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Texas roster 2019

Machinator

By Machinator
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Rockwell Torrey

Rockwell Torrey 1364

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 3/2/2019 at 4:36 AM, Machinator said:

They have players who will medically retire or transfer elsewhere.

Mack's not going to yank scholarships.

Interesting that this is coming from an NC State source; just waiting to rub the tar heel’s face in it.

Edited by Rockwell Torrey
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Machinator
Machinator

With the 2018 season in the books, it's time to look forward to next season. There's a lot that's going to change in the next month with NSD2, transfers, graduation, NFL draft decisions, and other att

closetojumping
closetojumping

See exhibit A as to why Brown shouldn’t play football again. futureman’s parents dropped him on his head as a child, what? 40-50 times? That’s the rough equivalent to the kind of trauma Brown would be

texasstrong12
texasstrong12

Michael Dickson averaged 41.3 yards a punt his FR year. Bujveski average 40.3 yards a punt his FR year.  I bet this would surprise a lot of people. 

HtownHorn

HtownHorn 15243

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Machinator said:

Roster updated for Braun's addition.

Note that Braun has the option to redshirt this season if he so chooses.

We currently have 2 proven starters along the OL, and a bunch of guys that haven't garnered serious reps. Braun isn't RS'ing, outside injury.

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 49910

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Posted

RB (7): K. Johnson (RS Sr), Houston (RS Sr), Porter (RS Jr), Young (Jr), Ingram (So), D. Brown (Fr), Whittington (Fr)

Both Porter and Houston are leaving right??

 

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texifornia

texifornia 58787

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Posted (edited)
43 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

RB (7): K. Johnson (RS Sr), Houston (RS Sr), Porter (RS Jr), Young (Jr), Ingram (So), D. Brown (Fr), Whittington (Fr)

Both Porter and Houston are leaving right??

 

They're in the portal, but they haven't yet emerged on the other side.

I can't believe Porter hasn't jumped on a spot at some G5 or FCS smart school like Rice or William & Mary or something.

Edited by texifornia
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BigHorn'13

BigHorn'13 3480

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5 hours ago, zork said:

what a great add to the team.  

It really is and I'm sure having him will open the run game a little.

Having said that, I'm really surprised they haven't gone after/ gotten an OT. It just seems there are so many options for guard but not tackle as far as guys with multiple years in the program. 

But, it also tells me the faith in Cosmi, Kerstetter and possibly Jones is enough for next season. Just hope we're not depending on Okafor to go back outside or starting a true freshman like Johnson (unless he just looks the part by the time fall rolls around. 

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South Austin

South Austin 53154

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10 minutes ago, Viper said:

having derrian brown on the depth chart seems a little optimistic.

It may just be recognition that he'll be on campus, and that there's nobody else to put after Kirk Johnson with the assumption that Kyle Porter is indeed transferring.  But yeah, he likely won't be wearing pads anytime during the 2019 season. 

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 49910

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Fyi...This Depth Chart is prior to Braun & Tyler committments...

IT -- Depth Chart Ahead of Spring Practice

The first lull in the off-season is already almost over. Spring practice begins March 11th and ends on April 13th before the long lull in the off-season.

