Texas Football: 5 immediate impact summer enrollees for the Horns

We’ve hit the time of the offseason for Texas football when the summer enrollees are starting to arrive on campus ahead of the start of the summer workout program. Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian will welcome more than a dozen summer enrollees to the Forty Acres in the next couple of weeks, mostly among 2023 signees from the high school ranks.

Texas is specifically getting 11 summer enrollees to campus from the high school ranks in the 2023 class and two additions via the NCAA Transfer Portal. Of the 11 signees from the high school ranks in the Longhorns 2023 class, well over half of them were blue-chip recruits.

Add these 13 summer enrollees to what was an already-strong signing class for the Longhorns among the early enrollees for the spring semester, and you get a lot of valuable additions to the program ahead of the 2023 season.

Derek Williams and the immediate impact summer enrollees for Texas football

Among the summer enrollees, there are some players that are going to be in spots to be able to potentially contribute immediately heading into the fall. Here’s a look at five summer enrollees for the Longhorns that could make an immediate impact in 2023.

Tausili Akana, EDGE

One of the highest-rated edge rushers to sign to the Longhorns in the 2023 class is the former highly touted four-star Skyridge (UT) product, Tausili Akana. The 6-foot-4 and 225-pound Akana was one of the two edge rushers to sign in the Longhorns 2023 class that didn’t enroll early during the spring.

The other summer enrollee among Texas’ edge rusher recruits in the 2023 class is the underrated three-star South Oak Cliff product, Billy Walton.

There will be a shot for Akana to solidify a spot in the two-deep immediately given the lack of proven depth and talent for the Longhorns at EDGE and at the sam linebacker position. Akana will probably be utilized more as a pass-rush specialist from the outside linebacker position, making him more of a hybrid EDGE player.

I would like to see Akana put on five or 10 more pounds during summer workouts to make sure his body is ready to compete in the Power Five heading into the fall. But if he’s able to make an impression on the coaching staff right away this summer and in fall camp, Akana will be able to push for a spot on the two-deep along the front seven as a true freshman.