3 younger Texas players who could get more playing time in SEC play
Head coach Steve Sarkisian and Texas football have done a great job early on during the regular season, getting younger players valuable early live-game reps while the team is up big in the second half. In two of the season's first three games, Sarkisian and staff have gotten over 70 players live-game reps.
Texas football getting all levels of the depth chart almost live-game experience early in 2024
Underclassmen have played a very obvious role in Texas's success early this season on both sides of the ball. But the spotlight among the Longhorns' underclassmen has really been on the offensive side of the ball in the last week or so, with redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning getting his first career start this weekend at home against the UL-Monroe Warhawks.
Manning is starting while redshirt junior starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is recovering from an abdominal strain injury he suffered in Texas's dominant 56-7 win over the UTSA Roadrunners last week.
But the defensive side of the ball has also seen first and second-year players get plenty of live-game reps for the Longhorns this fall. Texas has gotten 22 first and second-year players on defense on the field for live-game reps this season, which is tied for the third most in the SEC.
With so many younger players for the Longhorns getting chances to prove themselves in live-game action early this season, we're bound to see some of their roles get bigger down the stretch as they continue to progress and grow with each passing week.
Here are three Longhorns among the first and second-year players who could see more snaps entering SEC play next week.
Liona Lefau, LB
One of the most productive underclassmen who has gone a bit under-the-radar early this fall for the Longhorns is second-year linebacker Liona Lefau. Despite ranking 19th among all Longhorns defenders in defensive snaps, Lefau ranks third in defensive stops and is tied for second on the team in sacks this season.
Lefau ranks second on the team among middle linebackers in defensive snaps this season. He's filled a critical role in the linebacker rotation at the mike spot for Texas's defensive front this season, playing behind stud sophomore Anthony Hill Jr.
Not only does Lefau do a good job of finding the ball carrier and getting them to the ground in run defense and while contesting space, but he also excels when he's assigned to drop back into pass coverage from the mike spot at linebacker.
The Longhorns' first two opponents during the SEC slate over the next few weeks, the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners run veer-and-shoot style offenses. Mississippi State and Oklahoma will both target their bigger tight ends and quicker slot receivers out in the flats and down the seams.
Texas is probably going to utilize Lefau's natural abilities to hold his own in pass coverage when the Longhorns face those aforementioned more pass-happy teams in the SEC.