QUARTERBACK
Comments: Keep Sam healthy, get the young guys as many reps as possible. Thompson's passing game needs to catch up to his running ability.
First: Sam Ehlinger
Second: Casey Thompson
Third: Roschon Johnson
RUNNING BACK
Comments: "Interesting group this year. Ingram's already bigger and Whittington already looks like he's been through a full off-season. Let's see if he can take a hit. He looks like he can."
Kirk Johnson wasn't mentioned but he'll be in the mix.
First: Keaontay Ingram
Second: Daniel Young OR Jordan Whittington
WIDE RECEIVER
Comments: I'm still learning how much Collin Johnson or Josh Moore will participate this spring. I'm pretty sure Johnson will miss time. Whether or not these two can go obviously affect the chart. Johnson will start at X, and Moore owns H for now.
"Bru's going to have to win it outright. Josh is good and won't be easy to beat." Moore has put on a little weight, apparently. "Bru's another guy who looks like he's already been through an off-season."
"Eagles has looked good of late. Moving real well and big. He better be careful, he'll find himself at tight end." The implication there is Eagles has put on muscle, but moving to tight end was sarcasm. Eagles has always had that frame.
First: X Brennan Eagles, H Bru McCoy, Z Devin Duvernay
Second: X Malcolm Epps, H Jordan Pouncey, Z Al'vonte Woodard
TIGHT END
Comments: I asked if this was the year Leitao would make a jump. "Ah...we'll see. He always looks great running around in shorts. When the pads come on it's a different story."
Big spring for Brewer to prove he's where he was pre-injury.
I'll be listening for Wiley information. I have a feeling he's going to surprise.
First: Cade Brewer
Second: Reese Leitao
Third: Jared Wiley
OFFENSIVE LINE
Comments: The tackles and center are set, at least for now, but it's imperative they find reliable guards and develop depth across the board.
Christian Jones is coming on but perhaps still a year away. We'll see how much of a jump he makes between now and August.
Patrick Hudson giving up football leaves a hole on the depth chart. It's clear to see how much Parker Braun is needed.
Moore and Ghrimai both began to come on late last year but still aren't quite ready. Good news is they're just lacking strength and experience.
I expect Tyler Johnson to work at tackle first but I wouldn't rule out guard.
First: LT Sam Cosmi, LG Junior Angilau, C Zach Shackelford, LG Denzel Okafor, RT Derek Kerstetter
Second: LT Christian Jones, LG ???, C Rafiti Ghirmai, RG Tope Imade, RT Reese Moore/JP Urquidez/Tyler Johnson
DEFENSIVE LINE
Comments: It'll be tough to replace Charles Omenihu and Chris Nelson but they love the depth they have. D'Andre Christmas-Giles is said to be coming on and could even jump Gerald Wilbon. "He's maturing. When he wants to play, he can play."
I asked about Daniel Carson. I haven't heard his name in a while. "He has the size, power, and talent, he just has to put it all together. Probably a year away still. Could play end or nose, but likely end. He's about 290-300 right now."
Marqez Bimage is still out.
Rob “Beto” Cummins is working with the defensive line.
First: 4i Malcolm Roach, NT Gerald Wilbon OR D'Andre Christmas, 4i Ta'Quon Graham
Second: 4i Jamari Chisholm, NT Keondre Coburn, 4i Moro Ojomo
LINEBACKER
Comments: Probably the biggest question mark on the team but at least there are options and some versatility.
McCulloch can play all three positions. Ossai has repped at Rover along with B-backer. Tillman, Johnson, and Floyd could play Rover or Mac, at least in theory.
Expect Orlando to tinker with Mac and Rover throughout camp.
First: Mac Ayodele Adeoye, Rover Jeffrey McCulloch, B-backer Joseph Ossai
Second: Mac Marcus Tillman OR Caleb Johnson, Rover De'Gabriel Floyd, B-backer Byron Vaughns
SECONDARY
Comments: I asked who benefits the most from Brandon Jones missing camp? "BJ Foster and DeMarvion Overshown. Foster will play boundary which allows Overshown to play dime."
What about when Jones eventually returns? "There are so many possibilities with guys who are too good to have on the bench. If it's possible to recruit too well they did it at safety."
Who wins out between Kobe Boyce and Jalen Green? "Whoever plays with more physicality."
Jamison will cross-train nickel and corner. Brown knows how to play nickel and both safety spots.
First: BCB Anthony Cook, BS BJ Foster, FS Caden Sterns, N Josh Thompson, FCB Kobe Boyce OR Jalen Green
Second: BCB D'Shawn Jamison, BS DeMarvion Overshown, FS Montrell Estell, N Chris Brown, FCB Kobe Boyce OR Jalen Green

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BigHorn'13

BigHorn'13 3480

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He'll push for playing time simply because he'll be the 3rd/4th best corner on the team by the time he steps foot on campus. 

Where that plan gets fuzzy is Jamison. I'm of the believe he should be outside. If Josh Thompson is the fastest (or one of) and is more built yet had trouble holding up playing nickle in this defense, I don't see how Jamison fares better. 

I think Jamison is best for field corner, not nickle. 

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texifornia

texifornia 58787

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50 minutes ago, BigHorn'13 said:

He'll push for playing time simply because he'll be the 3rd/4th best corner on the team by the time he steps foot on campus. 

