A Texas Longhorns secondary worthy of the DBU moniker
When it comes to college football, there has always been a certain luster to the defensive back position. Defensive backs are the flashiest of defensive players by far and always have the best celebrations. As Michael Taaffe has said, “DBs will find any reason to celebrate.”
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Who doesn’t love watching the interesting new ways they find to let receivers know the pass was incomplete? While many programs claim to be Defensive Back University, this moniker is not just a flashy and catchy title. It’s a reflection of a program that has a history of developing elite defensive backs who excel beyond the collegiate level.
Texas deserves that moniker once again thanks to the 2024 secondary.
The 2023 secondary was under scrutiny for their statistical averages being the weak part of the defense last year. Washington’s elite quarterback and trio of NFL receivers smashed through those averages in the Sugar Bowl. Nobody wanted to believe secondary coach Terry Joseph and safeties coach Blake Gideon could turn it around so drastically in just a year, but thus far they have.
According to Pro Football Focus, Texas has the highest coverage grade in the nation with a mark of 94.0, a full point clear of second-place Oregon. The Longhorns also continue to boast the best defensive grade in the nation according to PFF with a 94.6. That’s ahead of No. 2 South Carolina’s 93.9.
A number of players have made this possible. Recently named a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist, Jahdae Barron is a significant reason to thank for his drastic improvement of the cornerback position. He leads the unit with a defensive grade of 88.0. Bringing in proven talent Andrew Mukuba from Clemson elevated the room and it’s shown on the stat sheet and in the advanced metrics. Mukuba sits with a 78.6 grade in coverage. An update on his status is expected on Monday.
There have been strong performances across the board. Derek Williams Jr., before his injury, logged a defensive grade of 77.5. Malik Muhammad is at 74.6. Jelani McDonald has earned a 71.1. Jaylon Guilbeau has made key plays at a difficult position on his way to a 66.4 grade. He cleans things up, as he has the second-highest tackling grade on the team at 85.6.
In first with regards to tackling? McDonald, who has performed admirably in a variety of roles and has a tackling mark of 90.0.
The key has been communication, especially against a variety of offensive styles. Among the secondary nobody understands this better than Taaffe, who has the second highest defensive grade in the Longhorn secondary at 84.6.
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These are the types of players that earn recognition nationally. Texas has had 12 defensive backs named All-American since the program left the Southwest Conference ahead of the 1996 season. The program even nabbed back to back Jim Thorpe Awards from Michael Huff and Aaron Ross in 2005 and 2006.
Further evidence of Texas’ return to DBU status, in addition to draft picks, would be award winners and All-Americans.
Texas has not had a defensive back named All-American since DeShon Elliott in 2017. Before him? It was another lengthy drought dating back to Kenny Vaccaro in 2012.
That could be on the cusp of changing. The Longhorns have received elite play from Barron, Taaffe, Muhammad, and others during the 2024 season, and Barron is a candidate to bring the Thorpe back to Texas for the first time in almost 20 years and join All-American ranks. Taaffe himself could win the Burlsworth Trophy, an honor that goes to the best college football player who started his career as a walk-on.
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A lot of things are back in Austin since the arrival of Steve Sarkisian and his staff. It’s time to add the DBU moniker back to that list. Expect to see several of these guys playing on Sundays keeping the tradition of great Texas defensive backs alive and well.
