Texas Football: 3 incoming freshman who’ll compete for a starting role in 2023

With spring ball set to begin in roughly one month, it’s a good time to look ahead at what new faces with the Texas football program could contribute right away. Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian have more than a dozen new additions to the program by way of high school recruiting and the NCAA Transfer Portal ahead of the start of spring camp.

Sark and the Longhorns are likely going to see a number of these new additions compete for spots on the two-deep depth chart ahead of next season. And spring ball will be the first shot that a lot of these new faces within the program get to make a real impression on their teammates and namely the coaching staff.

We’ll probably see each of the four portal pickups for the Longhorns compete for spots on the two-deep right away. Texas pulled in a solid transfer class thus far, highlighted by the former Georgia Bulldogs sophomore wide receiver AD Mitchell and Arkansas Razorbacks redshirt junior safety Jalen Catalon.

Freshmen ready to compete for starting spots in 2023

But there will be more intrigue surrounding the potential of the high school recruits to contribute early in 2023. With that in mind, here’s a look at three incoming freshmen that could compete for a starting spot this year.

Malik Muhammad, CB

Texas has a lot of depth at cornerback in 2023. The strength at the cornerback position is one of the contributing factors to why the secondary might be the best level of the defense for Texas this year.

And one of the most talented additions to the defensive backfield for the Longhorns in 2023 is the former blue-chip South Oak Cliff cornerback recruit and true freshman Malik Muhammad. The 6-foot and 175-pound cornerback will be looking to compete for a spot on the two-deep, likely at the field spot.

Muhammad will have the ability to compete for reps at the field corner spot after Texas lost senior D’Shawn Jamison to the NFL Draft this offseason. He’ll be in a competition with fellow 2023 signee and former Wake Forest Demon Deacons redshirt sophomore cornerback Gavin Holmes and rising sophomore Terrance Brooks for the starting reps at field corner in 2023.

Muhammad is the most physically gifted of any of the three aforementioned corners that will be competing for starting reps at the field spot this year. He’s got good length and quickness, which allows him to quickly read and make plays on the football when he’s targeted in pass coverage.

He’s also got the instincts and coverage skills required to play in a few different coverage schemes at the collegiate level.

Cooper Petagna of 247Sports mentioned in his breakdown of Muhammad’s game coming out of South Oak Cliff High School in the 2023 class that he “wouldn’t be surprised if he sees the field sooner than later”. This is a statement that I completely agree with given his physical tools and proficiency in multiple different coverage schemes.

If Muhammad can add some weight to his frame while proving he can truly compete on a consistent basis with some of Texas’ top wideouts in one-on-one pass coverage, he’ll be a legitimate threat to start right away.