3 Texas players with most to prove in second half of spring

Neto Umeozulu, OL

The biggest position battle on the offensive side of the ball down the stretch in spring practice is at left guard between sophomore Neto Umeozulu and senior Hayden Conner. Umeozulu is making a big push this spring to take the first-team reps from the returning starter at left guard from the last two seasons, Conner.

Umeozulu has taken advantage of the opportunity to get more first-team practice reps at left guard this spring with Conner cross-training at other spots along the offensive line. Conner has been getting reps at with the second-team OL at center and first and second-team offenses at right tackle, battling pushing junior Cam Williams for the starting reps in Christian Jones' spot this offseason.

Between his impressive physical upside and run blocking ability, Umeozulu has a valid case to be the best option as the first-team left guard entering preseason camp.

Not only is the 6-foot-4 and 335-pound Umeozulu a more powerful blocker, but he is also more adept at moving defenders off the ball at the line of scrimmage as a run blocker than the other players competing for the first-team reps at left guard this spring.

If Umeozulu continues to show Kyle Flood that he can consistently execute the blocking schemes and move bodies off the ball along the interior, he'll have a great shot to get the first-team left guard reps in the spring game in a couple of weeks.