Texas Football: Losing Ridgeway Will Hurt

Hassan Ridgeway’s decision to leave school early for the NFL is another loss for a Texas football team that couldn’t afford to lose him.

Saturday’s announcement that defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway had decided to skip his senior season to declare for the NFL Draft wasn’t a major surprise, but it is going to have a major impact of the Longhorns defense next season. The 2015 defense was statistically the worst defense in Texas history and not having a healthy Hassan Ridgeway for much of the year was a big reason why.

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When Ridgeway was in the lineup and healthy, he was a force to be reckoned with. He occassionally flashed the same type of disruptiveness that made former teammate Malcolm Brown a number one draft pick a year ago. On the year he had 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a touchdown, making him by far the most productive defensive lineman on the team as far as big plays went.

However, Ridgeway also struggled at times last season and as a whole, the defensive line that was thought to be the team’s greatest strength turned into a major weakness. Teams often ran at will against the Texas defense last year, even with Ridgeway in the lineup. He would often disappear for vast stretches of time during games.

Some of that was due to an injury in fall camp that limited him early in the year. It is unclear if Ridgeway was ever fully healthy at all and if lingering health issues are what kept him from exploding into the star everyone projected him to be after bursting onto the scene last year.

Now the question for the Longhorns is how to replace Ridgeway’s production along the front. The drop off from Ridgway to the rest of the front line was very steep last year. Poona Ford and Chris Nelson, two late additions to the Longhorns’ 2014 recruiting class after Charlie Strong took over, will need to step up. Ford also flashed some big play potential and his forced fumble and recovery late in the fourth quarter saved the Baylor game just when it looked like the Bears where going to steal the win.

The drawback with Ford is that he is undersized and was at times swallowed up by bigger offensive linemen. He’ll need to be able to hold his ground better play with more consistency next year. Nelson played some last year but didn’t show much while making seven tackles (3 solo) and one sack. Bigger than Ford at 6-1 298 and with the benefit of a redshirt year, Nelson will need to take a big leap forward in his development.

2016 will also serve as a chance for Paul Boyette Jr to step up his game as well. Boyette put in some solid play last season for Texas, ranking third among DTs in total tackles behind Ridgeway and Ford with 37. He also added eight tackles for loss and three sacks. A big senior season from Boyette would go a long way towards filling the gap.

Still, Texas is going to be feeling the effects of repeated failures in recruiting at the position. The Horns failed to land a DT in 2013 and lost their only 2015 committ, Du’Vonta Lampkin, after he decided not to enroll and went to OU instead. In the incoming class, Texas has only one true DT committed so far, Louisiana’s Gerald Wilbon. Wilbon has the size at 6-3 311 and is rated a Three Star player according to 247 Sports.

If there is one area that you cannot question Charlie Strong, it is in his ability to identify talent. He has made a name for himself turning three star kids into studs, but can he and Defensive Line coach Brick Haley turn Wilbon into a contributor right away?

Strong and his staff have continued to miss with the higher rated recruits at the position and there has been little talk to suggest a flip is in order, though we know that Strong will work right up to the very end to try and secure his recruits. However, if the staff isn’t able to land more players at the position they will enter a crucial 2016 season with almost no depth at a position of great weakness last year.

The decision is a risky one for Ridgeway as well. NFL scouts and draft gurus will tear his game apart and he is surely to be hampered by his up-and-down play. Whether Ridgeway becomes an instant millionaire or just another late round draft pick struggling to latch on will be determined. Will some NFL team fall in love with his tremendous upside and take a chance on him early? Or will his inconsistency knock him down draft boards? At this time, Ridgeway’s decision seems curious. NFLdraftscout.com has him ranked as the #11 defensive tackle while walterfootball.com has him as the no. 5 nose tackle. None of that speaks to Ridgeway be a surefire high draft pick.

Of course, the road to the NFL Draft is a long one and with good showings at the scouting combine and Texas’ Pro Day could significantly drive his stock upward. Still, after such an inconsistent 2015, you would think that Ridgeway would have been better off coming back for his senior year. Certainly a healthy 2016 could have improved his standing, but there was risk involved by staying as well.

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Texas Longhorns

Ultimately, Ridgeway will leave Texas as a player who never fully realized his potential but also provided some big time plays as well. He also stands as Texas’ best chance to have a player drafted in 2016.

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