Texas Football: 5 Longhorns earn Preseason All-Big 12 Honors

On July 5, the Big 12 conference office announced its 2023 Preseason All-Big 12 Teams and Honors, including some selections from the Texas football program. The players were selected through a poll of the league’s media representatives.

Texas led the way with five Preseason All-Big 12 selections. Among those selections were Xavier Worthy, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Kelvin Banks Jr, Byron Murphy II, and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Jaylan Ford.

Kansas and Kansas State each had four honorees, and Oklahoma State and TCU had three.

The offseason hype for Texas has been high, and Wednesday’s Preseason All-Big 12 honorees show why the Horns are the team to beat in the Big 12 this fall. Texas is littered with talent throughout the roster, and head coach Steve Sarkisian brings back elite playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Let’s look closer at the Longhorns selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, breaking down why they were selected and what’s in store for this fall.

Five Texas football players earn Preseason All-Big 12 Honors

Xavier Worthy – Junior WR

Despite having a statistical regression from 2021 to 2022, wide receiver Xavier Worthy was still the only unanimous selection on the Preseason All-Big 12 team. The junior wideout’s expectations are as high as ever ahead of what is likely to be his last season in Austin.  Worthy enters his second season with quarterback Quinn Ewers with sky-high expectations.

The Fresno, California, native has started in all 25 games since joining the Texas football program in the summer of 2021. He was an All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2021 and an All-Big 12 Second Team selection in 2022. Worthy has 122 receptions for 1,741 yards and 21 touchdowns during his two seasons on the Forty Acres. Worthy could leave Austin as one of the top three Longhorn receivers in every significant statistical category if he has another solid season.

Despite the depth and talent in Texas’ receiver room, do not expect Worthy’s production to suffer. The talent on the outside will force defenses to stay honest on all fronts, not allowing them to blanket Worthy like we saw at times last season. Longhorn fans complained about the lack of completed deep balls last season. That should not be an issue in 2023.

Ja’Tavion Sanders – Junior TE

On an offense full of elite playmakers, junior tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders stands out. The former five-star Denton Ryan (TX) athlete developed into an elite weapon in Texas’ offense last season.

Sanders caught 54 balls for 613 yards and five scores in his first season as a starter. He earned First Team All-Big 12 Honors and is being projected by many to be a first-round draft pick next April. Sanders’ prowess as a receiver has always been known, but he developed into an above-average run-blocker during his sophomore campaign. This newfound strength in his game makes it more apparent that he is the best tight end in the Big 12.

Kelvin Banks Jr. – Sophomore LT

Kelvin Banks arrived in Austin in June of 2022. Three months later, he shut down Alabama’s Will Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Banks started all 13 games for the Horns last season and earned Freshman All-America Honors.

The Humble, Texas, native combines elite size and strength with nimble feet, steady hands, and elite football IQ. He possesses everything you would want in a left tackle and projects out as a top-half of the first-round type prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.

In 2022, Banks led all Big 12 tackles in blown block percentage and effectiveness rating in true pass sets. He closed the regular season with three consecutive games without allowing a single QB pressure or incurring a single penalty. He is a special player and was even called a “unicorn” by a former Big 12 coach. His game should only continue to ascend.

Byron Murphy II – Junior DT

With the loss of Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo, the middle of the Texas defense has opened up for junior defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. Murphy started just one game last season but finished the year with 26 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 300 pounds, Murphy has the size and strength to get under opposing offensive linemen’s pads, bull-rushing them into the backfield. Murphy was a menace against the run last season, finishing the year as the leader in the Big 12 in positive play percentage allowed against the run. Murphy now moves into a starting role where he can continue to develop as an elite stop-gap up front.

Jaylan Ford – Senior LB

Last but not least is senior linebacker Jaylan Ford. Ford was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team and picked as the Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Ford finished runner-up to Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He is being rightfully recognized for the experience and leadership he brings to the middle of this defense.

Ford is coming off a junior season where he started 12 games and was selected as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. Ford finished the season with 119 total tackles, ten tackles for loss, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumbles recoveries, and two sacks.

He called the defense at the middle linebacker position and grew as a vocal leader as the season progressed. Ford was the epitome of a do-it-all linebacker for Coach Sarkisian and this Texas defense.

The Frisco, Texas, native weighed his NFL options this spring before returning to the Forty to handle some unfinished business. At the top of that list is to win a Big 12 title, but with Ford, I would not be shocked if the defensive accolades also piled up.