3 notable adjustments Texas football made during the bye week

Moving Morice Blackwell Jr. back to linebacker likely for the rest of the season

One of the last major changes of note in the last couple of weeks positionally is the move for sophomore Morice Blackwell Jr. to go back from safety to linebacker. The 6-foot-1 and 205-pound Blackwell reportedly could get moved back to linebacker for the rest of the season.

Texas shifted Blackwell over to boundary safety last offseason, where he showed some flashes of becoming a capable hard-hitting defensive back that could make some contributions in a limited role.

But it didn’t take long for Blackwell to switch back to the position he played for the Longhorns last season.

The size limitations for Blackwell are reportedly the reason why he is going to play at the sam linebacker position moving forward. At 205 pounds, Blackwell doesn’t have the size that the staff would probably like at most of the linebacker/edge rusher positions in this defensive front.

Yet, Blackwell brings more than enough physicality to the table to make his presence known playing at the sam spot. And he’s also got more proven pass coverage skills than some other backup sam linebackers behind senior DeMarvion Overshown on the depth chart.

It’s worth noting that Blackwell was on the field for a double-digit number of defensive snaps for the first time this season in the loss to Oklahoma State. The bulk of those snaps came as an outside pass rusher or a slot coverage linebacker.

There is a specific skill set that Blackwell brings to the table as a quick and hard-hitting linebacker that is smaller but more capable in pass coverage. He can help a linebacker group that has struggled in pass coverage for much of the season find their way down the stretch this season when needed.