Texas DT Alfred Collins announces return for another season

Alfred Collins’ return is as big a win as any portal loss for Texas for 2024.

Alfred Collins is coming back. The defensive tackle announced that he will return to Texas for another season on the Forty Acres.

The Texas Longhorns have endured some big losses both to the transfer portal and the NFL draft. But the news of Collins’ return lofts Texas back into contention for a 12-team playoff barring unforeseen departures.

Outside of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and his pending decision, Collins might be the most important of potential returning players for the team. His importance stems from just how vital its starting defensive tackles were last season.

T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy were two of the best defensive tackles in college football this season. Texas was going to have drop off at the position, but the question at defensive tackle revolved around how severe of a drop off. With Collins in the fold, the Longhorns’ prospects move positively toward contention.

The returning playmaker has been effective and will likely be one of the best defensive tackles in the nation in 2024. The question will be who Texas plays beside him. Fellow defensive tackle Vernon Broughton will likely see plenty of playing time in the rotation, but isn’t big enough to play nose tackle.

Aaron Bryant and Jaray Bledsoe are young, but could factor into the defensive tackle equation alongside freshman defensive tackle Sydir Mitchell. That said, its fair to assume Texas will look to add depth at the position if not another impact starter.

The most important aspect of the position group is that Texas returns its most impactful player outside of Sweat and Murphy. Look for Collins to have the late breakout season Sweat and Keondre Coburn enjoyed in final seasons in Austin.

Report: Texas DT Alfred Collins eyes return to Longhorns in 2024

Alfred Collins could have a final season breakout similar to that of defensive tackles Keondre Coburn and T’Vondre Sweat.

Texas is trending to retain perhaps its second most important returning player behind starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Continue reading “Report: Texas DT Alfred Collins eyes return to Longhorns in 2024”

12 Longhorns named to the 2023 Senior Bowl watch list

Texas has a dozen players that made the Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list.

The Longhorns have one of the more experienced rosters in the country which is one of the main reasons that they are expected to win the Big 12. Continue reading “12 Longhorns named to the 2023 Senior Bowl watch list”

Texas Report Card: PFF grades from the Kansas win

Bijan Robinson and Kelvin Banks were the highest graded players on offense.

After suffering a heartbreaking loss to No. 4 TCU in Week 11, Texas responded in a big way on Saturday by defeating Kansas 55-14. Continue reading “Texas Report Card: PFF grades from the Kansas win”

Texas DL Alfred Collins ruled out vs. UL Monroe

An injury update prior to Texas’ season opener.

Texas will be without defensive lineman Alfred Collins in the season opener against UL Monore on Saturday.

Steve Sarkisian informed the media Collins is not expected to be out for a long period of time. The junior pass rusher was back at practice Thursday and is progressing well.

Collins was responsible for 24 total tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks across nine games in 2021. He is going to be a big part of the Texas defense once he is back on the field.

Outside of the two season-ending injuries to wide receiver Isaiah Neyor and offensive lineman Junior Angilau, Texas is in a relatively healthy position. Running back Roschon Johnson and corner Jahdae Barron are back after nursing injuries throughout fall camp.

Sarkisian credits the work of his training staff for getting his team ready to play to start the year.

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Power ranking Texas’ five best defensive players for 2022

These five players are elite at simply doing their job and could have a big year.

The Texas Longhorns defense struggled in 2021, but not for lack of talent. This season, they will depend on players whose best trait is simply doing their job and making the play.

Texas has the pieces to be a solid defense this season. By that I mean an average Big 12 defense. A host of defensive players will need to step up for that to happen.

DeMarvion Overshown and D’Shawn Jamison are players who could certainly have big seasons.

At safety, Anthony Cook stands to gain from a second consecutive year of reliable play in the secondary. Albeit, I’m not sure even Cook or Overshown fully know what role they will play in the Texas defense in 2022 so I’ve left them off this list.

T’Vondre Sweat, Barryn Sorrell and Keondre Coburn will also have an opportunity to leave their mark on the Texas football season.

With that said, here are my top five defensive players for 2022.

Texas Football: Picking one breakout player at each position

These Longhorns have the potential for monster 2022 seasons.

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas staff have their eyes set on a bounce-back 2022 season.

A rebuilt roster with an influx of talent via the transfer portal and high school ranks has people around the program feeling confident major improvement is coming.

Texas signed the No. 5 recruiting class for the 2022 cycle along with a strong list of exciting transfers, including quarterback Quinn Ewers and wide receiver Isaiah Neyor. The fresh faces on the team hope to establish themselves as premier players in the Big 12 Conference in 2022.

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy and defense back Anthony Cook enjoyed breakout seasons for the Horns in 2021. Texas needs multiple players to step up in a similar way if they want to reach their goal of competing for a Big 12 title this fall.

Here is a look at one breakout candidate for each position group entering the 2022 season. Big seasons from these Longhorns would go a long way towards getting the program headed in the right direction.

Four ways the Texas defense can improve in 2022

The Texas defense can improve in many ways this season.

Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski is hoping to lead a better defense after a frustrating first year. Continue reading “Four ways the Texas defense can improve in 2022”

Offensive line getting all the publicity, don’t forget about the edge rushers

Don’t forget about this group in 2022.

The offensive line recruiting stole all of the headlines in 2022, and for good reason. Big 12 Recruiter of the Year Kyle Flood hauled in two five-stars that could be in line to start immediately, among the impressive class.

In that very same class, the Texas defense secured two of the top edge rushers in the class. They both landed inside the top 12 according to 247Sports composite player rankings.

Perhaps what is even more impressive is that the Longhorns staff ventured into SEC country to snag both of them. This could be an omen for the future when Texas finally leaves the Big 12 Conference behind for the SEC.

Starting with the No. 12 player, Texas signed Justice Finkley out of Alabama.

Based on his measurables, Finkley looks ready to make an immediate impact on the Longhorns’ defense. He feels very much like a Joseph Ossai-type player for Texas. That might be a huge boost in the arm of the defense. Last season no player was able to record more than 2.5 sacks.

Texas also added J’Mond Tapp out of Louisiana, he came in ranked at No. 11. According to 247Sports his NFL comparison is Tampa Bay edge rusher Jermauria Rasco. Both players have an early projection of rounds 4-7 in the NFL draft.

Under the tutelage of Pete Kwiatkowski, who produced several NFL edge rushers at Washington, that could change over the course of their collegiate careers.

Much like the offensive line, Steve Sarkisian and the staff realized they had real issues on the defensive side of the ball. More specifically a disadvantage at pass rusher. No Longhorn recorded more than 15 quarterback pressures over the 12-game season for Texas.

Former Alabama edge rusher Ben Davis was the highest-graded pass rusher according to Pro Football Focus, but he recorded just five pressures. The team got more production out of linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. The team’s leading pass rusher in terms of pressure returns with Alfred Collins. Provided the edge rushers get more attention, that should give him plenty of one-on-one opportunities.

With Finkley and Tapp in the rotation, perhaps we see a bump from the position group that was overmatched in 2021.