Texas Football: 5 most imperative Longhorns players for 2023 season
Heading into summer workouts, Texas football is looking to continue to build on some of the success we heard from various position groups and players during the spring. Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian seemingly came out of spring ball with plenty of optimism.
And I would say they had quite a few reasons to be optimistic coming out of spring ball after letting some of the takeaways and reports from camp digest for a little over a month now.
Sark and the Longhorns do have a lot of hype building around the program right now ahead of the 2023 season. Not only do most of the more common sportsbooks list the Longhorns as the odds-on favorites to win the Big 12 this year, but it also is often listed as one of the 10 or 15 schools with the best odds to make the College Football Playoff.
All of the returning experience and talent that Texas has on the roster in 2023 is driving a lot of this hype entering the fall. But as it is said often among the Longhorns faithful, the players have to block out the noise and focus on what matters for the upcoming season.
Quinn Ewers and the Texas football players that are most important to team success in 2023
With that in mind, here’s a look at five of the most imperative Longhorns players for the 2023 season along with some honorable mentions.
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Honorable mentions
Ryan Watts, CB
Arguably the best cornerback returning for the Longhorns in 2023 is the former Ohio State redshirt junior transfer, Ryan Watts. Last season, Watts was an integral part of why the secondary made some necessary strides year-over-year. He will be a steady force that can hold his own in one-on-one coverage on the boundary this fall.
Jahdae Barron, NB
Another integral part of Texas’ secondary this year is rising senior nickel, Jahdae Barron. After breaking out for the Longhorns last season, leading all Power Five defensive backs in defensive stops, Barron is primed for a big senior campaign in 2023.
Byron Murphy II, DL
The top group of three or four defensive linemen for DL coach Bo Davis and the Longhorns will be special this fall. Led by upperclassmen in junior Byron Murphy II and redshirt senior T’Vondre Sweat, the Texas interior defensive line will be a major strength of the defense again.
JT Sanders, TE
Last season, sophomore tight end JT Sanders was the best receiving threat at his position in the Big 12, receiving all-conference first-team honors. Given some of the depth concerns at tight end heading into the 2023 season, Sanders will be just as important to the Longhorns’ success again this year.
AD Mitchell, WR
In most seasons, a wide receiver as talented as the former Georgia Bulldogs junior transfer AD Mitchell would make the list of the five most imperative Longhorns players. The fact that he’s on the outside looking in on this list is a testament to the crazy depth in Texas’ wide receiver room.