Texas moving Kitan Crawford from CB to safety in spring

Second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football program are set to move into spring camp in the next few weeks. That should be one of the most exciting times of this offseason for this Texas program as there are a number of new additions to the team that we will get to see getting practice reps for the first time wearing the burnt orange.

Among the returning Longhorns players, it will still be important to see how that group progresses throughout camp this offseason. That especially includes players that could be going through position changes in spring ball.

It looks like one of the returning Longhorns players that could be switching positions in spring ball is the former blue-chip recruit and rising junior cornerback Kitan Crawford. According to a report from Inside Texas on March 1, Texas is looking to move Crawford from cornerback to safety starting in spring camp to try and maximize the versatility he brings to the table.

Texas football looking to convert Kitan Crawford from cornerback to safety in spring camp

Sark and co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Pete Kwiatkowski probably want to have more depth available at the safety position with the losses of a few key players there to the NCAA Transfer Portal earlier this offseason. Texas also has a couple of very talented cornerbacks coming into the program after signing with the 2022 recruiting class with Terrance Brooks and Jaylon Guilbeau.

Crawford definitely has the physical gifts and coverage abilities to make him capable enough to make this transition from cornerback to safety. The main question will be whether the 6-foot and 200-pound defensive back will be competing for reps at free safety or strong safety this year.

Texas has more question marks at free safety than they do at strong safety with the likes of sophomore JD Coffey III and junior Jerrin Thompson competing for reps at that spot. There definitely is not any set-in-stone starter for Texas at free safety right now.

Moreover, nearly every snap Crawford ever took in the last two seasons with the Longhorns saw him line up as the left cornerback. He has played right cornerback and wide corner at times in the last couple of seasons, but not as much as he did on the left.

Texas is set to begin spring camp on March 22, and the spring football game is set for April 23. Then, the regular season is set to kick off on Sep. 3 at home against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks.