Texas Football: 3 upperclassmen that could lose starting jobs in fall camp

David Gbenda, LB

Competition: Morice Blackwell Jr.

The biggest unknown of all the position battles on the defensive side of the ball is will linebacker. Texas is trying to replace senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who they lost earlier this offseason to the NFL Draft.

Battling it out for the starting job at will linebacker in fall camp will be redshirt senior David Gbenda, and junior Morice Blackwell Jr. Gbenda has the edge over Blackwell in experience. But Blackwell probably has the higher ceiling of the two players, given his progress at the position since moving down from safety last offseason.

Gbenda must show in fall camp that he can more effectively read route concepts and cover the flats. We’ve too often seen Gbenda out of place in pass coverage the last few years and not being able to effectively contest space when he’s out of position.

Meanwhile, Blackwell has experience in pass coverage since he played defensive back in high school and his first year at Texas. Blackwell is also like a rocket when he’s finding the ball carrier on defense. He plays with a lot of pop in the pads, which could help generate some big turnovers for Texas.

In the first couple of days of fall practice, Blackwell and Gbenda have each taken first-team reps at will linebacker in individual and team drills. Inside Texas reported that Gbenda took the first-team reps at will linebacker in team drills on Aug. 3.