3 Texas upperclassmen who can lose starting jobs this spring

Vernon Broughton, Texas football
Vernon Broughton, Texas football / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
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Terrance Brooks, Texas football
Terrance Brooks, Texas football / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

Terrance Brooks, CB

Among the three upperclassmen on this list for the Longhorns, the one in the most danger of losing their starting job entering the spring is rising junior cornerback Terrance Brooks.

The player potentially competing to take Brooks' starting job at field corner isn't a young and talented underclassmen or a rising junior coming into their own. Instead, it would be a fifth-year senior defensive back, Jahdae Barron, who is cross-training at field corner and the nickel position entering spring ball.

It makes sense for Barron to get these extra reps cross-training at field corner since the boundary corner spot is locked down by rising sophomore standout Malik Muhammad. Last season, Muhammad was among the highest-graded true freshman cornerbacks in the Power Five as he made an immediate impact for Texas's secondary in the final year in the Big 12.

Horns247 reported last week that Texas has been cross-training Barron at field safety, field corner, and star entering spring ball. Barron is potentially Texas's best cover guy on the roster entering spring camp. He's started multiple games at corner and star in the last few seasons at Texas.

Given Texas's new found depth at the star position, with rising junior Jaylon Guilbeau looking like the best version of himself physically since his true freshman campaign in preseason camp, the ability to cross-train Barron is crucial to getting the best combination of starters in the secondary.

Moving Barron to the field corner spot and letting some combo of sophomore Derek Williams Jr., senior Clemson transfer Andrew Mukuba, and/or freshman Xavier Filsaime (also redshirt junior Michael Taaffe) star at safety is an incredibly talented group with high upside in the secondary in the SEC.

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