Texas Football: 3 true freshmen that stood out in Week 2 of fall practice

Liona Lefau, LB

Among true freshmen pushing for a spot on the two-deep at linebacker, first-year mike linebacker Liona Lefau is making some noise in the early stages of training camp. Lefau is in the running for the backup job at mike linebacker behind the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and standout senior Jaylan Ford.

Lefau is making real strides in fall practice after showing out in team drills and scrimmages during the spring. He’s proven mature enough to handle live-game reps as a true freshman at off-ball linebacker this fall.

Moreover, it sounds like Lefau is one of the true freshmen that has stood out for his work ethic and performance in practice to start training camp.

Ford specifically mentioned Lefau during the post-practice press conference on Aug. 10. Ford said that Lefau “reminds him of himself” regarding his drive and work ethic. He also said Lefau came away with an interception in practice on Aug. 10.

This is not the first time that we’ve heard about Lefau reading and reacting to make a play on the ball like this in camp this offseason. Lefau can locate the ball and the ball carrier and make the play as a true freshman. It usually takes some time for middle linebackers to adjust to the game’s speed and learn the defensive schemes.

But the transition time for Lefau is proving to be much shorter than expected heading into the season.