Where that plan gets fuzzy is Jamison. I'm of the believe he should be outside. If Josh Thompson is the fastest (or one of) and is more built yet had trouble holding up playing nickle in this defense, I don't see how Jamison fares better. 

I think Jamison is best for field corner, not nickle. 

Thompson's problem I think is less pure athleticism and more that his head is always swimming. Orlando demands a TON from his nickels and even a relatively smart, heady corner like Locke got lost a lot of the time.

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BigHorn'13

BigHorn'13 3480

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Posted (edited)
44 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Thompson's problem I think is less pure athleticism and more that his head is always swimming. Orlando demands a TON from his nickels and even a relatively smart, heady corner like Locke got lost a lot of the time.

Granted, it's a little early on Thompson to definitively say he can't play the position (not that either of us are saying that.) I just don't think Jamison is physically imposing enough to handle the run fits Locke did a fairly good job of. But I'm not coaching DBs so what do I know?

33 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

I’m not sure if Locke was lost a lot of the time, or if he simply lost athleticism when he gained bulk and could no longer handle the challenges Big XII offenses put before a NB. 

Yeah I don't think he was lost most of the time. I think it was a combination of demanding positional scheme, perhaps lost athleticism like you suggested (although, I'm not entirely certain how athletic he was to begin with) and the competition he faced in a conference full of good to great slot receivers. 

The reason I believe this is because the couple of times he played safety, he did fairly well. And at that position, you need high football IQ and/ or great instincts to build on whatever athleticism is there. If he gets a shot in the nfl it'll be at safety, not nickle. 

Edited by BigHorn'13
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Bobby_Batronic

Bobby_Batronic 1994

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I just watched conference OC’s and QB’s pick on him at will, and frankly am not sure why they didn’t make it a point of emphasis in every game plan. He looked like he lost some change of direction ability and short space acceleration as he bulked up to me. 

I don’t know what his NFL prospects are, but other than an occasional late alignment, not an uncommon sin in this conference’s extreme tempos, he rarely looked lost to me. 

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 49910

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TFB Spring Practice Roster Comments

With spring football practicing opening on March 11th we continue to take a look at each position group for the Longhorns. This week we will direct our attention to the Wide Receivers and Tight Ends on the offensive side of the ball, while we will conclude our look at the defense by focusing on the Defensive Backs.

Offense

*Wide Receivers/Tight Ends*

 Starters:

X: Collin Johnson (6’6 225) Senior

Z: Devin Duvernay (5’11 210) Senior

Slot: Josh Moore (6’1 175) Sophomore

TE: Cade Brewer (6’3 250) Junior

Projected Backups:

X: Brennan Eagles (6’3 225) Sophomore

Z: John Burt (6’3 195) Senior

Slot: Jordan Whittington (6’1 205) Freshman OR Jordan Pouncey (6’1 205) Sophomore

TE: Reese Leitao (6’3 250) Sophomore

Reserves:

X: Malcolm Epps (6’5 230) RS Freshman

Z: Al’Vonte Woodard (6’1 205) RS Freshman

Slot: Jordan Pouncey (6’1 205) Sophomore OR Jordan Whittington (6’1 205) Freshman

TE: Jared Wiley (6’6 240) Freshman OR Rob Cummins (6’5 260) Sophomore

What We Know: Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay return and are expected to be the Senior leaders of the Wide Receiver room. Johnson (68-985-7) contemplated an early entry into the 2019 NFL Draft, before ultimately deciding to return to Texas for his final season with All-American aspirations. Duvernay (41-546-4) is one of the premier deep threats in the Big XII with his straight-line speed and reliable hands. Sophomore Slot WR Josh Moore (7-53-1) was on the field early and often before missing the final eight games of the season with a shoulder injury. He is expected to be a full-go for spring practices. Junior TE Cade Brewer, who was impressive as a True Freshman in 2017, is the leader in the clubhouse heading into spring practices to be the starter for 2019.

