Texas Football: 2-deep defensive depth chart heading into fall camp

Place kicker

Starter: Bert Auburn

Backup: Gabriel Lozano OR Will Stone

Texas lost a lot on special teams this offseason. Gone is the longtime starting kicker Cameron Dicker, who is now competing in the NFL as an undrafted free agent signing with the Los Angeles Rams.

Replacing one of Texas’ all-time leading scorers in Dicker won’t be an easy feat in the kicking game.

This will likely be tasked to one of three potential starting place kickers this fall. The first choice that comes to mind that could assume the kicking duties this fall is redshirt freshman Bert Auburn. As the only place kicker on this roster with any attempted field goals of any sort, Auburn makes sense as the projected starter. He went 3-for-3 on extra-point attempts last season.

Some inconsistencies we saw from Auburn during the spring game present some uncertainty, though. That’s where the importance of either Lozano or Stone being ready to assume the starting duties this fall at place kicker comes into play.

Punter

Starter: Isaac Pearson

Texas and special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Banks also lose all production they had among punters from the last few seasons in 2022. Gone is the former starting punter Ryan Bujcevski, who entered the transfer portal back in February.

Throughout last season, though, Dicker assumed the punting duties for the Longhorns. And he was pretty effective in that newfound role, averaging nearly 47 yards per punt last season.

Taking over the punting duties will be the former top-rated punter recruit and sophomore Isaac Pearson. Texas signed Pearson in the 2021 recruiting class. The Texas coaches seem to be high on Pearson, which is good news for an otherwise inexperienced special teams unit with a lot of uncertainty heading into fall camp.