With the start of spring camp less than a week away for second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football program, a host of important position battles and position changes will soon start to run their course in practice. Texas is set to start spring practice on March 22, and the spring football game is set to take place on April 23.
Texas does have some of the more interesting and crucial position battles of any team in the Big 12 heading into spring ball. A lot of roster attrition combined with what looks to be a pretty young group of projected starters on both sides of the ball this year makes for an important run for the Longhorns in spring camp.
Quinn Ewers in the QB competition highlights the biggest Texas football position battles in spring
Sark and the Longhorns staff are going to have to figure out the two-deep depth chart throughout spring camp while figuring in some of the new additions to the program in the last few months. Texas doesn’t have a whole lot of clarity at the moment as to what the two-deep will look like at most position groups on either side of the ball either.
Moreover, position battles will always be one of the most fascinating storylines to watch for any college football team heading into spring camp. But that is especially the case with the Longhorns with so many new faces set to hold key roles on the two-deep on both sides of the ball in spring camp.
With that in mind, here’s a look into three of the biggest position battles for the Longhorns on both sides of the ball heading into spring camp.
Free safety
Candidates to make the two-deep: Jerrin Thompson, BJ Allen, JD Coffey III, Kitan Crawford*
Among the position groups that really need to see improvement this year, Texas’ secondary will need to step it up in a big way. There weren’t many playmakers or even reliable players in the secondary for Texas last season.
Texas does have some familiar faces returning in the secondary in 2022, but not all of those returning players were very effective last season. That really is the case for the Longhorns at the free safety position.
Last season, Texas usually rotated between sophomore Jerrin Thompson and the converted senior wide receiver Brenden School at the free safety position. Schooler took 375 snaps for the Longhorns at safety last season while Thompson took 566.
Thus, it would make sense that the Longhorns have Thompson getting the first-team reps at the free safety position out of the gates in spring practice.
The problem for Thompson entering spring camp is the fact that he was one of the most inconsistent defensive backs for the Longhorns over the last two seasons. If Texas wants to improve their secondary as a whole, Pete Kwiatkowski fill have to figure out this issue at the free safety position.
Watch out for a number of former blue-chip recruits such as freshman BJ Allen, sophomore JD Coffey III, and the converted junior corner Kitan Crawford to compete for the starting spot here.
I would expect Allen and Coffey to really challenge Thompson here. We’ve heard good things about the impact Allen made already since arriving on the Forty Acres to participate in spring ball. He’s a name to watch among the freshmen in spring drills.
A change at free safety is likely going to be warranted at some point of this offseason.
Projected starter: BJ Allen
Cornerback
One of the starting cornerback spots for the Longhorns this year will very likely be occupied by the returning super senior and former blue-chip recruit D’Shawn Jamison. But Texas could have a bigger position battle on their hands at the other starting cornerback spot, depending on how the incoming freshmen fair in spring ball.
At the moment, it looks like the projected starter at the second corner spot for the Longhorns entering spring ball will be the former blue-chip recruit and rising junior Jahdae Barron. Outside of Jamison, Barron took the most snaps at this spot of those on the projected roster this year in his career.
In the last couple of seasons, Barron showed plenty of flashes that he could handle a starting role. But doing that on a consistent basis will be the main question mark surrounding his status as the projected starter entering spring ball.
Barron was one of the highest-graded corners for Texas in the last two seasons while taking nearly 300 defensive snaps in that span. But it will be impossible to ignore the challenge that Barron is facing in spring ball from some of the incoming freshmen and redshirt freshmen such as Jamier Johnson, Terrance Brooks, and Jaylon Guilbeau.
From what we’ve heard through the conclusion of winter workouts this offseason, Brooks and Guilbeau are really stepping it up since arriving on campus a few months ago.
There is going to be fierce competition here, but Barron should be considered the favorite to get the second starting cornerback spot when spring ball wraps up next month.
Projected starter: Jahdae Barron
Quarterback
What most Longhorns fans are likely interested to see as we enter spring ball next week is what happens with the looming quarterback competition between the former Ohio State Buckeyes freshman transfer Quinn Ewers and rising junior Hudson Card. While this might be the position battle on this list that is already the most decided among the three, it might also be the most important to set the tone for the rest of the offseason for Sark and the Longhorns staff.
Texas is likely wanting to see Ewers take command of the offense right away in spring ball. But seeing how fast he’s able to digest the offensive scheme and concepts under Sark will be critical and telling of how the rest of the offseason could go for Ewers.
In all likelihood, something will have to be really wrong if Ewers doesn’t win the starting job when it’s all said and done this offseason. But there’s no doubt in my mind that Card will do everything in his power to push Ewers. Something that certainly is possible if Card shows out in camp this offseason is split reps in Week 1 this fall against Louisiana-Monroe.
It sounds like Card is already starting to put his best foot forward and become more of a vocal leader entering spring ball. That is a notable development for Card. But that’s not going to be enough for Card to win the starting job just by becoming more vocal during the offseason. He’s going to have to show out in an almost perfect offseason throughout camp and catch some good fortune along the way.