Texas Football: 5 Longhorns to Watch for 2015

The Texas football team wraps up its 2014 season on Monday in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl against the Arkansas Razorbacks. For Jaxon Shipley, John Harris, Jordan Hicks, Quandre Diggs, Cedric Reed and a host of other seniors it will be the final time they don a Longhorn jersey. After the bowl game, preparations begin for the 2015 season.

Looking ahead to next year, here are five Longhorns to watch on Monday as potential impact players in 2015.

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Duke Thomas, cornerback

Thomas usually has the task of going up against the taller, more physical receivers because of his height advantage over Diggs. Teams generally stayed away from Diggs, looking to alternate reads when number six was matched up on a particular receiver. Even with all the attention focused his way, Thomas held his own. The junior had 10 pass breakups and three interceptions. Next year Thomas could step into the role Diggs played and be the defender teams don’t want to challenge very often.

Taylor Doyle, center

Texas had the luxury of Dominic Espinosa for the last four years. Espinosa solidified the offensive line and made all of the line calls. He was the leader in the Spring when the line was trying to adapt to a new system.

Espinosa was lost for most of the season, and the offense really struggled with Jake Raulerson in the middle. Against Oklahoma, the coaches tried moving Doyle from guard to center. The result was an improved running game. Nothing great or eye-popping, just slow and steady improvement. Doyle has locked up the job at center going into 2015. He will have the Spring and Fall practices to further develop at the position. If Texas is going to re-establish itself as a running team, Doyle will need to anchor the middle of the line. The experienced he has gained this season will benefit him greatly next year.

Armanti Foreman, wide receiver

Nov 15, 2014; Stillwater, OK, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Amanti foreman (83) catches a 45-yard touchdown pass against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second half at Boone Pickens Stadium. Texas defeated Oklahoma State 28-7. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Foreman might have had an earlier impact had Harris not emerged as Tyrone Swoopes’ security blanket. Foreman really came on late in the season. He had touchdown receptions in back-to-back games against Oklahoma State and TCU. Harris and Shipley will move on after the Texas Bowl, leaving the receiving corp without a true stand-out player. Everyone is very talented, but the competition for a starting job looks wide open in 2015. Foreman could be auditioning for the lead on Monday.

Naashon Hughes, defensive end

Hughes moved from linebacker to defensive end after four games. He ended up starting the last seven games, beating out the likes of Shiro Davis and Caleb Bluiett. Texas will need to replace Reed, and it looks like Hughes is next in a long line of talented defensive lineman to come through the program. He will need to bulk up over the offseason, but it looks like Texas has a budding star on the defensive line.

Jason Hall, safety

Everyone expected the starting safeties to be Mykkele Thompson and Josh Turner. Turner ended up getting suspended, and it opened the door for Hall. The true freshman seized the opportunity and never relinquished the job, beating out highly-recruited Adrian Colbert. Thompson and Turner will graduate, leaving Hall as the leader in the secondary. Texas could have even more true freshmen see playing time in the secondary in 2015, making Hall an important cog in the defensive scheme.

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