3 key Texas football players returning from injury this week

Alfred Collins, DL/DE

An uber-talented player for the Longhorns that is figured to be on the two-deep along the defensive front for the opener against ULM this weekend is the former elite five-star recruit and junior defensive lineman Alfred Collins. Texas lost Collins to an injury prior to the first scrimmage of fall camp on Aug. 13.

Throughout the late stages of fall camp, we still heard about Collins working his way back from this injury issue.

Once again, the original prognosis for Collins looked to be much worse than it might wind up being heading into the regular season. And that is obviously really good news for Texas given how important it will be to have strength along the defensive line during this difficult September schedule.

It will be interesting to see where Collins lands on the first depth chart of the season this week. If he’s slated to get snaps at the defensive tackle position, Collins could have a hard time cracking the two-deep behind senior Moro Ojomo and sophomore Vernon Broughton. But if he’s slated to play at the buck end position, Collins should be able to crack the two-deep ahead of true freshman edge rusher Justice Finkley.

Collins likely has an uphill battle in front of him to win a starting job this fall. But Week 1 should serve as an opportunity for him to prove himself if he does wind up getting snaps as a true defensive tackle. That’s where Collins graded out the best last season. And that might be where he thrives the most moving forward given his insane size, strength, and overall athleticism in the trenches.