Tag: Tyler Owens

Former Texas DB Tyler Owens to transfer to Texas Tech

Tyler Owens has found a new home.

Former Texas defensive back Tyler Owens has found a new home after entering the transfer portal in October.

The former four-star from the dreaded class of 2019, which has seen an absurd amount of attrition, was unable to ever truly crack the rotation. He mostly contributed on special teams, but did see one start during his time as a Longhorn.

He will be staying in-state, and even the same conference, as it was reported on Wednesday that he will transfer to Texas Tech. He will play for new head coach Joey McGuire who has hit the recruiting trail hard ever since taking the job as the Red Raiders new man in charge.

Owens at one point even flirted with the possibility of moving to linebacker in the offseason like DeMarvion Overshown, who was also once a defensive back. However, the move never came and for the third straight year he found himself buried on the depth chart.

As a Longhorn, Owens recorded 13 total tackles and one pass deflection. He will look to make an impression for McGuire this offseason in hopes of carving out a bigger role, and he will be immediately eligible due to the one-time transfer rule.

Texas DB Tyler Owens enters NCAA transfer portal

After never consistently cracking the lineup, junior defensive back Tyler Owens has decided to enter his name into the transfer portal.

Texas is starting to experience some midseason roster changes, as junior defensive back Tyler Owens has decided to enter his name into the transfer portal.

The move was reported by Inside Texas on Friday. Owens has not had quite the impact as a Longhorn that he or the fan base were expecting. The former four-star prospect out of Plano, Texas has accumulated 13 total tackles and one start in his three seasons in Austin.

Owens has made a total of 27 appearances throughout his collegiate career, and was unable to crack a spot in the rotation this season. He saw limited action in five games making a couple tackles.

When he first committed, he was known for his elite speed. However, he was unable to find the field due to the safety spot being quite full. During this past offseason, he teased Twitter hinting that he may make the switch to linebacker like DeMarvion Overhsown did, but that never seemed to come to fruition.

Coming out of high school, Owens held 15 offers from schools such as Baylor, Houston, Nebraska, and UCLA. There are currently no predictions as to where he may continue his playing career at this point.

Players can choose to withdraw their name from the transfer portal, but for someone like Owens who does have immense potential and has rather found himself buried on the depth chart, that likely won’t happen.

Texas DB Tyler Owens drops hint at potential position switch to linebacker

Texas safety Tyler Owens struggled to see the field last season. On Wednesday, he hinted at a potential move to linebacker on Twitter.

Juwan Mitchell’s entrance into the transfer portal, again, has left a hole in the middle of Texas’ defense. Last season’s leading tackler and starting middle linebacker will not be returning to the team this time, and Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate will be looking for a replacement.

In our bold predictions for the spring, Longhorns Wire mentioned that Mitchell’s loss will not hurt the team too badly — for good reason.

Based on last season’s depth chart, Jaylan Ford or David Gbenda both seem reasonable options. Each was recruited as a linebacker and each is in position to compete for Mitchell’s starting spot. However, could there be another safety to linebacker transition?

DeMarvion Overshown was moved into the box last season, thriving as an outside linebacker and becoming a real leader of Texas’ defense. On Wednesday, safety Tyler Owens hinted at the possibility of him making a similar move, joining Overshown at linebacker.

Owens was a hard-hitting safety coming out of Plano East High School. Even better, he is one of the fastest players on the field. Owens’ personal-best 100-meter time in high school was 10.29, but he ran a 10.38 to finish second in the state at the 6A level in 2019. Good luck to opposing offenses on finding a player who can outrun Owens.

Overshown seemed to enjoy the idea as well…

Agent Zero is correct, seeing him and Owens in the same box would be a scary sight for offenses. Linebackers with coverage skills as former defensive backs are a plus, especially with how often Kwiatkowski drops eight.

Owens has struggled to see the field during his two seasons. B.J. Foster and Chris Brown have held down the strong safety spots, with the former projected to start there this season. A switch to linebacker would be a fast track to playing time for Owens.

Texas Translation: Projecting linebackers in Kwiatkowski’s scheme

With the new defensive scheme being deployed for the Texas Longhorns, let’s take a look at who might be factors at the linebacker position.

Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski is bringing a new scheme to Austin. The defense runs a four-man front with two defensive tackles and two outside linebacker-pass rusher hybrids. At the second level, PK’s scheme deploys two inside linebackers.

In Chris Ash’s scheme, they ran a weakside linebacker (WILL) which was typically DeMarvion Overshown’s role. The second linebacker was the middle linebacker (MIKE) manned by Juwan Mitchell. With Kwiatkowski’s scheme, the linebackers are deployed as two inside linebackers, similar to inside linebackers in a 3-4 scheme.

Texas’ two starters from a year ago are projected to once again be the focal points at the second level in 2021.

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Linebackers Personnel

(Courtesy of Patrick Conn/Longhorns Wire)

The two linebackers in this scheme will have to be able to play sideline to sideline. That means they must be able to operate in space and cover a lot of area. When it comes to an instinctive, physical player that can handle himself in open space, Overshown is the player that comes to mind immediately.

With the depth at linebacker, Jaylan Ford would be an ideal candidate for the position as well. He has the ability to move sideline to sideline but lacks the in-game experience, but that should come in time. The 2021 recruiting class additions of Morice Blackwell and Terrence Cooks could find their way to the field as well given their athleticism at the position.

One candidate to move to linebacker is current safety Tyler Owens. He’s a player who can make plays in the open field. That is the biggest key when it comes to playing the position for Kwiatkowski.

Texas Football: Where the safeties sit as season approaches

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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Longhorns Profile Snapshot: No. 44 Tyler Owens

LonghornsWire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Texas roster. Today, we will be looking at sophomore S Tyler Owens.

Going into the 2020 football season, LonghornsWire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Texas roster.

Over the summer, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Tom Herman this season.

Today, we will be looking at sophomore safety Tyler Owens.

Tyler Owens, Safety

Height: 6-2 / Weight: 205

Class: Sophomore

Hometown: Plano, Texas

High School: Plano East

HS ranking (247Sports): Five-star / No. 24 overall / No. 3 position / No. 4 in-state

HS ranking (Rivals): Four-star / No. 62 overall / No. 6 position / No. 11 in-state

Analysis: While Tyler Owens was a five-star recruit on 247Sports, he was only a four-star on their composite. He joined Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster as five-star safeties on Texas’ roster. Coming out of Plano, Texas, Owens was the Longhorns’ fifth-highest recruit in the 2019 class.

The safety played in all 13 games last season, getting one start against TCU. He totaled eight tackles but was not able to force any turnovers. Most of his production from 2020 was on special teams.

Owens will have to fight for playing time again this season, going up against B.J. Foster to line up across from Caden Sterns. Safety is Texas’ deepest position going into the 2020 season and even if one of the stars goes down, players such as Owens will be able to step in and not miss a beat.

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