Texas Football: 3 biggest remaining position battles heading into season
This weekend, Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian will participate in the final Saturday of game prep and install before the start of the 2023 regular season. Sark and Texas wrapped up training camp last weekend after the second fall scrimmage.
Texas opens up the regular season at home at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sep. 2 against the Rice Owls, with the kickoff time set for 2:30 p.m. CT. The opener against Rice allows the Longhorns to shake off any early season jitters or rust in preparation for the biggest non-conference game of the year, on Sep. 9 against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.
Big remaining position battles for Texas football heading into the season
Sark and the Longhorns staff still have some figuring out to do with the depth chart before Week 2 against Alabama arrives. Texas’ two-deep depth chart appears to be mostly set heading into install and game prep this weekend. But several position battles are still playing out on both sides of the ball ahead of Week 1.
Here’s a look at three of the biggest remaining position battles for the Longhorns heading into Week 1 against Rice.
Will linebacker
Candidates: David Gbenda, Anthony Hill Jr.
Will linebacker appears to have its Week 1 starter coming out of fall camp in redshirt senior David Gbenda. After showing a lot of improvement this offseason, Gbenda earned the first-team reps at will linebacker heading into the season.
But we’ve heard more and more about true freshman linebacker/hybrid edge rusher Anthony Hill Jr. pushing for more reps at the weakside LB spot in fall camp. Hill proved to be a real difference-maker at linebacker for Texas. He also showed better than advertised skills in pass coverage in team drills and the two fall scrimmages in camp.
Hill is the future at will linebacker for the Longhorns. But Gbenda will be the starter until Hill shows he’s ready to expand his role and take more key defensive snaps in live-game situations at will linebacker.
It’s also worth noting that junior Morice Blackwell Jr. will figure into the rotation at will linebacker this fall. Blackwell will split reps between will and sam linebacker as he gets settled at the position after transitioning from safety last offseason.