3 notable position changes to watch in spring ball for Texas

Kitan Crawford

Maybe the most impactful and talented player that will be undergoing a position change heading into spring ball is the former blue-chip recruit and rising junior defensive back Kitan Crawford. We’ve already talked about how Crawford is making the move from cornerback to safety this offseason after spending his first two years with the Longhorns mostly taking snaps as a wide corner.

This is actually a position switch that is pretty exciting for the Longhorns secondary. With cornerbacks coach Terry Joseph and co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Pete Kwiatkowski being able to sign multiple highly touted blue-chip cornerbacks in the 2022 recruiting class, Texas is going to be much deeper in the secondary this season compared to last.

Crawford moving to safety will allow the coaching staff to really open up the competition with these position groups to find the best fit possible entering the fall. Safety was one of the weaker spots of the entire Texas defense last season. Adding more depth to the safety position could help reverse that trend for the Longhorns in 2022.

The 6-foot and 200-pound Crawford definitely has the physical tools and coverage ability to make an impact at the safety position. The biggest question marks with this position switch for him are whether he can find the versatility in his game to make plays in the box and handle different coverage schemes at this position compared to cornerback.

Crawford’s development after moving from cornerback to safety this offseason is one of the more intriguing storylines to follow heading into spring ball.