Jaray Bledsoe, DL
During spring ball last offseason, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman/edge rusher Jaray Bledsoe was viewed as one of the breakout candidates for this 2024 campaign for the Longhorns on the front seven for the defense. Bledsoe has all the tools to become a matchup nightmare at three-tech defensive tackle or coming off the EDGE as an athletic and disruptive pass rusher.
Texas's defensive line play has been really solid among the top guys, namely seniors Vernon Broughton, Alfred Collins, and Jermayne Lole. Collins is the highest-graded defensive tackle in the SEC. Lole is also one of the most impactful transfer defensive tackles in the SEC this season.
The solid play from the defensive line upperclassmen this fall, along with the rise of key underclassmen this fall recently like true freshman Alex January and second-year nose tackle Sydir Mitchell, has increased the competition for reps in the core part of the iDL rotation for Kenny Baker and the Longhorns.
Bledsoe hasn't taken any defensive snaps for the Longhorns since non-conference play in Week 4 against UL-Monroe. He took a season-high 11 defensive snaps in Texas's convincing 56-7 win in non-conference play in Week 3 against the UTSA Roadrunners, with two combined tackles and a couple of defensive stops.
With younger defensive tackles like January and Mitchell developing slowly but surely this fall, the defensive snaps with the first and second-team defensive line units next spring in camp might be harder to come by for the upperclassmen.