Texas Football: 5 reasons for optimism in 2019 offseason

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 01: Keaontay Ingram #26 of the Texas Longhorns avoids a tackle by J.R. Reed #20 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

4. Development of rising sophomores

What makes the freshman class that came in for the Texas football last year so exciting for the upcoming off-season is what they already showed on the field. As long as some of the key second-year players for the Horns are able to avoid that vaunted “sophomore slump” this could be a big year for that 2018 recruiting class during the 2019 season.

The role will be changing drastically for the former five-star safety recruits Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster this fall. Sterns and Foster were handed significant responsibilities for being just true freshmen in 2018, but they will be counted on more as leaders this year. The same could be said for rising sophomore running back Keaontay Ingram.

What’s going to cause so much anticipation for this coming season among the 2018 recruiting class is all the new starters on the defensive side of the ball. Third-year Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando will have some new faces starting for him, and a good portion of them could come from that 2018 signing class.

A few important second-year players to watch for the Horns on defense include linebacker Ayodele Adeoye, cornerback Anthony Cook, edge rusher Joe Ossai, and defensive tackle Keondre Coburn. Some of the very talented true freshmen from last season worked their way into game action in the first year on the Forty Acres, but they will be even more vital to the defense in 2019.

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