3 newcomers standing out in fall camp for Texas football

Jaylon Guilbeau, DB

A good example of a true freshman that stepped up when given the opportunity in fall camp came about with defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau rising to the occasion in the wake of an injury to junior defensive back Jahdae Barron. With Barron missing from camp in the last couple of weeks, Guilbeau stood out taking the first-team reps at the star position in practice and the two scrimmages.

Guilbeau coming in and making this sort of impact on the secondary as a true freshman is really impressive. He came into the program this offseason as a true cornerback recruit and wound up showing a level of versatility that we didn’t anticipate him showing right away.

And while Guilbeau isn’t going to start Week 1 over Barron at the star position this season, taking hold of the first-team spot here the way he did in the wake of Jahdae’s injury is huge.

This shows that the Longhorns have some newfound depth at the star/nickel spot in the secondary that wasn’t in place last season. Guilbeau is yet another one of these touted newcomers from the 2022 recruiting class that is displaying a level of maturity that you just don’t see out of many true freshmen.

We keep hearing about how many plays Guilbeau is making in practice and the scrimmages. He’s a force in the backend of this defense both in pass coverage and getting after the ball carrier when he’s lined up closer to the line of scrimmage.

The type of range and natural football IQ that Guilbeau is showing right now is not something that the staff will forget. He has definitely earned himself this spot at the star position on the two-deep heading into the season.