Texas Football: 3 emerging leaders for the Longhorns in summer workouts

Byron Murphy II, DL

Another spot in the trenches where the Longhorns have seen some true leaders emerge among the upperclassmen is the defensive line. DL coach Bo Davis and the Longhorns have reportedly seen both junior defensive lineman Byron Murphy II and redshirt senior T’Vondre Sweat stand out among the upperclassmen this summer.

The duo of Sweat and Murphy are the clear top two along the interior defensive line for the Longhorns heading into the fall. Sweat is the most experienced returning defensive lineman, and Murphy will set the tone at nose tackle this fall.

I picked Murphy over Sweat among the “emerging leaders” on this list because the rising junior wasn’t considered one of the leaders on the defense in the last couple of years. Murphy was one of the underclassmen amid an experienced group of interior defensive linemen last fall.

But now, Murphy will be one of the Longhorns’ most experienced and proven interior defensive linemen. And with how he’s setting the tone and “stepping up” as a vocal leader this summer, Murphy has all the makings of a difference-maker this season.

It’s interesting to me that this Horns247 report noted that Sweat and Murphy “have more intensity” as vocal leaders stepping up in summer workouts than Texas had last year in senior defensive linemen Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo. Coburn and Ojomo were integral to Texas’ improvement and overall success along the interior defensive line last fall, so the fact that we’re hearing Sweat and Murphy are taking their leadership traits to a new level is really exciting.