. He will be forced to accept the responsibility of a primary role and I expect that to grow him.

Needs: Texas has some good young players on campus that will be key to filling out the two deep and finding an emergent starter. As for portal browsing, Texas could really use an experienced starter edge and perhaps an additional body inside. The former is a priority, the latter is a luxury. Collins/Sweat/Murphy have the potential to be a good interior pass rushing trio and Collins offers the additional flexibility of playing outside. The 2nd line potential of Finkley, Bledsoe, Tapp, Ross etc is considerable.

Linebacker

Jaylan Ford is the only name but the 2022 Texas Defensive MVP is a good one. He led the team in tackles, interceptions, forced fumbles and he became a powerful stabilizing force over the course of the season. He can get even better.

Needs: The need for a starting off-the-ball linebacker from the portal to complement Ford is screaming. The only thing better would be two starting level linebackers to create instant depth and to allow Pete to play more 3-3 looks.

Defensive Back

Jerrin Thompson

Ryan Watts

Jahdae Barron

The best three players in the ’22 secondary should return. That’s great news.

Thompson’s body caught up to his will this year and he still has developmental meat on the bone in terms of recognition and physical development. Getting back the guy who lines everyone up is always a positive.

Barron finished the season on fire and led the team with tackles for loss, in no small part because he’s an absolute savage against the wide receiver screen game and misdirection. Whether Barron is best used at nickel or cornerback will depend on organic development elsewhere and the portal bounty. Potential star.

Ryan Watts revealed himself as a plus coverage corner with elite ability in run support and as the overhang against certain spread formations. Mature, stable, physical, plays through injury. A player that Texas wants to build its identity around.

Needs: Guilbeau and Brooks aren’t proven enough to warrant nucleus status at this stage, but their offseason growth would make this unit a team strength. Portal? Texas badly needs a high level starter addition at safety and possibly another corner. The good news is that grad transfer safeties with plenty of scalps on their belt are typically in good supply. Quality safeties with 25-40 FBS starts are surprisingly common every year.

Final Thoughts

That’s 8 core players I feel very good about it or am fairly confident in projecting their upside as opportunity becomes available. Now the defense needs to fill out 15 more spots (and 3-4 starters) with organic growth from young talent and a big offseason in the portal. If Texas can plug the right holes with Ryan Watts level transfers at each level of the defense and get the expected growth from the youngsters, the ’23 defense will have a higher upside than ’22.

[Pig Bellmont 8691]

On 11/27/2022 at 2:08 PM, Horn Dogg said:

Are we saying we’re cool with PK hanging around?  I think I’m there, but was wondering what others thought.

Only if Patterson stays on staff