Texas Longhorns Redshirt Freshmen to Remember this Fall

A lot has been made of the 2015 recruiting class and the fact that several of these players could see the field this season. Well, there are a few redshirt freshmen who may have a say in who gets playing time in 2015.

Keep an eye on these Texas Longhorns redshirt freshmen in fall practice as they compete to keep the true freshmen on the sidelines.

Duke Catalon, running back

Catalon is the third back behind Jonathan Gray and D’Onta Foreman. He doesn’t figure to get many carries unless one of the aforementioned backs goes down. If that happens, expect Catalon to fill the void ahead of freshmen like Chris Warren and Kirk Johnson.

The redshirt freshman is built much like Gray, so he would compliment the bruising running style of Foreman. Catalon saw plenty of action in the spring game playing for Gray, so he knows the offense and can step in if needed.

Elijah Rodriguez, offensive line

Joe Wickline finally has some depth along the offensive line. The problem is that depth is green. Rodriguez was one of the few offensive lineman to commit to Texas in the short time Charlie Strong had to recruit last year. He has a year under his belt, and a little more size.

Rodriguez still has a lot to learn about blocking schemes and pass protection. Best case scenario is he plays in limited action. But because we are talking about the Texas offensive line don’t be surprised that if the starters struggle, players like Rodriguez could begin stealing more snaps as the season progresses.

Garrett Gray, wide receiver

Texas has a pretty good group of young receivers ready to take the next step. Armanti Foreman and Lorenzo Joe picked up valuable experience last year. Marcus Johnson provides the senior leadership. Freshmen John Burt and DeAndre McNeal have tremendous upside.

So what does Gray bring that everyone else doesn’t? How about size – red zone target size.

Gray is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. He is a mismatch around the goal line. While I’m not comparing him to Kelvin Benjamin, Gray can be that type of player for the Texas quarterbacks – a big, physical target who can go up and get the jump ball. Don’t be surprised to see Shawn Watson draw up a play or two for Gray when the offense is threatening inside the ten yard line.

John Bonney, defensive back

Bonney was making a name for himself throughout spring practice. Fans finally got to see what they had been reading about when Bonney shined in the spring game. The secondary will need to replace Quandre Diggs and Mykkele Thompson. Thompson often played corner when opposing offenses spread the field. Don’t be surprised if Bonney takes over that same role Thompson had when Big 12 play begins and offensive coordinators look to test the Texas secondary.

Edwin Freeman, linebacker

Freeman was recruited as a hybrid player – something between a linebacker and a safety. At 6-foot-1 Freeman is a little short to play linebacker full time. The problem is Texas is thin at linebacker, and two players with more playing experience than Freeman are also the same height. He only needs to beat out Peter Jinkens and Tim Cole to be a regular contributor.

Freeman brings excellent cover skills from his days as a safety in high school. Expect to see him picking up the tight end or H-back coming out of the backfield. Sometimes a tight end on a linebacker can be a mismatch in the offense’s favor. Freeman can very well neutralize the tight end, possibly forcing the quarterback to hold onto the ball a few seconds longer, giving the defensive line time to apply pressure.

Jerrod Heard, quarterback

Reports out of spring practice painted a muddled picture of Heard’s progress. He had good days, and he had bad days. Fans couldn’t get a read on what Heard would look like come the spring game.

He didn’t let many people down.

Heard didn’t set the world on fire, but he proved capable of running the new Texas offense. He took the offense down field and scored a touchdown on his first possession. He scrambled often, showing off his speed and elusiveness once he was in the open field. He still made some bad throws, but that was to be expected.

Big picture, he provides competition for Tyrone Swoopes. Swoopes may be the starter going into the fall, but Heard showed enough this spring to impress Strong and Watson. Both have to consider the redshirt freshman a legitimate option for the season opener against Notre Dame.