Texas Football: 3 sophomores ready to breakout in spring camp

3) Sophomores to watch in spring ball for Texas football

Andrej Karic, Offensive Tackle

One of the more underrated offensive linemen returning for the Longhorns this year is the rising sophomore offensive tackle and former unheralded four-star recruit Andrej Karic. The 6-foot-4 and 295 pound offensive lineman got a decent amount of playing time as the injuries and opt outs started to pile up in the trenches for this team down the stretch last year.

Karic got to play in just over 100 snaps along the offensive line last season, across three different games. He got playing time against the UTEP Miners in the regular season opener, Kansas State Wildcats in Big 12 play, and then the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl win. And the results for Karic in those snaps he did play in last fall were pretty impressive.

As one of the higher graded run blockers, outside of linemen like senior offensive guard/center Derek Kerstetter and standout redshirt junior offensive tackle Sam Cosmi, Karic showed his versatility right away. But the production from Karic in the run blocking game actually wasn’t as impressive as what he did blocking for the likes of senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger and redshirt sophomore backup Casey Thompson.

Karic didn’t allow a single sack, quarterback hit, or quarterback pressure, last season in the games he did play in. Given that Texas is about to undergo some important losses in the trenches this offseason, Karic’s importance to the offensive line is also about to move up. His role could be much larger next fall, and spring ball is his next opportunity to standout.