What We Hope: Sophomore Wide Receiver Brennan Eagles is an impressive specimen at his size and speed. The hope is that he is able to take the next step and can be relied upon as the X if Johnson is to miss any type of extended time. Texas will be in search of a go-to guy in 2020 and the hopes are that Eagles can be that guy. He needs to flash more in 2019. Senior John Burt was redshirted and will be counted on to bring his track speed (Big XII Champion in the 60M Hurdles) and stretch the field along with Duvernay at the Z. Burt seemingly lost some confidence after his freshman season where he was a starter, but by all accounts, he has continued to persevere and has an opportunity to be a big contributor in 2019 if he can consistently hang on to the football. True Freshman Jordan Whittington is going to be on the field if he is healthy, whether that comes at the expense of a WR or RB remains to be seen.

Texas primarily used one Tight End sets last season. If Cade Brewer is closer to being 100 percent two years removed from his ACL surgery, he would represent a much more athletic target in the passing game than departed Senior captain Andrew Beck did. His primary competition will be Redshirt Sophomore Reese Leitao, whom many Texas fans are interested to see.

What to Watch For: Who will be the fourth Wide Receiver on the field when Texas decides to go to “10” personnel? The slot position is one to keep an eye on, as there may be a battle that takes place between Jordan Whittington and Josh Moore. Texas fans have yet to get a good look at guys like Al’vonte Woodard, Malcolm Epps, and Jordan Pouncey. Epps is especially interesting since Texas appears to want to keep the big-bodied pass catcher at X instead of TE. Pouncey was a featured player in last year’s Orange-White Game, but I don’t remember seeing him at all on Offense during the season last Fall. With the talent that is arriving in the summer in the form of the 2019 class, it would behoove these young men to have strong spring practices and secure their places on the totem pole. True Freshman TE Jared Wiley is an early enrollee but is not expected to be a big contributor in 2019, after spending his Senior season playing Quarterback at Temple High School.

Defense

In the Texas defense, the “Field” Corner refers to the Corner that will take the side of the field that is furthest from whichever hash mark that the ball is placed on. The “Field” Corner is your Cornerback that can cover the most ground. The “Boundary” Corner will always go to the shortest side of the field, where the safety generally can assist more in coverage, if necessary. The “JOKER” in the Texas defense is a Safety/Linebacker hybrid in a 3-3-5 look that Texas aligns in often in the offensively-charged  Big XII.

*Defensive Backs*

Starters:

Field CB: Jalen Green (6’0 185) Sophomore

Boundary CB: Anthony Cook (6’0 195) Sophomore

Nickel: Josh Thompson (6’0 200) Junior OR D’Shawn Jamison (5’10 180) Sophomore

Free Safety: Caden Sterns (6’0 205) Sophomore

Strong Safety: Chris Brown (5’11 210) Junior OR DeMarvion Overshown (6’3 210) Sophomore

JOKER: BJ Foster (6’2 210) Sophomore

Projected Backups:

Field CB: Kobe Boyce (6’0 175) Sophomore

Boundary CB: Donovan Duvernay (5’9 175) Junior

Nickel: D’Shawn Jamison (5’10 180) Sophomore OR Josh Thompson (6’0 200) Junior

Free Safety: Montrell Estell (6’1 200) Sophomore

Strong Safety: BJ Foster (6’2 205) Sophomore OR Chris Brown (5’11 210) Junior

JOKER: DeMarvion Overshown (6’3 210) Sophomore

What We Know: Texas loses both starting Cornerbacks in Kris Boyd and Davante Davis. The duo was solid and brought a ton of experience to the Defensive Backfield for Texas last season. They will return what should be one of the best duos of Safeties in College Football in reigning Big XII Defensive Freshman of the Year Caden Sterns and Senior leader Brandon Jones, who had the option of declaring early for the NFL Draft.  Sophomore B.J. Foster will continue to man the JOKER role, where he proved to be a versatile playmaker. They will be counted on early in the season to provide support for talented Sophomore Corners Anthony Cook and Jalen Green. Junior Josh Thompson, who was up-and-down in 2018, is expected to begin the first spring practices as the starter in the Nickel.

What We Hope: Texas is banking on Cook and Green being as advertised as consensus top-75 national recruits. Cook looked very promising as a Freshman playing in all 14 games, including a start versus Oklahoma State. Green was primarily a Special Teams player and saw limited action on defense. Sophomore D’Shawn Jamison returning to the defensive side of the ball provides Texas with some much-needed depth and competition at the Nickel spot. Jamison was initially recruited to man the Nickel for Texas as a part of a historic 2018 DB recruiting class before spending his Freshman season on offense out of necessity. Texas has question marks at Cornerback and I’m only counting four that are on scholarship heading into Spring 2019. Redshirt Sophomore Kobe Boyce was inconsistent in limited action in 2018 and Redshirt Junior Donovan Duvernay has yet to see much action. Both players will have every opportunity to secure backup roles or possibly more, if one of Green or Cook aren’t ready, or if any injuries were to occur.

