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Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn is questionable to return against West Virginia after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter.
Promising defensive tackle Keondre Coburn is now questionable to return against West Virginia after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter. Continue reading “Texas DT Keondre Coburn questionable to return against West Virginia”
With the Texas Longhorns set to kick off the season on Saturday, Longhorns Wire takes a look at areas of concern for the opener.
The start of the Texas Longhorns football season is finally upon us. A little over 24 hours away from the UTEP Miners and Texas Longhorns kicking off at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Recently the Texas Longhorns named their team captains for the season, really no shocking selections. It just means that we are that much closer to 18,000 fans piling into DKR. Hopefully this is a Big 12 Championship contending season for the burnt orange faithful.
This game is not expected to be one that is even relatively close. The UTEP Miners are coming off a 1-11 season in 2019. They struggled to defeat a FCS foe in Stephen F. Austin, in which they fell behind early 14-3. While they were able to rally from behind, if the Miners and quarterback Gavin Hardison find themselves down early it could be over before the first quarter ends. Texas is clearly the more talented team, it is just a matter of if the Longhorns buy into their own hype and overlook UTEP.
Even being heavy favorites according to BetMGM, there are still areas for concern in the upcoming game. This is the first live action for many of these Longhorns. The incoming freshman class such as Bijan Robinson and Alfred Collins getting their opportunity to prove their value and why they were 247Sports Composite five-star recruits.
We start with Longhorns Wire’s areas of concern with the health of the team.
With the 2020 college football season approaching, the Texas Longhorns are kicking off fall camp on Friday. Three groups to watch.
It has been a long time since we have seen the Longhorns on the football field in a practice setting. Ever since the team’s dismantling of Utah in the Valero Alamo Bowl, the countdown has been on. On Friday Texas makes their long awaited return to the practice fields on the Forty Acres.
With the start of fall camp in Austin, we can finally start to get a better understanding of what this team could potentially look like this season. Since spring football was cancelled many players trained at home during the pandemic in preparation of the upcoming season.
Early Morning Grind with The Kid aka Vernon Jr…
BROUGHTONSTRONG..
HOOK'EM.. pic.twitter.com/x9oB6pKxuY— Vernon Broughton Sr (@VernonBroughto3) May 1, 2020
The defensive line unit is just one of the groups on the football team looking for answers. Joseph Ossai will be moving up from his linebacker spot to be more of a pass rusher in the new look Chris Ash defense as the ‘Jack’. Add in newcomer Alfred Collins to go along with Ta’Quon Graham, Keondre Coburn and Marquez Bimage. There should be plenty of excitement from the group.
On the other side of the ball there is the wide receiver group. Brennan Eagles spoke early on about not playing this season but the growing consensus thinks that he will play. Eagles moved in with quarterback Sam Ehlinger and that might be a reason why he decides to play. It seems like a lock that he would take over the ‘X’ receiver spot with Collin Johnson now in the NFL.
Sam Ehlinger to Brennan Eagles for the 73-yard TD — the longest TD pass of Ehlinger's career! 🔥
(đź“Ť @WellsFargo) pic.twitter.com/4ZDkxdJcir
— ESPN (@espn) September 22, 2019
There there is Jordan Whittington but he is nursing an injury that likely will keep him out of practice. At least for now. Jake Smith has the opportunity to take a stranglehold on the slot role in this offense. Over the last several years, the slot receiver has been one of the most dangerous aspects of the offense. On the other side opposite of Eagles, we are eager to see how Tarik Black and Joshua Moore look. Who will get the leg up in the competition.
The running back spot is always a hot topic. Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson return from the 2019 team. They will be joined by newcomer Bijan Robinson. While Ingram is nursing a hamstring injury, Johnson and Robinson have an opportunity to showcase their skills. This will be a time to shine for Bijan as he tries and get acclimated to the college game.
One of the players that doesn’t get much fanfare, Keondre Coburn is one of the best players who should be talked about more.
There are lofty expectations for the Texas Longhorns defense. With a new man in charge, the defense will be counted on to have more of an impact. Joseph Ossai, Caden Sterns, D’Shawn Jamison and Juwan Mitchell are all returning to help lead the defense. One of the returning defenders that isn’t receiving the same amount of fanfare is redshirt sophomore Keondre Coburn. He was recently listed as one of the best players that no one is talking about.
247Sports writer Brad Crawford on Keondre Coburn:
As a redshirt freshman last season, the game seemed to slow down for Coburn, who was efficient from the interior as a player who routinely disrupted what was happening in the backfield. One of Coburn’s top qualities was shifting where the play was going — even if he didn’t make the stop or qualify for a hurry. To say he’s a load at 6-2, 350 is an understatement and his best days appear to be ahead of him.
As the big man in the middle of the defense, the change in defensive philosophy could help Coburn’s productiveness. Last season Coburn accounted for 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He appeared in eight games in 2019 after playing in two games as a true freshman. The redshirt sophomore should make a bigger impact in the upcoming season.
A productive season could push Coburn towards the 2021 NFL Draft. Following the 2020 season he would be eligible for the draft since it would mark his third year following his high school graduation.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine names eight Longhorns to their All-Texas college team with five on the first team.
In the state of Texas football is king. Our lives from Friday through Monday night are often times filled with different football games to watch or attend from high school to the NFL. One huge staple in the Lone Star State is Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine. Recently they released their All-Texas team with eight current Longhorns and one former Texas product.
Former Longhorn signal caller Shane Buechele made the list as the best quarterback in the state. The other “bests” with Longhorns ties belong in the trenches.
Samuel Cosmi is viewed as not only the best offensive lineman in the state of Texas but the Big 12 Conference as well. Keondre Coburn hasn’t been generating the same level of NFL Draft hype as his offensive counterpart but under Chris Ash’s defense, that could change in 2020. With a change in defensive scheme, Coburn could find himself earning a lot of money in the NFL with a strong performance in 2020. The former high school All-American is entering his redshirt sophomore year and could declare for the draft with a strong year.
Now for the first team selections
In a countdown to the 2020 season, we remember the best players in Texas Longhorns history. Who were the best to wear 99 and 98?
College football is set to kickoff the season on September 5th. For the Texas Longhorns they are scheduled to host the South Florida Bulls at Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin. That kickoff is set for 98 days (at time of publishing) from now. In a kickoff series we remember the best players in Texas Longhorns history.
Continue reading “Countdown to Texas Football: Greatest 99 and 98 in Longhorns history”
