In the past couple of months since the conclusion of the 2024-25 Texas football postseason, head coach Steve Sarkisian and staff have lost at least a handful of starters on each side of the ball due to exhausted eligibility and the upcoming NFL Draft this spring.
Texas football turning the page to find new key starters on each side of the ball early in the 2025 offseason
As Texas turns the page to preparing for the 2025 season in the SEC and spring ball coming up for next month, the Longhorns have focused on re-tooling the roster on the two-deep depth chart early this offseason.
Texas has built this program around locker room winning culture, player development, and recruiting success at high levels every class and cycle for the Longhorns on the trail. That said, replacing key departures due to exhausted eligibility and the NFL Draft this offseason won't be easy.
One notable exclusion from this list is quarterback Quinn Ewers. Since Texas has been preparing for the Arch Manning era for him to take over as the next starting quarterback, Ewers' departing for the 2025 NFL Draft this spring isn't included on this list.
That's not to take anything away from Ewers, who had a great career on the Forty Acres, including two appearances in the College Football Playoff, a Big 12 Championship, and over 9,000 career passing yards.
Here are three of the most impactful departures for the Longhorns in the 2025 offseason.
Honorable mentions: Gunnar Helm (TE), Jake Majors (C), Andrew Mukuba (S), Matthew Golden (WR)
Alfred Collins, DT
You could easily include both senior defensive tackles Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton into this category of the most impactful departures for the Longhorns on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. Collins and Broughton were both two of the top-10 highest graded defensive tackles in the P4 in 2024 (per PFF).
Based purely on defensive grades, Collins and Broughton formed the best top pairing of defensive tackles in the SEC, and second-best in the P4 this past season.
The reason why Collins makes this list over Broughton is based on his athletic traits and disruptiveness as an interior run defender and an athletic pass rusher up the middle. Collins had a career year, registering career-best numbers in third-down stops, tackles for loss, quarterback pressures, and batted balls.
He was extremely disruptive and made big plays on money down stops and in goal line situations for the Longhorns last fall.
Collins was the only P4 defensive tackle with at least a half dozen tackles for loss, 20 quarterback pressures, and a half dozen batted balls in a single season since 2020.
Jahdae Barron, CB
Senior cornerback Jahdae Barron was arguably the most impactful player on the defensive side of the ball for the Longhorns last fall in the SEC. Barron not only became one of the most versatile defensive backs in college football in the past few years, but he also locked down Texas's secondary at the corner position as a top-tier cover DB.
Barron led the nation in interceptions, and posted double-digit pass breakups in the 2024 season.
He returned to Texas for the 2024 season to boost his draft stock and take Texas even further in the postseason and in the inaugural campaign in the SEC conference. Barron accomplished many of his goals by returning to Texas this past season, including winning the Jim Thorpe Award and receiving consensus First-Team All-America honors for the Longhorns.
Kelvin Banks Jr., OT
Kyle Flood and the Longhorns got an immediate success from offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. From the first day he stepped on campus at Texas during the 2022 offseason, Banks was a force to be reckoned with along the offensive line for Flood and the Longhorns.
Banks has been a consistent force in pass pro and has steadily improved his run blocking over the past few years. He is all but guaranteed to be a top-15 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft this spring.