The younger players for No. 2 Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian have played a significant role in helping this team reach the SEC Championship Game in the first year in the conference for the Burnt Orange.
Texas football needs a much better performance on offense to defeat No. 5 Georgia in the SEC title game in a rematch this weekend
Multiple underclassmen for the Longhorns have made key contributions on both sides of the ball on the two-deep depth chart this fall. True freshmen for the Longhorns, such as edge rusher Colin Simmons and wide receiver Ryan Wingo have made an immediate impact on this team in the SEC in the 2024 season.
Other underclassmen have emerged as some of Texas's best players this season on the defensive side of the ball, including sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and sophomore cornerback Malik Muhammad.
This postseason, the Longhorns will continue to count on key underclassmen on each side of the ball to make an impact on the game starting in the SEC Championship this weekend against the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta.
Here are three freshmen for the Longhorns who could be primed for breakout performances in the SEC title game on Dec. 7 against Georgia.
Sydir Mitchell, DT
Texas's defensive line has been very impressive this season, helping the Longhorns boast the No. 3 ranked run defense in the SEC. The Longhorns also rank fifth in the SEC in team sacks.
When the Longhorns have needed younger defensive linemen to step up this season, they've done well down the stretch in SEC play for the front seven. Freshmen defensive tackles Alex January and Sydir Mitchell both played significant reps in Texas's dominant 49-17 win in early November against the Florida Gators, and in the iDL rotation in the Senior Day win over the Kentucky Wildcats.
During the week leading up to the Florida game on Nov. 9, Sarkisian said in a press conference that Mitchell "has had his two best weeks of work here in quite some time". Mitchell wound up having the most productive game of his career in college in that 49-17 win over Florida.
Mitchell wasn't perfect against Florida. His size still proved to be a hindrance when it comes to getting outside and being able to help shift the defensive line leverage to the ball carrier to close up running lanes.
Sydir Mitchell was a stonewall against downhill run plays but was reached a few times when the Gators ran outside zone. pic.twitter.com/rnxL249tbK
— Captain Bruisin, cruise director (@Ian_A_Boyd) November 12, 2024
I still think the Florida and Kentucky games were two good opportunities for Mitchell to show that he has improved in certain respects this season for the Longhorns' defensive line. He proved he can be a big presence and an effective two-gapper stopping the interior runs and as an interior pass rusher to get after the quarterback.
If Texas needs to rotate up front more this weekend against Georgia in the SEC title game, Mitchell could play a key role against a team that recruited him heavily as a four-star prospect coming out of high school in New Jersey in the 2022 class in head coach Kirby Smart and the Dawgs.