Texas Football: Barryn Sorrell is “balling” in summer workouts
The pass rush is a hot topic heading into fall camp for Texas football, as it was a struggle for this defense to drum up consistent pressure and sacks on opposing quarterbacks the last two seasons. Texas did improve the pass rush last season, thanks to the progression of key players along the front seven, such as sophomore edge rusher Barryn Sorrell and senior interior defensive lineman Keondre Coburn.
The former of those two Longhorns players that helped improve the pass rush last fall, Sorrell, is an x-factor heading into the 2023 season. Sorrell is a breakout candidate this fall that could be the impact pass rush Pete Kwiatkowski and the Longhorns have so direly needed along the defensive front the last few years.
Moreover, it sounds like Sorrell is on the right track to emerge as one of the better pass rushers in the Big 12 among edge rushers in the conference this fall. He was one of the standouts along the defensive front among the upperclassmen during spring ball.
Texas football EDGE Barryn Sorrell improving his game this summer
Sorrell continues to be a name mentioned among the upperclassmen impressing through the first few weeks of summer workouts. Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods reported on June 30 (subscriber content) that Sorrell is “balling” in summer workouts.
Something that caught my eye in this report from Anwar on Orangebloods is that Sorrell is “emerging into one of this team’s defensive leaders”. This is a necessary stride for Sorrell to become one of the best and most well-rounded players for this defense heading into the fall.
Sorrell on track to make a big leap as a pass rusher this year
We already know that Sorrell is a quality edge rusher in terms of his ability to consistently set the edge as a run defender. Sorrell led Texas edge rushers last season in run stops, and he was the only defender to manage double-digit run stops in 2022 while missing three or fewer tackle attempts.
Now that Sorrell is an established force on the edge as a run defender, the next stride he must make to become one of the most impactful edge rushers in the Big 12 is to be a consistent force rushing the passer. Sorrell showed flashes of being an impact pass rusher last season, as he led the team with 5.5 sacks and ranked second in quarterback pressures with 33.
If Sorrell comes up with at least eight or nine sacks this fall, that will go a long way to giving Texas the pass rush it sorely needs.
Next. 3 upperclassmen standing out in summer workouts for Texas. dark
Texas finished up last season with a record of 8-5 (6-3 Big 12). Sorrell and the Longhorns will open up the 2023 regular season at home at DKR on Sep. 2 against the Rice Owls, with the biggest test of the non-conference slate coming one week later on the road against the Alabama Crimson Tide.