Texas Football: 3 second-year players with the most to prove in spring
Kris Ross, DL
There will be plenty of discussions had in the next year or so regarding the depth situation along the defensive line for Bo Davis and the Longhorns. While there is a lot of proven experience returning to Texas in 2023, a lot of the key players on the two-deep will probably be gone next year.
Texas heads into spring camp with the two or three starting defensive line spots probably solidified. If nothing else, senior defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat has one of the defensive tackle spots locked up. And junior nose tackle Byron Murphy II definitely holds down another starting spot to anchor the line.
That would technically leave one more defensive tackle spot up in the air if senior Alfred Collins hasn’t solidified it as of yet. And that would also assume that Pete Kwiatkowski and the Longhorns aren’t going to play more of a true 2-4-5 defensive scheme this fall.
Furthermore, behind that trio of Collins, Sweat, and Murphy is a little bit more questionable on the two-deep along the defensive line. Texas will be relying on some talented, but unproven, defensive linemen to round out the two-deep.
It looks as if redshirt junior Vernon Broughton will be able to compete for one of the backup spots at defensive tackle this spring. Outside of Broughton, though, there aren’t any upperclassmen to rely on along the defensive line in 2023. There are a couple of younger players to watch at this spot instead heading into spring ball.
One name to watch heading into the spring will be the former four-star recruit and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Kris Ross. The 6-foot-3 and 285-pound second-year Houston, TX, native only got a handful of defensive snaps in live-game action last season.
Ross received five defensive snaps in the season opener against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks last season, which resulted in two combined tackles and one stop.
Heading into this spring, Ross will be in a much more favorable spot to get in the defensive line rotation. If Ross can prove that the physical gifts and pass-rushing proficiency that he showed coming out of high school will translate at the Power Five level, then he will definitely be one of the favorites to land a spot on the two-deep.
One of the biggest goals of the offseason was for Ross to put on more size to win matchups on a more consistent basis against some of the bigger offensive linemen he’ll face in the Big 12 and then the SEC.
Inside Texas’ Ian Boyd mentioned that he could see Ross becoming a “winning player” in a year or two for the Longhorns. If that is going to be the case, then he needs to start showing some of those strides in the next couple of months in spring camp.
Ross arrived on campus last offseason around 270 pounds. It sounds like he’s a little north of 280 early this offseason, but he probably still needs to get at least 10 or 15 more pounds to really be at the ideal size and muscle mass to compete in the trenches.