What to Watch For: Senior Free Safety Brandon Jones will not participate in spring practices due to having ankle surgery to clean up a high ankle sprain that he played with the handful of games in 2018. What that does is create an opportunity for young players like DeMarvion Overshown, Montrell Estell, and Chris Brown to earn the trust of the Defensive coaches. I am projecting for Brown to begin practices with the first group, but expect for Overshown, Estell, and Brown to all see plenty of run at that Safety spot throughout practices and for a pecking order to form quickly after the pads come on.

Offensive Line Moves

The commitment of Georgia Tech graduate transfer Parker Braun over the weekend really got me thinking. At the beginning of this decade, graduate transfers still weren’t that common of a deal yet. All that I can recall hearing about is Russell Wilson going from NC State to Wisconsin and Greg Paulus going from Duke to Syracuse, to play Football as a grad transfer Quarterback after playing four years of Basketball for the Blue Devils.

I can’t recall having any teammates that were transfers from another program while I was in Austin during 2010 and 2011. The spring of 2012, we brought in big Defensive Tackle Brandon Moore and Offensive Tackle Donald Hawkins from the JUCO ranks. Both guys were recruited from JUCOs, although Brandon had spent a season at Alabama under DL Coach Bo Davis, who was on staff at Texas when he was brought in. Prior to the disaster that was 2010 season, I got the impression that the staff at the time didn’t feel like it was worth the hassle of trying to keep a JUCO transfer eligible (who presumably struggled to qualify out of HS) at a place like Texas or be open to taking a transfer that may not have worked out at a previous stop.

Fast forward to 2018, Texas is coming off of a Texas Bowl win in Tom Herman’s first year as Head Coach. All-Conference LT Connor Williams declares early, leaving a huge hole on the left side of the line. Sam Ehlinger has just led the team in rushing over the course of the entire season with just 381 rushing yards in 13 (THIRTEEN!!!) games. Coach Tom Herman was proactive in finding quick, stop-gap solutions for his program when the options within were not ready. Rice transfer Calvin Anderson and Cal transfer Tre Watson were far from superstars in 2018 for Texas. That isn’t what Texas needed them to be. What they brought on the field was very solid play, but what they brought to the locker room, film room, and weight room, as grown men was exponentially more valuable.

Parker Braun entered his official visit to Texas this past weekend fully intent on taking his other scheduled visits to Ohio State and Florida. What he saw on campus and after spending time with OL Coach Herb Hand and Tom Herman was enough to convince him that he had seen all that he needed to see. Braun, a 2-time All-ACC performer represents possibly the best player on a unit that could be one of Texas’ strongest groups in 2019. It is pretty easy to conclude that the success stories of Anderson and Watson as grad transfers at Texas played a role in Braun feeling confident enough to pull the trigger so quickly.

In Tom Herman’s first recruiting class at Texas in 2017, which was a partial class, he brought in three JUCO players: East Mississippi Community College Kicker Josh Rowland, Northeast Oklahoma A&M Defensive Lineman Jamari Chisholm, and Dodge City Community College Linebacker Gary Johnson. In 2018, Offensive Lineman Mikey Grandy was signed out of the College of San Mateo. And finally, in 2019, Texas signed Butler Community College Defensive End Jacoby Jones and Fullerton Community College LB Caleb Johnson. Both are expected to contribute in 2019. The aforementioned players represent a mixed bag, for sure. But what they also represent is a complete difference in mindset from previous staffs. This current Texas staff seems to fully understand that they inherited a team that was void of dependable upperclassmen talent in 2017. I believe that they know that they still need their recruits to become upperclassmen before Texas is back to where it needs to be. I am encouraged with how proactive they have been in addressing other needs until that happens. The days of a Texas Football staff not exhausting any and all options to make their team the best that it can possibly be appear to be over.

