Texas Football: 3 new potential starters to watch in spring

Jaylan Ford, LB

Maybe the thinnest spot, as it stands now, for the Longhorns on the defensive side of the ball specifically is at the linebacker position. Looking beyond the huge loss of Ossai to the NFL Draft, Texas also suffered other losses at the position to the transfer portal. Junior linebackers Ayodele Adeoye and Juwan Mitchell both put their names in the portal this offseason.

Mitchell is the more notable of the two losses, although Adeoye still had a lot of talent to bring to the table too. But this is a common storyline for Mitchell, who is putting his name in the transfer portal for the second year in a row. Last year, Mitchell wound up returning to the Forty Acres and led the Longhorns in combined tackles.

But if Mitchell and Adeoye are in fact done with this program for good, then new faces will obviously have to step up for this level of the defense. And one name to watch with the linebackers is the former drastically underrated three-star recruit and sophomore Jaylan Ford.

Texas is going to have a very heavy reliance on fourth-year linebacker and former converted safety DeMarvion Overshown next year. But Overshown can’t do everything for the Longhorns, thus the likes of transfer portal additions such as former LSU linebacker Ray Thornton, Alabama linebacker Ben Davis, and Notre Dame edge rusher Ovie Oghoufo have to step up in a big way.

Developing existing talent on the roster will be key, though. Ford looked good in what reps he did get in spring and fall camp last offseason, and limited game action last fall. The 6-foot-2 and 225 pound Frisco, TX, native Ford registered 14 combined tackles, one tackle for loss, and no sacks, in bits and pieces of three games played last season.