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4 Texas players climbing the depth chart in spring practice

Two weeks into spring ball, Texas football has seen some movement in key areas of the depth chart for the younger players.

By Andrew Miller

DeAndre Moore Jr., Texas football
DeAndre Moore Jr., Texas football / Ricardo B. Brazziell / Austin
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Jaylon Guilbeau, Texas football
Jaylon Guilbeau, Texas football / Mikala Compton / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jaylon Guilbeau, DB

There is plenty of cross-training the Longhorns are doing with all the young raw talent they have in the secondary this spring. Texas also has a good, reliable, group of veteran defensive backs who have returned to the secondary at key spots from last year's squad.

One of the best of this group of returning DBs in the secondary this spring is fifth-year senior defensive back Jahdae Barron. Texas's most proven cover DB has taken reps at corner, nickel, and even some at field safety in the first couple of weeks of spring ball.

Texas has so many versatile defensive backs that they like to cross train that guys are getting reps and opportunities to show what they can do before settling into their roles in the secondary this fall.

Barron, senior safety Andrew Mukuba, and redshirt junior Michael Taaffe are three of the vocal leaders for the secondary and have guided the younger DBs early in spring practice. But the movement in cross-training for the DBs this spring has opened up opportunities for other guys to prove themselves while getting these valuable first-team practice reps.

Junior defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau is a great example of one of the Longhorns' defensive backs who has gotten healthy and seized the moment with the first-team secondary. Inside Texas reported that Guilbeau and fellow junior DB Austin Jordan "look really good" as the consistent guys getting the reps on the two-deep at the star position this spring.

This is a big year for Guilbeau, who has plenty of talent and has shown flashes of becoming a consistent force in Texas's secondary early in his career. But Guilbeau has been plagued by injuries, causing him to miss stretches of games and valuable camp reps in the last two years.

Guilbeau appears to finally be healthy and is reportedly moving better physically than he has really since about 18 months ago when he was a true freshman.

To sum this up, if the best spot for Texas to put Barron this upcoming season is as a shutdown one-on-one corner in the secondary, that opens the door for Guilbeau to take the starting job this year at nickel.

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