On Texas Football: What's next for the Longhorn offensive line?
On the latest video episode of On Texas Football, Bobby Burton and Gerry Hamilton of Inside Texas talk about the Longhorns’ offensive line in the most recent in a series of position previews for Texas.
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The Longhorns return every starter from last year on the offensive line, and all five started every game in 2022. Those players, from left to right on the O-line are Kelvin Banks, Hayden Conner, Jake Majors, Cole Hutson and Christian Jones.
But that doesn’t mean those five will be the starters in the same position come when the 2023 season starts. Hutson is out for the spring while be rehabs an injury while backups DJ Campbell and Connor Robertson are also injured and may be in and out this spring.
“The only two I don’t see potentially moving positions or getting flip-flopped around that we’re almost 100 percent sure of is Kelvin Banks at left tackle and Jake Majors at center,” Burton said. “I think everybody else could be moving, whether it’s from left or right guard, right, left guard to right tackle as a backup. They could be seeing some interplay, right? I mean, as far as how they’re going to be positioned.”
With Hutson and Robinson out, Texas will be looking for a backup center in the spring. “If there is a weak spot in the offensive line, it’s at center,” Burton said.
“Somebody’s going to take advantage of Cole Hutson being out this spring and possibly DJ Campbell,” Hamilton said. “I look at Neto Umeozulu in saying he’s gonna have a big jump this spring. We’ve got to remember that Hutson was the only early enrollee of 2022, so this is the first spring practice for most of these guys. This is when they make that big jump from year one to year two. I expect Neto to really take advantage of his opportunity.”
Burton stated that the word from offseason drills is that both Jaydon Chatman and Connor Stroh, early enrollees who are already on the 40 Acres, are doing really well.
“Connor Stroh is one of the strongest players on the program already,” Hamilton said. “And anybody that followed him knows that was not a surprise. He is a really talented power lifter and a guy who’s a massive, large human being – you’re talking 6-foot-7, 355 on his way down weight wise.
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“That Chatman would be looking really good and athletic in moving drills and in the weight room does not come as a surprise because he a guy that’s really gifted. He’s the only guy (of the four offensive line signees in the class of 2023) that didn’t have some body reshaping to do.”
With Junior Angilau (Oregon), Andrej Karic (Tennessee) and Logan Parr (Houston) moving on in the transfer portal, Texas is without some “adult depth,” Burton said.
“That because the second string right now are only going to be redshirt sophomores or maybe a couple of true sophomores, redshirt freshmen, true sophomores,” Burton explained. “So they lose that age and that experience level.”
But Burton is quick to point out, Texas has the offensive line depth and talent that should make Longhorns fans very happy.
There is plenty more on the offensive line from our experts on the video, so go take a look at it in its entirety.
