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Leading up to the season in September, Longhorns Wire will project what the depth chart could look like for Texas.
Steve Sarkisian’s defensive coordinator hire was no doubt the most important decision that he had to make while building his coaching staff in Austin. Continue reading “Texas football 2021 projected depth chart, pre-spring defense”
Patrick Conn breaks down Texas football’s depth chart predictions and touches on the new defensive scheme under Pete Kwiatkowski.
“Locked on Longhorns” host Patrick Conn begins the show by diving into the depth chart predictions for Texas football next season.
Who is the favorite to win the quarterback battle now that Sam Ehlinger has chosen to declare for the NFL draft? Is Casey Thompson or Hudson Card in more prime position to take over for Steve Sarkisian? Running back, wide receiver (H) and wide receiver (Z) seem fairly cut and dry. Two positions that might be a little murkier are tight end and wide receiver (X). Who are the leading candidates to win those starting roles?
The next segment is all about the big boys up front. With left tackle Samuel Cosmi off to the NFL, where does Texas turn for the new blindside blocker? Andrej Karic is the name to watch. Karic played 106 snaps in 2020 and didn’t give up a single sack. Junior Angilau at left guard and Denzel Okafor at right guard seem like locks. Jake Majors, much like Karic, took a step forward as the center where Kerstetter was moved back out to tackle. At right tackle, it could come down to Derek Kerstetter and Christian Jones. Will Kerstetter win that battle?
To close the show, Conn takes a look at the new defensive scheme that Pete Kwiatkowski will bring to Austin. He likes to run the 2-4-5 that looks like the 4-2-5. Who could be the outside pass rushers in this scheme? The interior seems a lot easier to peg with Keondre Coburn and Alfred Collins. Conn also touches on inside linebacker fits, who could play the rover safety position and the starters in the secondary.
Take a look at the first official depth chart ahead of the season opener against UTEP.
Texas has released the first official depth chart of the 2020 college football season.
If you’ve been keeping up with the updates throughout fall camp thus far, there aren’t any glaring surprises.
The most notable is the fact that wide receiver Tarik Black has seemingly won the starting job over Brennan Eagles. Many expected Eagles to be the breakout player this upcoming season after the departures of Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay. After all, Eagles is the most experienced receiver on the roster.
Black was a graduate transfer addition from Michigan who joined the Longhorns in April.
Texas has released its first depth chart. Former Michigan WR Tarik Black is listed as a starter ahead of Brennan Eagles. pic.twitter.com/mzN6QBGSeD
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 7, 2020
Running back Roschon Johnson has had one of the most impressive camps of anyone on the roster. He has a realistic chance to take over the starting role, but head coach Tom Herman is comfortable using the committee approach for the time being.
On the defensive side, the primary question marks were who would win the starting roles in the secondary. There is impressive depth and versatility there that will likely flip back and forth as the season progresses.
Caden Sterns was a lock as a free safety, but it’s notable that Chris Brown appears to have deserved the first shot at strong safety. D’Shawn Jamison and Josh Thompson will be your starting cornerbacks, beating out Jalen Green and Kenyatta Watson.
On Thursday’s episode, Patrick and Cami dissect the two-deep depth chart that Chip Brown of Horns247 recently provided.
On Thursday’s episode, Patrick and Cami dissect the two-deep depth chart that Chip Brown of Horns247 recently provided. The chart is based on the rumblings of multiple team sources.
There were a few surprises at running back, wide receiver and quarterback. This must be taken with a grain of salt due to the likelihood of injuries playing a role as well as the timeframe of still being two weeks out from the start of the season. However, it’s certainly telling in terms of which players are performing well.
Sophomore Roschon Johnson appears to have climbed up the depth chart and is currently sitting as the starter. Keaontay Ingram has battled injuries throughout fall camp, while true freshman Bijan Robinson continues to impress.
Could freshman Hudson Card compete for the backup quarterback position behind Sam Ehlinger? Why isn’t wide receiver Brennan Eagles listed as a starter?
To close out the show, we take a look at Texas men’s basketball head coach Shaka Smart’s hiring of SMU assistant K.T. Turner.
If there is one word to describe the safety position for Texas this season, it would be loaded. Caden Sterns and Chris Brown lead the way.
If there is one word to describe the safety position for Texas this season, it would be loaded. Based on high school rankings alone, the Longhorns have four blue-chip players in 247Sports’ latest two-deep depth chart.
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Here is how the safeties line up going into the season opener against UTEP on Sept. 12.
| Free safety | Strong Safety |
| Caden Sterns | Chris Brown |
| Montrell Estell/Tyler Owens | B.J. Foster |
Sterns and Brown have run first-team all camp. It seems at this point that they’re a lock. Sterns, when healthy, is an All-American-type player. He showed that as a freshman. Brown, in addition to being one of the most physical players on the team, is also one of the best leaders on defense.
Pretty incredible that we’re talking about Foster as a backup. Talk about quality depth. Estell has had a better camp than Owens, who is still thinking too much, according to sources.
“The game has slowed down for Estell,” one team source. “The game needs to slow down for Owens.”
Safety Jerrin Thompson was the first freshman to have his rookie stripe taken off. I’m told the kid has just done everything right in terms of work ethic and attitude.
There is no doubt that Caden Sterns is going to be the best safety for Chris Ash’s defense. As 247Sports says, when he healthy, Sterns is an All-American type player. His struggles last season came down to injuries and missed important games such as Oklahoma and TCU.
Chris Brown at strong safety is a real surprise, considering B.J. Foster started in eight of the nine games he participated in. Listed at 5-11 and 187 pounds, Brown is going into his fifth year in Austin and is a redshirt senior.
To play strong safety, you have to be a physical presence, especially down in the box. 247Sports is reporting that Brown has been exactly that.
Foster is more than capable of starting for Texas at strong safety. If Brown is emerging as the partner to Sterns, it shows how strong of competition and how good of a roster the Longhorns have complied.
Moving to the backups and it seems as Montrell Estell and Tyler Owens are still fighting it out for the backup free safety spot. Whoever wins, it will take a lot to get Sterns off the field.
Both Estell and Owens played in all 13 games last season.
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Sophomore running back Roschon Johnson has a great chance to claim the starting role at Texas.
Texas appears to be playing musical chairs with their running backs this offseason. Continue reading “Texas Football: Running back depth chart updates, who’s climbing?”
