Five Texas Longhorns who personify improved development
Through the years, countless fans of the Texas Longhorns have downplayed the importance of recruiting rankings, because, “if stars matter so much how do you explain Texas?”
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The quick answer is development and deployment also matter quite a bit. It stands to reason, if the players are in place but teams aren’t winning, there’s a significant breakdown somewhere. That breakdown resulted in two failed coaches following Mack Brown.
It’s been too long since we’ve seen consistent development on the Forty Acres. It’s no coincidence many of the best Longhorns of the past handful of years were also internally driven maximizers. Players like Poona Ford, Charles Omenihu, and Joseph Ossai didn’t improve so much because of their environment, they were self-starters who were always going to show growth over time. You want as many players like these as you can find, but you’ll never be able to build an entire program around players that mature and are talented. That has to be cultivated.
Development comes from the coaches through team culture, skill development, S&C, and finally, putting them in position to showcase their ability. We’re already seeing a fair amount of that early in the season. Here are five players in particular who are standing out through improved play.
NT Keondre Coburn, SR: Coburn flashed as a redshirt freshman before plateauing and maybe even regressing his sophomore and junior seasons. A bigger body type, he’s always going to carry a lot of weight, but it was quite encouraging to see him leaner in June. That foreshadowed the quicker, more disruptive player we’ve seen early this season.
On the young season, Coburn has six tackles, five hurries, and one sack. NFL scouts are taking note.
RT Christian Jones, SR: Jones has always possessed good baseline traits for offensive tackle. He has length, he can move his feet, he’s flexible, and plays with leverage in the run game. Coming out of high school he had a very long developmental curve but if the Alabama game is a good indication, he’s now hitting his stride. Interestingly, until this season he was a better run-blocker than pass-blocker. That isn’t the case this season. Watch him stonewall an Alabama defender which helps enable a beautiful connection between Hudson Card and Bijan Robinson.
S Jerrin Thompson, JR: Thompson has improved in two key categories: as a leader in the secondary he’s become indispensable, and he’s been tremendous in run support. Last season he had his issues tackling, but that hasn’t been the case this year. He’s aided greatly by vastly improved team defense and predictable alleys to run, but his recognition has also sped up and he’s getting downhill in a hurry.
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Fellow safety Anthony Cook also deserves recognition. This is a smart duo who puts their body on the line. They are not the biggest, but they will hit you with what they have. Cook and Thompson are second and third on the team tackling respectively.
In my opinion Thompson will be a stud as a senior.
EDGE Barryn Sorrell, SO: Sorrell is similarly wired to the Longhorn defensive linemen mentioned above who are in the NFL. He’s a hard worker known for his intelligence. His improved lower body strength combined with good length and leverage makes him difficult to move at the point of attack. He’s not a twitchy pass rusher, but he moves well and will continue to improve his skill set. He also adds some versatility to blitz packages because he can occasionally drop into coverage. All this makes him a good fit for Jack outside linebacker in Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense. Tom Herman didn’t leave the program any edges for the 2021 season, but he and Oscar Giles left Texas one for the 2022 season.
So far Sorrell has seven tackles, one and a half sacks, one QB hit, and three hurries.
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, SO: Sanders is a no-brainer addition to this list. In one offseason he went from being a special teamer to a credible blocker with difference-making ability as a receiver.
He has nine receptions for eighty-nine yards and one touchdown. He’s also a magnet for pass interference whether it’s called or not.
There are a handful of others who could have been named. Players who come to mind are DeMarvion Overshown, Jaylan Ford, Jamier Johnson, Hudson Card, and Vernon Broughton.
Ford will likely be one of the five most improved players by the end of the year.
I believe Broughton will be big-time in 2023. Him using a redshirt means he’s only a sophomore. Watch him in pursuit to get an idea of improved culture.
I left Moro Ojomo out because I felt he played pretty well last year. Now he’s getting help from his linemates and also coaches allowing the interior to play more aggressively. I’ve always likened him to Ta’Quon Graham, and Graham is another one of those hard-working UT defensive lineman drawing an NFL check.
For those who need a reminder, the sort of development and deployment we’re now seeing will restore understanding of the importance of landing the most highly-rated players, which of course the Texas staff is doing.
