Departures of Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton signal end of the 'Assembly Line'
Upon arrival to Texas, Steve Sarkisian inherited a roster sorely lacking in talent nearly across the board. One position group that was more than adequately stocked, however, was defensive tackle.
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In Tom Herman’s first full recruiting cycle, 2018, he signed Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo. He followed that up with T’Vondre Sweat who was for some reason ranked as a defensive end but clearly destined for the interior. In 2020 Herman hit it big with Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton, two highly rated, high-upside players who at the time fit the “tite” front Texas was running. In 2021, Herman gained a commitment from Byron Murphy, though he never coached him.
That’s six signings, all with entirely different body types and skill-sets who have or will be drafted.
How it played out
Coburn and Ojomo played two seasons under Sark at Texas. Coburn was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, Ojomo in the seventh. Sweat and Murphy would elevate play at the position the following year. Sweat would win the Outland Trophy before being drafted in the second round while Murphy went in the first.
Given losses at the position there was quite a bit of fan trepidation heading into the 2024 season. There were concerns regarding both the starters and depth. Admittedly Texas wasn’t as deep as in years past — that’s what happens when four players are drafted in two years — but Collins and Broughton were clearly up to the task of starting.
Grading out
This season, with by far their heaviest workload, the duo scored the fifth and sixth highest PFF grades on the defense after the sensational Austin DB trio of Jahdae Barron, Andrew Mukuba, and Michael Taaffe.
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While PFF is not the end all, be all, the lofty grades certainly lined up with what I saw on the field this season.
Alfred Collins
Vernon Broughton
Note the trend line for each, particularly with rush defense. That’s evidence of two guys taking to S&C and positional coaching to get stronger and more technically sound.
Many factors contributed to this run of NFL DT’s for Texas. Those include good evaluation from the Tom Herman staff, good coaching from Bo Davis and Kenny Baker, and a strong culture instituted by Sark and Torre Becton.
As one era ends we’ll see if a new Assembly Line era can begin. Texas will need a bridge year or two with help from the portal but eventually Alex January, Justus Terry, Josiah Sharma, Myron Charles and others will have a very good chance to follow the footsteps set down by the above six.
