Texas needs a new Will linebacker, and Morice Blackwell is striving to fill that role
There’s a competition to replace do-it-all defender DeMarvion Overshown at the weakside inside linebacker position for the Texas Longhorns, and another versatile athlete is in contention to step in for the NFL-bound linebacker.
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Third-year player Morice Blackwell is in the competition to play alongside Mike linebacker Jaylan Ford as part of Texas’ off-ball tandem. The one-time safety and full-time special teams impact-maker drew praise from Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian after Texas’ fourth spring practice on Tuesday.
“Mo is interesting,” Sarkisian said. “I was looking at his weight today, and he was 215. DeMarvion kind of fluctuated just above 215, just about into the 220 range. Naturally, Mo’s maturing and as we mature and you really dedicate yourself to your diet and what you’re doing, I think we’re starting to see the transformation in him.
“He’s a heck of a player. I love the competitive nature of Mo. We asked a lot of him as a true freshman on special teams. He plays violent. He plays tough. I think he plays the way we want to play football, and he provides a lot of versatility.”
Overshown was a mainstay at Will LB over the past few seasons for Texas, but he also was utilized as an EDGE rusher and a space defender depending on the situation in 2022.
Blackwell tried to carve out a role at safety last spring, but the steep learning curve at that position made the secondary a no-go for the Arlington (Texas) Martin product. He ended up playing on a number of special teams units and as the Sam linebacker whenever Texas was in base defense last year, which was an infrequent occurrence as compared to when the Longhorns were in nickel personnel.
Instead of playing in the secondary, Blackwell could play a role similar to that of Overshown’s last season. Most of Overshown’s snaps were as an off-ball linebacker, but he also lined up on the EDGE with regularity. Plus, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski wasn’t afraid to use D-Mo in coverage every now and then, in addition to his regular kickoff team, punt return, and field goal block responsibilities on Jeff Banks‘ special teams.
As Sarkisian mentioned, the two weighed around 220 pounds during the season. Blackwell could follow in Overshown’s footsteps as defender with a variety of responsibilities in the coming campaign.
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“He is working at the weak inside linebacker spot, but we’re playing him at Sam in base defense,” Sarkisian said of Blackwell. “But he’s really good coming off the Edge. He’s really good on special teams. He’s really intentional about the way he plays the game.”
Blackwell saw most of his snaps on special teams last year, with 190 of his 263 snaps in the third phase according to Pro Football Focus. His conventional down snaps included 39 on the EDGE as part of his Sam LB responsibilities, 18 plays in the box, and 16 snaps outside the box.
Learning how to play in the middle will be an adjustment, especially when it comes to replacing a first-team All-Big 12 linebacker like Overshown. However, it’s an area where Sarkisian has seen progress in recent weeks.
In addition to Blackwell, Sarkisian praised fellow ILBs Jett Bush, David Gbenda, Liona Lefau, and Anthony Hill. He called linebacker a position where Texas feels like it has “got a lot of depth there.”
Blackwell is one of the candidates to replace Overshown, but no matter who takes over for Agent 0, Sarkisian has confidence that he’ll be a competent replacement.
“So it’s a very strong position for us not only defensively, but that linebacking corps is critical to our success on special teams as well,” Sarkisian said. “D-Mo provided a lot on (special) teams for us. We feel good about it. I think it’s a real positive right now.”