Edited by LTtxfan
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Aces_Full

Aces_Full 41

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2 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

TFB Spring Practice Roster Comments

With spring football practicing opening on March 11th we continue to take a look at each position group for the Longhorns. This week we will direct our attention to the Wide Receivers and Tight Ends on the offensive side of the ball, while we will conclude our look at the defense by focusing on the Defensive Backs.

Offense

*Wide Receivers/Tight Ends*

 Starters:

X: Collin Johnson (6’6 225) Senior

Z: Devin Duvernay (5’11 210) Senior

Slot: Josh Moore (6’1 175) Sophomore

TE: Cade Brewer (6’3 250) Junior

Projected Backups:

X: Brennan Eagles (6’3 225) Sophomore

Z: John Burt (6’3 195) Senior

Slot: Jordan Whittington (6’1 205) Freshman OR Jordan Pouncey (6’1 205) Sophomore

TE: Reese Leitao (6’3 250) Sophomore

Reserves:

X: Malcolm Epps (6’5 230) RS Freshman

Z: Al’Vonte Woodard (6’1 205) RS Freshman

Slot: Jordan Pouncey (6’1 205) Sophomore OR Jordan Whittington (6’1 205) Freshman

TE: Jared Wiley (6’6 240) Freshman OR Rob Cummins (6’5 260) Sophomore

What We Know: Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay return and are expected to be the Senior leaders of the Wide Receiver room. Johnson (68-985-7) contemplated an early entry into the 2019 NFL Draft, before ultimately deciding to return to Texas for his final season with All-American aspirations. Duvernay (41-546-4) is one of the premier deep threats in the Big XII with his straight-line speed and reliable hands. Sophomore Slot WR Josh Moore (7-53-1) was on the field early and often before missing the final eight games of the season with a shoulder injury. He is expected to be a full-go for spring practices. Junior TE Cade Brewer, who was impressive as a True Freshman in 2017, is the leader in the clubhouse heading into spring practices to be the starter for 2019.

What We Hope: Sophomore Wide Receiver Brennan Eagles is an impressive specimen at his size and speed. The hope is that he is able to take the next step and can be relied upon as the X if Johnson is to miss any type of extended time. Texas will be in search of a go-to guy in 2020 and the hopes are that Eagles can be that guy. He needs to flash more in 2019. Senior John Burt was redshirted and will be counted on to bring his track speed (Big XII Champion in the 60M Hurdles) and stretch the field along with Duvernay at the Z. Burt seemingly lost some confidence after his freshman season where he was a starter, but by all accounts, he has continued to persevere and has an opportunity to be a big contributor in 2019 if he can consistently hang on to the football. True Freshman Jordan Whittington is going to be on the field if he is healthy, whether that comes at the expense of a WR or RB remains to be seen.

Texas primarily used one Tight End sets last season. If Cade Brewer is closer to being 100 percent two years removed from his ACL surgery, he would represent a much more athletic target in the passing game than departed Senior captain Andrew Beck did. His primary competition will be Redshirt Sophomore Reese Leitao, whom many Texas fans are interested to see.

What to Watch For: Who will be the fourth Wide Receiver on the field when Texas decides to go to “10” personnel? The slot position is one to keep an eye on, as there may be a battle that takes place between Jordan Whittington and Josh Moore. Texas fans have yet to get a good look at guys like Al’vonte Woodard, Malcolm Epps, and Jordan Pouncey. Epps is especially interesting since Texas appears to want to keep the big-bodied pass catcher at X instead of TE. Pouncey was a featured player in last year’s Orange-White Game, but I don’t remember seeing him at all on Offense during the season last Fall. With the talent that is arriving in the summer in the form of the 2019 class, it would behoove these young men to have strong spring practices and secure their places on the totem pole. True Freshman TE Jared Wiley is an early enrollee but is not expected to be a big contributor in 2019, after spending his Senior season playing Quarterback at Temple High School.

Defense

In the Texas defense, the “Field” Corner refers to the Corner that will take the side of the field that is furthest from whichever hash mark that the ball is placed on. The “Field” Corner is your Cornerback that can cover the most ground. The “Boundary” Corner will always go to the shortest side of the field, where the safety generally can assist more in coverage, if necessary. The “JOKER” in the Texas defense is a Safety/Linebacker hybrid in a 3-3-5 look that Texas aligns in often in the offensively-charged  Big XII.

