3 Texas football players that are expected to opt out of Alamo Bowl

A major question surrounding the Alamo Bowl for the Texas football program and head coach Steve Sarkisian had to do with the potential opt-outs among the upperclassmen on this team. There are at least a few upperclassmen for Texas that were likely to opt out of the Alamo Bowl to prepare for the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

And it now looks like we have a good idea of at least a handful of the Longhorns players that could not be included in the Alamo Bowl against the No. 12 Washington Huskies out of the PAC-12 North. Texas is set to take on Washington in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, with the kickoff time set for 8 p.m. CT.

A report from Eric Nahlin of Inside Texas on Dec. mentions the three Longhorns players that won’t be taking part in the festivities at the Alamo Bowl in a few weeks.

Two of the Longhorns players that are now expected to miss the Alamo Bowl play on the offensive side of the ball, and the other one plays on defense.

Bijan Robinson and the Texas football players that will be opting out of the Alamo Bowl

Here, we’re going to take a deeper dive at the impact that the absence that this trio of Longhorns players will have on the Longhorns.

DeMarvion Overshown, LB

The lone player on this report from Inside Texas that is mentioned among those expected to opt out of the Alamo Bowl is All-Big 12 senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.

Overshown was one of the best defensive players for the Longhorns this season. And it seemed like he did a little bit of everything for this defensive front.

For the first time in his career, Overshown took at least 300 coverage snaps, 80 pass-rush snaps, and 275 snaps in run defense during the regular season. In the process, he posted the best run defense, pass rush, and overall defensive grades of his career.

Yet, the absence of Overshown in the bowl game was something that I anticipated would happen. He could go as high as a day-two pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he’s already played a ton of snaps for this Texas defense in the last few seasons.

This feels like the right time for Overshown to get his body and mind right to focus on the scouting process ahead for the 2023 draft.

In the meantime, Texas is going to have to rely on a combination of junior linebacker David Gbenda and senior Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey to fill the void left by Overshown’s absence in the Alamo Bowl. DTD was solid in his first year with the Longhorns during the regular season. He was a reliable and experienced linebacker that was a nice compliment to the standout duo of junior Jaylan Ford and Overshown.

Meanwhile, this will be yet another opportunity for Gbenda to prove that he’s really figured out this defense and that he belongs on the two-deep at linebacker in 2023. Gbenda is one of the improving defensive players for the Longhorns that really flew under the radar during the regular season. He posted the best defensive grade of his career during the regular season, and it’s not even close.