Texas Football: Position-by-position grades for the 2023 class post-NSD
Linebacker
# of signees: 3
We usually wouldn’t separate the linebacker and edge rusher positions in a single signing class when going through the position-by-position grades. But this class definitely warranted the split given the fact that there are a whopping seven additions among high school recruits in the 2023 class between these two spots.
Anthony Hill, 5-Star LB (Denton Ryan)
The clear-cut biggest addition among the linebacker signees in the Longhorns 2023 class is the former Texas A&M Aggies commit and elite five-star Denton Ryan product Anthony Hill Jr. Hill is leading a group of linebacker signees that will definitely be able to contribute early on.
In fact, I expect Hill to be one of the starting linebackers for Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate in 2023. He should be a plug-and-play linebacker that forms a standout duo at the position with senior All-American Jaylan Ford.
S’Maje Burrell, 4-Star LB (Fort Worth North Crowley)
Another linebacker that could be in a spot to contribute right away for the Longhorns coming out of the 2023 class is the four-star Fort Worth North Crowley product S’Maje Burrell. This effective and strong 6-foot and 220-pound DFW native projects as a long-term fit at off-ball linebacker. He should be an every-down starter for Texas by his second or third year on campus.
Liona Lefau, 4-Star LB (Kahuku, Hawaii)
Among the most underrated signees in the Longhorns 2023 class on the defensive side of the ball is the versatile four-star Kahuku (HI) linebacker Liona Lefau. The long-time friend of Akana has a special ability to drop back into pass coverage and he still excels at finding the ball coming out of the box from the linebacker position.
Lefau should be an early contributor for Texas that should be in the rotation in the next couple of years.
All in all, this is one of the best linebacker classes we’ve seen for the Longhorns coming out of the high school ranks in a long time. To be able to say that PK and Choate signed three early impact linebackers, including the elite Denton, TX, native Hill, is huge.