*Defensive Backs*

Starters:

Field CB: Jalen Green (6’0 185) Sophomore

Boundary CB: Anthony Cook (6’0 195) Sophomore

Nickel: Josh Thompson (6’0 200) Junior OR D’Shawn Jamison (5’10 180) Sophomore

Free Safety: Caden Sterns (6’0 205) Sophomore

Strong Safety: Chris Brown (5’11 210) Junior OR DeMarvion Overshown (6’3 210) Sophomore

JOKER: BJ Foster (6’2 210) Sophomore

Projected Backups:

Field CB: Kobe Boyce (6’0 175) Sophomore

Boundary CB: Donovan Duvernay (5’9 175) Junior

Nickel: D’Shawn Jamison (5’10 180) Sophomore OR Josh Thompson (6’0 200) Junior

Free Safety: Montrell Estell (6’1 200) Sophomore

Strong Safety: BJ Foster (6’2 205) Sophomore OR Chris Brown (5’11 210) Junior

JOKER: DeMarvion Overshown (6’3 210) Sophomore

What We Know: Texas loses both starting Cornerbacks in Kris Boyd and Davante Davis. The duo was solid and brought a ton of experience to the Defensive Backfield for Texas last season. They will return what should be one of the best duos of Safeties in College Football in reigning Big XII Defensive Freshman of the Year Caden Sterns and Senior leader Brandon Jones, who had the option of declaring early for the NFL Draft.  Sophomore B.J. Foster will continue to man the JOKER role, where he proved to be a versatile playmaker. They will be counted on early in the season to provide support for talented Sophomore Corners Anthony Cook and Jalen Green. Junior Josh Thompson, who was up-and-down in 2018, is expected to begin the first spring practices as the starter in the Nickel.

What We Hope: Texas is banking on Cook and Green being as advertised as consensus top-75 national recruits. Cook looked very promising as a Freshman playing in all 14 games, including a start versus Oklahoma State. Green was primarily a Special Teams player and saw limited action on defense. Sophomore D’Shawn Jamison returning to the defensive side of the ball provides Texas with some much-needed depth and competition at the Nickel spot. Jamison was initially recruited to man the Nickel for Texas as a part of a historic 2018 DB recruiting class before spending his Freshman season on offense out of necessity. Texas has question marks at Cornerback and I’m only counting four that are on scholarship heading into Spring 2019. Redshirt Sophomore Kobe Boyce was inconsistent in limited action in 2018 and Redshirt Junior Donovan Duvernay has yet to see much action. Both players will have every opportunity to secure backup roles or possibly more, if one of Green or Cook aren’t ready, or if any injuries were to occur.

What to Watch For: Senior Free Safety Brandon Jones will not participate in spring practices due to having ankle surgery to clean up a high ankle sprain that he played with the handful of games in 2018. What that does is create an opportunity for young players like DeMarvion Overshown, Montrell Estell, and Chris Brown to earn the trust of the Defensive coaches. I am projecting for Brown to begin practices with the first group, but expect for Overshown, Estell, and Brown to all see plenty of run at that Safety spot throughout practices and for a pecking order to form quickly after the pads come on.

Offensive Line Moves

The commitment of Georgia Tech graduate transfer Parker Braun over the weekend really got me thinking. At the beginning of this decade, graduate transfers still weren’t that common of a deal yet. All that I can recall hearing about is Russell Wilson going from NC State to Wisconsin and Greg Paulus going from Duke to Syracuse, to play Football as a grad transfer Quarterback after playing four years of Basketball for the Blue Devils.

I can’t recall having any teammates that were transfers from another program while I was in Austin during 2010 and 2011. The spring of 2012, we brought in big Defensive Tackle Brandon Moore and Offensive Tackle Donald Hawkins from the JUCO ranks. Both guys were recruited from JUCOs, although Brandon had spent a season at Alabama under DL Coach Bo Davis, who was on staff at Texas when he was brought in. Prior to the disaster that was 2010 season, I got the impression that the staff at the time didn’t feel like it was worth the hassle of trying to keep a JUCO transfer eligible (who presumably struggled to qualify out of HS) at a place like Texas or be open to taking a transfer that may not have worked out at a previous stop.

