Texas Football: 3 upperclassmen with a lot to prove in fall camp

Rafiti Ghirmai, OC/OG

There are two years left for eligibility for the former three-star recruit and redshirt junior offensive lineman Rafiti Ghirmai in college. Ghirmai has seemingly been around forever for the Longhorns. But he has yet to come close to solidifying a starting role for himself under his third offensive line coach during his four years on the Forty Acres to date.

The advantage that Ghirmai has over some of his competition in the trenches on the depth chart in fall camp is the fact that he is so multiple. The fact that Ghirmai can switch between offensive guard and center given his 6-foot-5 and 295-pound frame gives him a leg up on most of the other offensive linemen set to hold backup roles this fall.

At the moment, it looks like Ghirmai is set to hold the backup center role and he’ll be vying for a backup role at one the guard spots. But he’ll be competing with the likes of redshirt sophomore Isaiah Hookfin and redshirt freshman Logan Parr, among others, to win a backup spot at either of the two guard positions.

Ghirmai has played well in limited snaps in his time with Texas thus far. Granted, Ghirmai played less than 60 snaps in his college career to date.

If Ghirmai can show that he’s making strides in fall camp this year, then solidifying a backup role at multiple spots on the depth chart is certainly possible. The time is now running out for Ghirmai to make the impression needed to further his football career to the next level. For now, he needs to focus on at least getting starting reps before his time at Texas is over.