2022 Texas Longhorns Position Outlook: Defensive Tackle

No Texas interior defensive lineman cracked the top ten of the team’s total tackle leaderboard in the 2021 season. Much of that had to do with there being only two defensive tackles on the field in defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s ideal system, but it also was indicative of average play from some of Bo Davis’ charges during the Longhorns’ 5-7 campaign.

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Last year when Jacoby Jones, the top Jack for Kwiatkowski’s system, went down for most of the season, Texas simply didn’t have a player there to make the 2-4-5 work. Alfred Collins was not best suited for that spot, and the combination of Barryn Sorrell and Jett Bush couldn’t hold up on the edge despite their best efforts. With all that in mind, it was difficult for Kwiatkowski to pivot to a system mid-year that emphasized the marginally stronger talent on the interior.

2022’s spring practices presented Kwiatkowski and Davis time to make that pivot possible that wasn’t there in 2021. The miss on TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis following spring football made their choice to emphasize the amount of starter-level players at defensive tackle appear cogent. After all, most of the experienced defensive line talent at Texas was recruited to play in a three-man front in the first place.

A three-man front does not necessarily mean an odd front the likes of which Todd Orlando ran throughout his tenure. However, it does put players Orlando sought after into similar positions, and asks them to do much of the legwork for the 7-8 players behind it to be able to fly to the football.

With so much experience in the room — two fifth-year seniors, a fourth-year senior, a third-year junior, a third-year sophomore, and a second-year sophomore — Texas is relying on physically developed linemen to do a lot of literal and figurative heavy lifting for the 2022 defense. However, it’s heavy lifting they have not always been able to successfully raise in full.

To say the season depends on the performance of this group would not be accurate. However, they can have an effect on the 2022 season in the same way they had an effect on the 2021 season: by not having much of one at all.

2022 Position Outlooks: Cornerback

2022 defensive linemen

Departures: Myron Warren (transfer portal), Jordon Thomas (transfer portal)

Returners: Keondre Coburn, Moro Ojomo, T’Vondre Sweat, Alfred Collins, Vernon Broughton, Byron Murphy

Newcomers: Jaray Bledsoe (early enrollee), Aaron Bryant (early enrollee)

Signing class: Kristopher Ross

2021 Production

Ojomo logged 29 tackles and three tackles for loss, plus a pass defended in 12 games of action. Collins was right behind him with 24 tackles, 5.0 TFL, and 2.0 sacks. Sweat was next with 22 tackles, 2.0 for loss, and 1.0 sack.

Coburn and Murphy notched 15 total tackles apiece. Coburn had 2.0 for loss with 1.0 sacks, while Murphy had 3.5 for loss with 2.0 sacks.

Broughton had five total tackles with 0.5 sacks.

Spring review

Sarkisian praised his defensive front on April 21, specifically highlighting how his defense has played the run.

“Our run defense has been really good all spring,” Sarkisian said. “We have some pretty good runners that we have to try and stop. I think that’s been a really bright spot defensively.”

Other comments from Sarkisian about his offense highlighted success the defensive front had, specifically when mentioning the need for his O-line to be able to create running lanes even when the defense knew the run was coming.

Some of that was evident in the spring game. At other times, it was a glaring problem, like when Jonathon Brooks or Roschon Johnson broke free.

With big, athletic bodies like Coburn, Sweat, and Broughton, plus disruptors like Collins and Murphy, Texas has a variety of D-linemen who can muddy things up for the offense trying to run the football. Interior runs weren’t a gigantic issue last year, it seemed to be outside runs that gave the Longhorns the most problems.

Whoever is manning the field side end spot will need to be cognizant of that. There will be schematic strategies used to help alleviate the strain on the D-line, but they still need to hold up their end of the bargain and it sounds as if the spring included positive steps toward that end.

The pass rush, however, will be unproven, especially from the defensive interior. Not in the, “who will do it” sense like with the EDGEs, but in the “who CAN do it” sense.

Texas will rely on the experience of this unit to dictate the fortunes of the Longhorn defense in 2022. Whether that experience turns to excellence is the biggest question staring down these players in many of this group’s final season on campus.