Four flipped freshmen show glimpses of bright future on offense

AUSTIN — When Tom Herman was hired by Texas on November 26, 2016, the Longhorns had just six prospects committed as part of its 2017 class; Damion Miller, Sam Ehlinger, Kobe Boyce, Montrell Estell, Josh Thompson, and Ta’Quon Graham were the only high school prospects set to become Longhorns.

In order to get to where the class finished at 18 members, Herman had to work furiously on the trail, sometimes offering prospects he had little to no chance at, or prospects who very publicly turned Texas down. However, there were some prospects committed to other schools who listened and liked what Herman was telling them with the Longhorn logo on his shirt.

Four of those freshmen, Daniel Young, Toneil Carter, Cade Brewer, and Derek Kerstetter, have been thrown into action much earlier than Herman likely would have wanted. However, they’ve been able to perform at a starting level, and should only get better as they develop on the 40 Acres.

Ehlinger, Thompson, and Graham have all made contributions in their first year, but they were part of the class months or even years before Herman arrived. Herman had to work to get Young, Carter, Brewer, and Kerstetter in the fold flipping them from Houston, Georgia, SMU, and Oklahoma State, respectively.

Though Carter switched from Georgia to Texas, it was not so much due to efforts from Herman and the rest of the at that time yet-to-be-formed offensive staff, but rather because the running backs room at Georgia had no space for the back from Langham Creek.

At Texas, Carter has started one game (Oklahoma State) and received a game-high 15 carries against Baylor, rushing for 70 yards and a score. Young also performed well against Baylor, running hard on 7 carries for 60 yards and his first career score.

On Monday, Herman noted the improvement and quality play of both Carter and Young in their short time in Austin.

“The one thing I said on the conference call, I thought both of them did very well, was they played with good vision and they broke tackles,” Herman said. “When an offensive line blocks a play for three or four yards but you’re getting seven or eight or ten, that’s really good. What’s even better is when an offensive line blocks it for zero and you get three or four. I think that’s where they showed some effectiveness in our offense.”

Carter and Young are great compliments to each other in the running game. Carter is the quicker, more explosive back who has great top-end speed. Young is the bigger, more powerful back but does not lack in the speed department. Their skillsets and solid games against Baylor might just lead to the freshmen getting more carries.

“I think they definitely seized an opportunity to create more reps for them and more carries, and that’s encouraging,” Herman said.

One of the other flipped freshmen happened to commit to Texas on the same day as Young. Cade Brewer was committed to Chad Morris and SMU, and stayed committed to the Ponies even after receiving offers from Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.

When the Longhorns offered, it was one he could not refuse, and he joined Texas’ class less than three weeks later.

In the following months, Brewer would become a player the coaches trusted enough to catch a touchdown to put the Longhorns within one point of tying a top five team in USC on the road.

“I think the sky is the limit for Cade Brewer, I really do,” Herman said. “The only thing that he’s limited by right now is size and strength because the want to is absolutely there, the tenacity, the embracing of the physicality of that position, really, really sharp football kid that’s got excellent ball skills in the pass game. So the desire and effort and all of that is there when it comes to blocking.”

Brewer has started two games for the Longhorns this year. While the sky may be the limit for Brewer in the future, Herman admitted he is somewhat limited now. Because of that, the offensive staff has needed to alter parts of the game plan.

“Are we going to run power with him blocking the defensive end 30 times a game?” Herman said. “No, we’re not. So don’t ask him to do that. That’s not his strength. I’m excited with where he’s headed. He’s a great kid to be around.”

Brewer leads the tight end position with seven receptions for 69 yards and the lone score against USC. Listed at 210 pounds on Signing Day, he is now listed at 230 pounds, and likely will add more weight as his career progresses.

“He’s going to need a whole other year of eating and gaining some strength and size because mass and strength are important in the trenches,” Herman said. “The bigger you are, the harder it is for somebody else to move you and the easier it is for you to move somebody else. That’s what, when you boil football down, that’s what it is. It’s a game of getting another human being to go somewhere he doesn’t want to go against his will, and that’s really hard to do when you’re 18 years old and coming fresh out of high school.”

The last of the four freshman showing what the future holds for the offense is right tackle Derek Kerstetter. The San Antonio native was originally headed to Oklahoma State, and had been publicly committed to Mike Gundy for more than six months. Ten days after receiving an offer from Texas on December 16, 2016, Kerstetter changed his commitment.

Kerstetter looked to be heading to a career at guard following a good performance against elite talent at the Army All-American Game. Against Iowa State, he replaced senior Tristan Nickelson at right tackle, and has held on to the position since then.

Herman has given Kerstetter effusive praise during his short time here, saying earlier in October that “his toughness is off the charts for a true freshman.”

This short list of four contributors does not even include other flipped freshmen who the staff brought in, including Reese Leitao and Samuel Cosmi, who has held onto his redshirt thus far.

That said, the key contributors this year from the 2017 class, including quarterback Sam Ehlinger, will be part of the offense that attempts to get UT back into the national spotlight for at least the next three years. If their play right now is indicative of what might be to come for Herman’s Longhorns, the future on offense looks very bright.