David Gbenda, LB
One of the names that have popped up in each offseason seemingly going back a half-decade for the Longhorns is redshirt senior linebacker and former blue-chip recruit David Gbenda. The fifth-year linebacker has yet to really break through and solidify a spot on the two-deep defensive depth chart at any point in the last three or four years.
It seems like any time when Gbenda went into spring ball with the hype that he could solidify a spot on the two-deep at linebacker for the Longhorns, we wind up hearing more about another young player at the position that impresses more than he does.
As a result, Gbenda has only taken more than 100 defensive snaps in one of the four seasons he’s played for Texas (which came back during the 2021 campaign).
Early this offseason, though, it really looks like Gbenda could finally be finding his stride. Gbenda is coming off a solid back half of the 2022 season, where he graded out better than any other year in his collegiate career to date.
Gbneda actually was one of the two highest-graded defenders among those that received more than 50 defensive snaps for Texas last season. The biggest reason for that likely had to do with a slight position switch.
In his first three years on campus, Gbenda took most of his reps at middle linebacker where he was asked to mainly rely on his read-and-react ability to find the ball and plug up gaps. The problem with Gbenda playing at middle linebacker is that his read-and-react ability isn’t the biggest strength of his game.
Gbenda is at his best when he can rely on his standout physical attributes and solid chase-down speed to cover ground sideline-to-sideline. When he is allowed to rely on his athleticism to have more range, he’s great at leading the defense to get hats to the football while holding down his assignments in pass coverage more effectively.
With Gbenda playing at will linebacker for most of his defensive reps last season, he was able to get more stops, miss fewer reads and tackles, and do a better job at keeping the play in front of him. It was clear that in prior seasons, Gbenda was miscast in his role as a middle linebacker.
He’s definitely more proficient playing at will linebacker, where his physical tools can take over. To put it simply, he does better playing in that sort of DeMarvion Overshown weak-side linebacker role instead of being the glue of the defense in a Jaylan Ford-style role at middle linebacker.
Eric Nahlin of Inside Texas reported earlier this week (paid content) that Gbenda is likely to take the first-team reps at will linebacker in the spring as he is the most experienced player returning at the position.
All told, if Gbenda sticks at will linebacker heading into spring ball, I like his chances to finally solidify his spot in the rotation at this spot and land a spot on the two-deep.