Analyzing 3 true freshmen who should start for Texas football in 2022
All of the news and shakeups on the injury front for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football program coming out of the first fall scrimmage last weekend have changed the picture of what this team’s two-deep depth chart will look like heading into Week 1. Texas experienced a couple of very costly injuries during the first scrimmage of fall camp on Aug. 13.
The two costliest injuries were ACL tears that will see the likes of redshirt sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Neyor and senior interior offensive lineman Junior Angilau, which will cause both of them to miss the 2022 season. These injuries, among a few others, will open the door for some of the impactful freshmen on campus to step up and make a splash in camp.
If Sark and the Longhorns can get some of these freshmen to step up in fall camp in the next couple of weeks, that could be the opportunity they need to get some starting reps early in the regular season. That will make the final 10 days or so of fall camp before the first week of actual practice ahead of the regular season opener critical for the freshmen on this team.
True freshmen vying for starting reps for Texas football this fall
With that in mind, here’s an analysis of three true freshmen that should start for the Longhorns in 2022.
https://twitter.com/WendyKJ/status/1559718119194632194
Brenen Thompson, WR
What we’ve heard about and seen from the former highly touted four-star recruit and true freshman wide receiver Brenen Thompson since summer workouts is pretty positive. And it sounds like Thompson is starting to acclimate well now in this offense with the start of the regular season just a couple of weeks away.
Thompson’s speed and elusiveness in the open field have really stood out in what we’ve seen from this Texas offensive unit since the start of fall camp. We also heard good things about his ability when he gets the ball in his hands during the seven-on-seven work during on-field practice in the summer.
But what makes Thompson’s presence for this Texas offense so much more important at this point of fall camp is the absence of Neyor. With Neyor out for the season, Thompson’s ability to make an early impact on this offense is paramount.
Both Thompson and former Iowa State wide receiver transfer Tarique Milton will now be integral parts of this passing game with Neyor out.
Moreover, Thompson’s insane track speed and elusiveness make him a nice fit for this Texas offense either as a true slot wide receiver or in some type of role similar to that of Xavier Worthy at the x spot.
I’ve mentioned in the last few days the possibility of Texas running either Milton or Thompson in some type of a hybrid slot receiver to give this offense a third option in the passing game. And if Sark and the Longhorns decide to pursue this option to replace Neyor in this offense, it will mean Thompson has a huge opportunity to get starting reps early this season.