Longhorns Wire writers discuss who they believe will have the brightest playing career with Texas.
The Texas Longhorns 2020 recruiting class is officially all wrapped up. Longhorns Wire writers discussed who they believe may have the brightest career with the Longhorns.
Cami: This is a bit tricky to me, as several of the highest-rated prospects in this class have immediate impact potential, while a few others have more of the long-term potential. For example, I believe with every ounce of my being that running back Bijan Robinson is the best overall player in this specific class, but he will likely share carries as a true freshman. I expect major seasons from him as a sophomore and junior, which would likely result in him declaring for the NFL Draft after his junior season.
In regards to long-term potential, I think the quarterback position will be left in the hands of Hudson Card. He was highly regarded as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation and is already on campus as an early enrollee.
If Ehlinger can stay healthy throughout his senior season, Card will have a full year of development and learning the system. Card is following in the same footsteps as Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger, which leads me to believe he will be the future of Texas football assuming no unforeseen circumstances.
Griffin: The final recruit the Longhorns picked up in the 2020 class was defensive end Alfred Collins. Depending on which site you look at, he is ranked as a five-star or a four-star. No matter his ranking, the one thing that will be true is his impact on this defense. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 284 pounds, he is the best pass-rushing prospect the program has had since Malcolm Brown back in 2012.
Having an extremely difficult time rushing the passer in 2019, Texas was in desperate need of help on the defensive line in this class. Other linemen like defensive tackles Vernon Boughton and Sawyer Goram-Welch will help, but not have the same immediate and future impact that Collins will have.
The defense was the issue throughout last season for Texas, playing too inconsistent and giving up too many yards. If you want to be better on that side of the ball, it all starts with the ability to get to the quarterback. Collins will do exactly that, pairing up with Joseph Ossai as one of the best one-two punches in the entire Big 12.
Patrick: Ultimately when you look at the class as a whole it is solid across the board. Long-term the best player just might be Bijan Robinson. The Longhorns went out and got the best back in the nation. The team wants to run the ball and Robinson is the most well-rounded back in this class. However, Prince Dorbah and Alfred Collins could be the most important to this teams success in terms of immediate impact.
The Longhorns need to impact the game with the pass rush in the same way that Joseph Ossai was able to change the game against the Utah Utes in the Alamo Bowl. Collins and Dorbah will be looking to make the same impact of previous pass rushers like Alex Okafor. The wild card of this entire class might be Kelvontay Dixon. The brother of running back Keaontay Ingram will bring a speed element that will help lessen the blow of losing Devin Duvernay.
