How the 2020 recruiting class fits in with the 2020 season.

[Austin_Bill]

So I'm going to attempt to figure out how each of our new class will fit in in the up coming season.

1. Bijan Robinson - No red shirt, he should get immediate and considerable playing time. I don't think he will start, especially not at the start of the season, but he is too good to keep off the field.

2. Alfred Collins - No red shirt, Texas is a bit thin at the DE spot and Collins is too good to be denied. If any freshmen can earn a starting spot, I think it will be Collins. We are just so lacking in DE talent. If he transitions over to DT, then I will back off my prediction as we are pretty deep there.

3. Ja'Quinden Jackson - Red Shirt - If he stays at QB he will be a Red Shirt, however if he is moved to another position I expect him to get considerable playing time.

4. Prince Dorbah - No Red Shirt - He will get considerable playing time at LB and Special teams.

5. Kitan Crawford - Red Shirt - If he doesn't red shirt it's because he earned a spot on Special teams. I don't see him getting a lot of minutes as a DB.

6. Jalen Garth - Red Shirt - He needs both muscle and time.

7. Kelvontay Dixon - Red Shirt - Good chance to earn minutes as a Wr if we have injury issues as we are thin.

8. Andrej Karic - Red Shirt - Needs muscle and coaching, he is very raw.

9. Dajon Harrison - Red Shirt - Like Dixon he has a good chance at considerable playing time.

10. Jaden Hullaby - Red Shirt - Unsure where he fits in at this point, he could play a number of different positions, this makes him valuable, but even a swiss army knife needs to be sharpened.

11. Jaylan Ford - No Red Shirt - he is at a position of need and will likly get a lot of snaps on special teams.

Following are already enrolled

12. Hudson Card - Red Shirt - Not much to say, if he doesn't red shirt, then he is either really really good, or we have major injury issues.

13. Vernon Broughton - No Red Shirt - I think he will pass up a few guys and get considerable playing time as a DT.

14. Xavion Alford - Red Shirt - We are just too deep at Safety.

15. Jerrin Thompson - Red Shirt - see Xavion Alford

16. Jake Majors - Red Shirt - just like the rest of the linemen he is going to need a red shirt year.

17. Troy Omeire - No Red Shirt - Too good to keep off the field at a position of need.

18. Logan Parr - Red Shirt - See all the other offensive linemen in this class

19. Sawyer Goram-Welch - Red Shirt - we are just too deep.

 

[BurntOrangeLH]

Jake is an EE, so if he gets good, he could start or spell at center leaving Kerstetter to fill in as 6th man in the rest of the OL.

Dixon might get some plays, but limited to 4 games unless he explodes with the ball.

Omeire may backup Washington if Lewis does not.

Harrison may play if Smith is hurt or Moore does not return.

 

[Austin_Bill]

Pay close attention to Roshon Johnson and JQJ, I think one of them will play some RB next year, maybe both of them, especially since both can play in 4 games and still maintain their red shirt. If this happens it will free up Jordan Whittington to gete more reps as a slot receiver this will really open things up for our receivers.

Receivers to watch in the Spring are Avonte Woodard, Kennedy Lewis, and Marcus Washington.

Next year we need to recruit some difference makers, no more losing out on the best receivers in Texas to Oklahoma and aggsy. Our passing game is too powerful for that. How our receivers do in the NFL draft will tell us more about the direction of our recruiting for this position.

 

[ViperHorn]

If this happens it will free up Jordan Whittington to gete more reps as a slot receiver this will really open things up for our receivers.

Where are you going to move Smith? Both need to be on the field.

 

[LAGA4]

So I'm going to attempt to figure out how each of our new class will fit in in the up coming season.

1. Bijan Robinson - No red shirt, he should get immediate and considerable playing time. I don't think he will start, especially not at the start of the season, but he is too good to keep off the field.

2. Alfred Collins - No red shirt, Texas is a bit thin at the DE spot and Collins is too good to be denied. If any freshmen can earn a starting spot, I think it will be Collins. We are just so lacking in DE talent. If he transitions over to DT, then I will back off my prediction as we are pretty deep there.

3. Ja'Quinden Jackson - Red Shirt - If he stays at QB he will be a Red Shirt, however if he is moved to another position I expect him to get considerable playing time.

4. Prince Dorbah - No Red Shirt - He will get considerable playing time at LB and Special teams.

5. Kitan Crawford - Red Shirt - If he doesn't red shirt it's because he earned a spot on Special teams. I don't see him getting a lot of minutes as a DB.

