Steve Sarkisian impressed by interior defensive linemen

Texas is hoping to make a College Football Playoff push in its final year in the Big 12 and it’ll need some interior defensive linemen to step up if it hopes to do so.

The team has a handful of veterans but also has a core of younger first- and second-year players that it hopes can emerge to provide quality depth.

“For all of those guys it’s about consistency,” coach Steve Sarkisian said. “The flash plays are great, but can we count on you to be in the right gap down after down after down? Can we count on you in the run game, in the pass game, and what does that look like?”

Texas was fairly solid defensively a year ago, with the real problems popping up in the secondary.

The Longhorns ranked 27th in scoring defense but checked in at 53rd in total defense, weighed down by a passing defense that ranked 90th nationally. The interior defensive linemen were generally solid a year ago.

Turning them from solid into a weapon will be key.

The younger cohort could hold that outcome in its grasp. Improve and make an impact and all the sudden Texas could be deadly.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth in all those guys,” Sarkisian said, singling a few out. “I think Aaron Bryant, really early on in camp, especially has made tremendous strides. A guy I’ve been really impressed with has been Jaray Bledsoe. He continues to show up, continues to make plays. Zac (Swanson) was fighting a little bit of just kind of sickness bug, he’s just kind of a little under the weather. So he’s kind of back in the fold now. Sydir (Mitchell), the last couple days I’ve seen some improvement.”

Sarkisian also explained that fall camp is a two-way gauging process for the interior defensive linemen.

While players are trying to get everything they need down to be able to contribute on a regular basis, coaches are finding out realistically where they’re at. Some guys may be able to contribute, even if they can’t be relied on every down just yet.

That’s where the vetting process from the staff comes in.

“We’re constantly trying to find an gather information on the things they do well right now so when that first game rolls around and they go in (Pete Kwiatkowski) and Bo (Davis) are very comfortable with what they call if and/or when those guys are in the game to put them in the best position to have some success,” Sarkisian said.

“If it’s a static front it’s a static front. If it’s moving it’s moving. If it’s putting a guy in position to worry about one gap then it’s one gap. If they’re better when they two gap and eliminate some of that… all those things we try to add up to get information to get ready for early in the season on those types of guys.”