Fast forward to 2018, Texas is coming off of a Texas Bowl win in Tom Herman’s first year as Head Coach. All-Conference LT Connor Williams declares early, leaving a huge hole on the left side of the line. Sam Ehlinger has just led the team in rushing over the course of the entire season with just 381 rushing yards in 13 (THIRTEEN!!!) games. Coach Tom Herman was proactive in finding quick, stop-gap solutions for his program when the options within were not ready. Rice transfer Calvin Anderson and Cal transfer Tre Watson were far from superstars in 2018 for Texas. That isn’t what Texas needed them to be. What they brought on the field was very solid play, but what they brought to the locker room, film room, and weight room, as grown men was exponentially more valuable.

Parker Braun entered his official visit to Texas this past weekend fully intent on taking his other scheduled visits to Ohio State and Florida. What he saw on campus and after spending time with OL Coach Herb Hand and Tom Herman was enough to convince him that he had seen all that he needed to see. Braun, a 2-time All-ACC performer represents possibly the best player on a unit that could be one of Texas’ strongest groups in 2019. It is pretty easy to conclude that the success stories of Anderson and Watson as grad transfers at Texas played a role in Braun feeling confident enough to pull the trigger so quickly.

In Tom Herman’s first recruiting class at Texas in 2017, which was a partial class, he brought in three JUCO players: East Mississippi Community College Kicker Josh Rowland, Northeast Oklahoma A&M Defensive Lineman Jamari Chisholm, and Dodge City Community College Linebacker Gary Johnson. In 2018, Offensive Lineman Mikey Grandy was signed out of the College of San Mateo. And finally, in 2019, Texas signed Butler Community College Defensive End Jacoby Jones and Fullerton Community College LB Caleb Johnson. Both are expected to contribute in 2019. The aforementioned players represent a mixed bag, for sure. But what they also represent is a complete difference in mindset from previous staffs. This current Texas staff seems to fully understand that they inherited a team that was void of dependable upperclassmen talent in 2017. I believe that they know that they still need their recruits to become upperclassmen before Texas is back to where it needs to be. I am encouraged with how proactive they have been in addressing other needs until that happens. The days of a Texas Football staff not exhausting any and all options to make their team the best that it can possibly be appear to be over.

Posters like this is why I enjoy Surly.  Great analysis and write-up.  

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ztejas

ztejas 44114

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2 minutes ago, Machinator said:

He's not going to be here in the spring.

Ah my mistake. Thought he was an early enrollee. 

Is Bru's participation contingent on what happens with his NCAA waiver, then, or is it a safe bet hes ineligible for Spring ball?

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Machinator

Machinator 32102

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23 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Ah my mistake. Thought he was an early enrollee. 

Is Bru's participation contingent on what happens with his NCAA waiver, then, or is it a safe bet hes ineligible for Spring ball?

Nah, Bru can practice and participate in all normal team activities before the season.

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Tex Long

Tex Long 4616

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49 minutes ago, Red Five said:

It would be unfortunate if we all got to watch Bru in two spring games before playing any actual real football.

It would. I think it's up to Lynn Swan, not the NC2A, right? Shirley Lynn wouldn't be that big an asshole, would he?

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11784

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11 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Lynn Swann does not approve transfer eligibility waivers. He’s got no role in this other than his words and actions might have been used as evidence by Bru’s attorney in their application.  

Based on interviews with McCoy Family, I think they have some incriminating Kingsbury texts. The guy lied through his teeth for a month. There's something in writing out there. 

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Tex Long

Tex Long 4616

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1 minute ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Kingsbury ... lied through his teeth for a month. 

What lies did Coach Bro tell? I assumed that he played the Mac Brown (FMB) cards, and said things like "I have no plans to leave USC to coach elsewhere."

It does seem that no one on the Forty, from Bru to CDC, has any worries...

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11784

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2 minutes ago, Tex Long said:

What lies did Coach Bro tell? I assumed that he played the Mac Brown (FMB) cards, and said things like "I have no plans to leave USC to coach elsewhere."

It does seem that no one on the Forty, from Bru to CDC, has any worries...

If the McCoys asked : Hey Coach K are you interviewing with NFL teams, and he told them no, but he actually taking interviews, it looks very bad. In my opinion if the McCoys can build a convincing timeline, the waiver will get approved. They just have to demonstrate Kingsbury lied, and it's over. 

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