Three questions for Texas defensive backs ahead of preseason camp

Texas was No. 90 in passing yards allowed last season, with opponents averaging 242.7 yards per game against the Longhorns. Pete Kwiatkowski‘s defense surrendered over 3100 yards through the air along with 18 touchdowns. However, those stats don’t tell the story of how Longhorn defensive backs were much improved in 2022.

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Want another piece of evidence that explains why total passing yards allowed is a misleading stat? Texas A&M was No. 1 in the metric.

Take a look at the teams within the neighborhood of the Longhorns in the passing yards allowed category.

Team	Record	Total passing yards allowed	Passing touchdowns allowed	Passing yards per game allowed	Yards per attempt allowed
No. 90 Texas	8-5	3155	18	242.7	6.30
No. 91 UTSA	11-3	3408	21	243.4	7.22
No. 92 Akron	2-10	2925	22	243.8	8.24
No. 93 Old Dominion	3-9	2931	17	244.2	8.19
No. 94 Texas State	4-8	2939	18	244.9	7.01
No. 95 FAU	5-7	2949	25	245.8	7.28
No. 96 TCU	13-2	3740	25	249.3	7.28
No. 97 Navy	4-8	3001	25	250.1	8.62
No. 98 BGSU	6-7	3259	29	250.7	7.51
No. 99 Washington	11-2	3269	26	251.5	7.82
No. 100 NIU	3-9	3034	32	252.8	8.40
No. 101 Oregon	10-3	3333	24	256.4	7.14

If the Aggie stat wasn’t telling enough, that leaderboard should show how little passing yards allowed says about defense. TCU was No. 96 in the country in passing yards allowed, but made the national championship game and fielded the Thorpe Award winner in Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson.

The far right column is the one to watch. Whenever an opponent passed the ball, how many yards were they likely to gain? Texas’ 6.30 mark was No. 18 in the country and tops in the Big 12.

That’s not to say there’s no room for improvement for the Texas secondary, especially after the professional departures of D’Shawn Jamison and Anthony Cook. What it does say is that Texas’ pass defense, which gave up 7.13 yards per attempt in 2021, still has room to grow with it’s mix of multi-year veterans, transfers, and young talent.

Here are three things the Longhorn secondary has to answer ahead of the 2023 season.

What will Texas get from Jalen Catalon?

After a redshirt season at Arkansas, Jalen Catalon thrived in 2020. Playing in Barry Odom‘s three safety defense, Catalon recorded 99 tackles with 2.0 for loss plus three interceptions, a touchdown, four passes defended, a fumble recovery, and two forced fumbles in 10 games. That led to first-team All-SEC recognition and freshman All-American honors.

He couldn’t replicate those performances in 2021 or 2022. Catalon racked up 54 tackles over the next two seasons where he appeared in just seven games due to recurring shoulder injuries. Following the 2022 campaign, Catalon entered the transfer portal and elected to join the Longhorn program after spurning UT during the 2019 cycle.

When on the field, Catalon is a player who has no problem throwing around his 5-foot-10, 202-pound frame. He plays the boundary safety role in two-high defenses with fervor and can hold his own in the pass game.

But that original descriptor of “when on the field,” carries a lot of weight. Catalon was extremely limited in in spring drills following one more procedure to “clean things up” as Steve Sarkisian put it. If he’s able to stay healthy, signs point to Catalon being a productive player. If not, Texas’ depth at safety with Kitan Crawford, Michael Taaffe, Larry Turner-Gooden, and B.J. Allen will be tested.

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Who wins the battle at field corner?

Ryan Watts has a good grip on the boundary corner position thanks to his physicality and ability to play the run. Nobody can say the same about field corner, and two defensive backs are in contention for the position.

Sophomore Terrance Brooks played in nine games last season and started three during his first year on campus. A physical 6-foot-0, 200 pounds, Brooks played well down the stretch and had two PBUs versus Washington in the bowl game.

Transfer Gavin Holmes arrives in Austin after a career at Wake Forest where he tallied 45 tackles, 3.0 TFL, two interceptions, 13 passes defended, and a forced fumble. More slender than Brooks at 5-foot-11, 177 pounds, the New Orleans native possesses ample speed needed to stay with some of the burners on Texas’ schedule.

This is the main battle in the secondary to watch during the preseason, with the four other spots in Texas’ base nickel defense nearly determined based off recent history. Of course, the two could rotate and the “starter” could end up being titular in nature and meaningless in reality if they stay even throughout the preseason. But if one separates from the other?

How much impact does the class of 2023 make?

The Longhorns’ 2023 class included four players in On3’s top 200 who will start their careers as defensive backs, including three in the top 65.

Malik Muhammad could factor into the battle at corner that features Brooks and Holmes, and has the technical skill and athleticism to play early in his career.

Derek Williams, a safety from Louisiana, has already put together a strong summer and will be part of the depth behind Catalon.

Jelani McDonald is listed as a defensive back on Texas official roster and will start his UT career at Star, or nickel.

Warren Roberson, a late flip from TCU, also has athletic traits that could help him see time on special teams if not conventional snaps.

Defensive back is a place where freshmen can credibly contribute, corner more so than safety. All three have great athletic profiles and could see their bright futures begin early in 2023.