6. Jalen Garth - Red Shirt - He needs both muscle and time.

7. Kelvontay Dixon - Red Shirt - Good chance to earn minutes as a Wr if we have injury issues as we are thin.

8. Andrej Karic - Red Shirt - Needs muscle and coaching, he is very raw.

9. Dajon Harrison - Red Shirt - Like Dixon he has a good chance at considerable playing time.

10. Jaden Hullaby - Red Shirt - Unsure where he fits in at this point, he could play a number of different positions, this makes him valuable, but even a swiss army knife needs to be sharpened.

11. Jaylan Ford - No Red Shirt - he is at a position of need and will likly get a lot of snaps on special teams.

Following are already enrolled

12. Hudson Card - Red Shirt - Not much to say, if he doesn't red shirt, then he is either really really good, or we have major injury issues.

13. Vernon Broughton - No Red Shirt - I think he will pass up a few guys and get considerable playing time as a DT.

14. Xavion Alford - Red Shirt - We are just too deep at Safety.

15. Jerrin Thompson - Red Shirt - see Xavion Alford

16. Jake Majors - Red Shirt - just like the rest of the linemen he is going to need a red shirt year.

17. Troy Omeire - No Red Shirt - Too good to keep off the field at a position of need.

18. Logan Parr - Red Shirt - See all the other offensive linemen in this class

19. Sawyer Goram-Welch - Red Shirt - we are just too deep.

If you are saying Dixon doesn't redshirt if he plays receiver I agree. With his speed we could use him right now.

If he plays RB or DB then he could very well redshirt.

 

[BurntOrangeLH]

Receivers to watch in the Spring are Avonte Woodard, Kennedy Lewis, and Marcus Washington.

Next year we need to recruit some difference makers, no more losing out on the best receivers in Texas to Oklahoma and aggsy. Our passing game is too powerful for that. How our receivers do in the NFL draft will tell us more about the direction of our recruiting for this position.

JQJ will not play RB unless 5 go down with injuries.

Alvonte and Lewis and Washington should make huge strides this spring. Woodard played really well in the Alamo bowl without the ball as did Washington.

Duvernay is constantly underrated. Collin has improved enough post season to be drafted, hopefully.

 

[Omniscient.one]

Harrison may play if Smith is hurt or Moore does not return.

Are you saying that Harrison would be the best option? Or that in general if circumstances cause a position to become thin that players are moved up the depth chart? I hope the former

 

[BurntOrangeLH]

Are you saying that Harrison would be the best option? Or that in general if circumstances cause a position to become thin that players are moved up the depth chart? I hope the former

Just that he might prove the best back-up opton under adverse circumstances.

 

[Chop]

Unlikely to shirt -- Bijan, Collins, Dorbah, Omiere, maybe one of the other WR depending on how they show at practice.

Broughton, I don't know. He might or might not shirt. He's good enough to fit in our normal 2 deep, but we're currently very deep at interior DT. Coburn, Ojomo, Sweat, Graham (if he moves inside), Carson--some of them will be very good and none of them are chopped liver. It may depend on injuries. Interior DT is the most substituted position, other than perhaps WR. Those big guys need lots of breathers, and they get banged on every play so injuries do happen. He's got to be ready, and if he doesn't shirt, he should get his 4 games of experience.

Not sure if Collins will be SDE or interior DT, but he should be a real horse wherever he lands on the D front. I'd guess SDE.

 

[CreakyHorn]

Several of you are expecting JQJ to contribute next year. Last I heard, he had a serious knee injury. What's the latest progonisis? AB is suggesting that all of the OL recruits will redshirt because... depth! That's a welcome change.

 

[Horns11]

While the redshirt rules have been relaxed some, I'd be shocked if we only burned the shirt for 5 of the incoming class.

There's no doubt that the guys who will play RB/WR won't keep their shirts. We're too thin at either position. And I think that includes Hullaby. Whether JQJ switches to WR is yet to be seen... he doesn't want to do it... in which case he'd shirt due to injury anyhow. I have a bad feeling that it's another John Chiles situation where, if he had switched earlier, he could have made a huge impact. Harrison runs a 4.3 and we haven't had a legit jet-sweep type of guy since Daje Johnson. He's playing.

I think the OL guys actually work their way into the rotation sooner. There are only 4 guys returning with meaningful playing time over the course of their careers. I wouldn't be surprised if all 4 recruits saw early time, and at least 2 of them kept playing as primary backups throughout the rest of the season, probably Majors and Garth.

