Texas Football: 3 underclassmen who can win starting jobs in fall camp

Ethan Burke, EDGE

Position battle: Jack

One of the position battles that Longhorns fans will be following with an attentive eye on the defensive side of the ball is edge rusher, specifically the jack position. Texas is looking to replace the departed senior edge rusher Ovie Oghoufo, who transferred to the LSU Tigers earlier this offseason.

The candidates to be the next starter at the jack position heading into fall camp are sophomore Ethan Burke, sophomore Justice Finkley, and potentially redshirt freshman J’mond Tapp. However, Burke and Finkley are the most likely candidates to come out of fall camp as the starter at the jack position.

Burke will likely be considered the odds-on favorite to win the starting job at jack heading into fall camp. He surpassed Finkley by getting the first-team reps at jack during spring ball and hasn’t looked back since.

It looks like Burke made some of the necessary strides to get his body right during the summer workout program. He’s nearly up to 260 pounds, more than 10 pounds heavier than he was from his pre-spring ball weigh-in.

What Burke needs to prove in fall camp to get a firm hold of the starting job at the jack position is improving setting the edge in run defense. If Burke proves that he can hold his gaps and consistently set the edge in run defense this fall, he’ll be more well-rounded, given his tools as a natural pass rusher.