Texas Football: Gavin Holmes pushing for starting job at field CB

Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian wrapped up training camp after the second fall scrimmage last weekend. Texas has a little over a week before the regular season opener at home on Sep. 2 against the Rice Owls.

Before the regular season opener, the Longhorns must get the depth chart configured. And with this coming weekend being the last Saturday for install and game prep before the season starts, the depth chart has to be done soon.

One position that still appears to be getting settled coming out of fall camp is field corner. Texas saw true freshman Malik Muhammad, sophomore Terrance Brooks, and redshirt junior Gavin Holmes duke it out for the first-team reps at field corner in fall camp.

Texas football CB Gavin Holmes reportedly still pushing for the starting job at field corner

Brooks and Holmes emerged as the favorites to win the starting job at field corner in the last couple of weeks of training camp, with Muhammad taking more reps at boundary corner behind redshirt junior Ryan Watts.

And while it looked like Brooks was the clear favorite to win the starting job at field corner heading into the season, some conjecture is proving otherwise late this week. Inside Texas reported on Aug. 24 (paid content) that Holmes is “making a spirited push” for the starting job at field corner heading into Week 1 against Rice.

Holmes is reportedly proving “sticky in coverage” against a solid group of Texas wideouts that rank among the best receiving corps in the Power Five.

No matter who wins the starting job at field corner, though, Holmes and Brooks will get significant reps in live-game action this season. It will probably be more situation-based for who gets live-game reps and when this fall.

Texas is very deep at corner this fall

Texas has four quality corners that will each get a heavy dose of defensive snaps this season. Watts and Muhammad will command the boundary corner spot while Brooks and Holmes hold down the ship at field corner. Muhammad can also rotate between boundary and field corner if needed this season.

This is arguably the deepest the Longhorns have been at the cornerback position in the last decade. Texas added a quality corner out of the NCAA Transfer Portal early this offseason in the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon Holmes and Muhammad from the high school ranks in the 2023 recruiting class. Both Holmes and Muhammad will be immediate contributors for the Texas defense this fall.