Texas Football: 3 reasons JUCO ILB Lakia Henry should choose Horns

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LUBBOCK, TX – NOVEMBER 10: Seth Collins #22 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is upended by Gary Johnson #33 of the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the game on November 10, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

3. Immediate linebacker need for Texas defense

Two of the biggest losses the defense for Texas football has to replace this off-season comes at linebacker. Departing senior linebackers Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler will leave some big gaps in the front seven that could take longer than the 2019 campaign to fill. If Texas does land Henry, it wouldn’t be a turnaround time that long.

Beyond the returning rising senior linebacker Malcolm Roach, the starters in the linebacking corps for the Horns are anyone’s best guess. There is a lot of young talent on the Forty Acres for the upcoming regular season, but the coaching staff needs to tool around to see what the best rotation will be for this position group.

If Henry were to give his pledge to the 2019 Texas football recruiting class, he would be the second JUCO linebacker and the second highest rated signee at the position in general. The only linebacker he would fall in line behind is the four-star Westlake Village, CA, native De’Gabriel Floyd.

However, the early enrollee and top 70 2019 high school prospect in the nation Floyd wouldn’t be ready to take on a big role this year like Henry would. But, Texas will have to fight an uphill battle by some indicators to get Henry to come to the Forty Acres on National Signing Day. The 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions gives the pretty heavy edge to head coach Chad Morris and Arkansas to land him.

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