All of the defensive front seven guys play early and often. Especially Ford from Lone Star... that guy is going to be in every play for us in the near future. And at DB, I think at least 2 of them burn shirts. While it's true that DB is probably our position of most depth, I feel that some of the incoming guys are more talented than what we currently have playing. And Overshown might switch to more of a LB/Rover position.

Card is definitely the big question mark about whether we need him out there. My guess is no because Thompson would just go in for snaps as a last resort. If something happens during Spring/Summer camp that makes him put his name in the portal, then Card might play next season, but that's a huge leap.

 

[Austin_Bill]

Several of you are expecting JQJ to contribute next year. Last I heard, he had a serious knee injury. What's the latest progonisis? AB is suggesting that all of the OL recruits will redshirt because... depth! That's a welcome change.

He is supposed to be ready to go by the fall, but I did forget he was injured. The scouting report on JQJ is that he will likely switch to defense if he doesn't work out at QB. My thought was that he is such a dynamic runner that he could contribute immediately as a RB if we needed him. That is before you reminded me about his injury.

I don't see any of our incoming freshmen linemen with the ability to contribute. They are talented and have a great upside, but none of them are ready to physically compete with our big boys.

Whether JQJ switches to WR is yet to be seen... he doesn't want to do it... in which case he'd shirt due to injury anyhow. I have a bad feeling that it's another John Chiles situation where, if he had switched earlier, he could have made a huge impact. Harrison runs a 4.3 and we haven't had a legit jet-sweep type of guy since Daje Johnson. He's playing.

I have never seen anything that we would switch JQJ to WR. Before his injury, there was talk about him being used in a Roshon Johnson role at RB, or as a linebacker or Safety. Never saw anything about him playing WR.

 

[BurntOrangeLH]

An interesting take on personnel realignment under both new Coordinators.
Main take is Roschon back to RB full time, Whittington to the slot which seems weird with Smith there. Ossai to WDE and some S to LB. Top CB? Josh Thompson.

Open Post | Weekend, February 7th - 9th - The Football Brainiacs - UT Edition

 

[CreakyHorn]

Interesting that TFB considers both Giles and Hagen to be very good recruiters. Hopefully that, plus the new defense, will translate to more and better D-linemen. Also, I keep reading about our linebacker issues. If Ash will be using 4-2-5, then we only need two at a time right? And, there is talk of converting some safeties to LB. It was mentioned that Gary Patterson does this - hmm...). If we do end up with strong play from the 4 D-line, and 5 good safeties playing, what are our concerns at LB?

 

[Austin_Bill]

Our defense has a black hole of of athletic pass rushers. We need to recruit about 2 or 3 this cycle. Looking at some of the changes our defensive coaches are making are very much in line with the changes I expected. Ossai's greatest impact is going to be as a pass rusher. I'm curious who is going to play the other DE spot? We have a couple of guys that could play it, but I think ultimately it will be Alfred Collins that takes it over.

When I look at the talent we have along the defensive line it very much reminds me of what LSU had last year. If anyone watched the last few games they played against aggy, Georgia and in the playoffs, they were playing a bunch of big DTs all over the place. On a few goal line situations they had 5 DTs along the defensive front. Texas has the personnel to do the same thing.

I'm curious which of our safeties will spin down to Linebacker. I believe it will be BJ Foster since the purpose is to have a guy with really good cover skills. I could see both Foster and DeMarvious Overshown both spin down. Of course for these guys to do this, then they need to really hit the weights this off season.

Even with the movement of two of our top safeties we still have a ton of talent there I expect to see Sterns, Owens, and Adamora form a heck of a group of safeties. As I understand it, this is the first time since his freshmen year that Sterns is injury free. Corner is a bit FUBAR right now, but I'm looking forward to what our new CB coach can do with the talent we have back there.

I was actually hoping Roshon would continue to be a RB. I don't know how long it will last, but he is such a consistant player we need him there and I think he has a good chance to get drafted as a RB. Him, Ingram and Robinson would be the best running back situation we have had since 2005.

Our WR room has suddenly become a strength again. With the full time addition of Whittington, and (fingers crossed) Josh Moore will give Texas 6 receivers we can count on for major production. Eagles, Smith, Whittington, Moore, Washington, and Woodard is a pretty good group. Add to that our incoming freshmen and Kennedy Lewis and we should be able to field a lot of guys with excellent depth behind them.