Jahdae Barron says communication is Texas' key need for improvement in secondary

Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron has spent the past three seasons in the Longhorns secondary. One thing he has learned from that time is that communication is something that a group can never stop learning and improving.

“I will say it would always be communication,” Barron said after a recent practice when asked what needs improvement. “We could do a lot of great things, just everybody being on board. Even if we get the wrong call. If we get the wrong call or whatever, but if we all play the wrong call, it’ll be fine because we’re all playing the same thing. We’re all on the same page. Just being on the same page will be make his way better.

Barron played in 13 games last year with nine starts while earning All-Big 12 honorable mention honors. He had 78 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss, on the season.

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Jahdae Barron to lead a secondary featuring some new pieces

The secondary has two new transfer pickups in safety Jalen Catalon and cornerback Gavin Holmes. Wide receiver Jordan Whittington recently gave his thoughts on the two new transfers and how they are fitting into the system.

“I really like Gavin Holmes,” Whittington said. “I think all of them, man, they came in, and they completely bought into the culture right when they got here. And they’re taking strides, and they are improving really fast. It’s gonna be fun. I can’t hype them up too much because I go against them.”

Holmes is from Wake Forest, he started 14 games in three years with the program. Catalon previously played at Arkansas, where he was an All-SEC first team member during the 2020 season as a redshirt freshman.

The Longhorns recruiting class also has some big-time secondary recruits in it.

Malik Muhammad, an early enrollee out of Dallas South Oak Cliff, is one of the defensive leaders of the class. Muhammad is the No. 49 overall recruit and No. 5 cornerback in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking. The On3 Industry is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four major recruiting media services. The On3 Industry Ranking is the most advanced, complete and unbiased rating and ranking measurement in the industry. 

Four-star safety Derek Williams is also a unanimous top-70 recruit.