Texas Football: Projected 2-deep depth chart for 2018

Nose Tackle

1. Chris Nelson

The loss of the reigning Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year Poona Ford due to lack of eligibility is going to hurt the middle of the line. However, there are some players that can step up and plug the hole left by Ford, after he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.

Rising redshirt senior defensive tackle Chris Nelson is a guy that could still be a force to anchor down the line. Similar to that of Hager, Nelson had his biggest year of his college career during the 2016 campaign. In that season, Nelson racked up 1.5 sacks and six tackles for loss.

This season with the full starting role in Nelson’s hands, he should be able to get up around two sacks and six or eight tackles for loss. He might not be as effective as Ford was in the latter stages of his career, but he’ll be a solid plug for that loss this fall.

2. Gerald Wilbon

Texas does have an answer for the loss of Ford even beyond Nelson in the starting position at nose tackle. Rising junior Gerald Wilbon has only played in seven games over the course of his first two seasons. But, that is more than a lot of backups can say in the situation that Wilbon finds himself in.

Moreover, Wilbon could be set to step into a similar situation to what Nelson found himself in for 2018. Nelson runs out of eligibility following the 2018 campaign, and Wilbon will still have one year left. It’ll be interesting to see how Wilbon fares in his playing time this season.