With the 2018 cycle being a down year talent wise at the linebacker position, the Texas staff has been very patient with their offers and very deliberate with their evaluations. As things currently sit only five offers have been extended to linebackers and only two of them have been extended to players in the state of Texas. One of those players is Fort Worth Eastern Hills linebacker Byron Hobbs. Hobbs received an offer from the staff earlier this spring and was said to have been very impressed with the Texas program and coaching staff after visiting in March.
Hobbs has been making the rounds this spring and had a visit setup to visit Norman to see Oklahoma this weekend, but tonight in a bit of a surprise he decided to shut it down and pledge to Tom Herman and the Longhorns. Hobbs committed to Texas over the likes of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Texas A&M.
Film Analysis
At 6’4, 205 pounds, Hobbs is a little light in the britches currently, but he has a tall and long frame that will allow him to tack on some muscle when he hits the weight room at the college level. As a player, Hobbs possesses an interesting skillset, as he two ways as linebacker and a wide receiver, which is something you probably won’t see too often. Being able to flip to offensive side of the ball and play receiver obviously speaks to his athleticism despite not necessarily having great testing numbers. He may be still figuring the position out a bit, but he can run, has good range, and he is not contact averse. As a tackler though I would like to see less diving at ankles and drag down tackling and more of him wrapping up and putting his chest on ball carriers and driving thru them. Obviously as he continues to grow into the position these technique issues can be corrected, but it is something I took away when I watched his cutups. I also would like see how he looks in coverage against the pass more considering he is going to be tested heavily in that area in the Big 12.
Final Verdict
Overall, Hobbs is a solid take for Texas with it being a down year at the position in state. He was highly sought after by several other Power 5 programs in the region, so that shows several coaches are projecting big things out of him down the road. With the Big 12 containing high octane offenses, defenses are going to more nickel and dime and getting as many athletic defenders as they can on the field at one time. Hobbs isn’t your typical thumping linebacker, but instead projects to the type of linebacker you can keep on the field on passing downs due to his athleticism and range and will give you some flexibility. He still has plenty of room for growth given he hasn’t played the position and most likely is a redshirt candidate so that his body can fill out. In time he could end up growing into the ideal fit for a Big 12 linebacker in Todd Orlando’s defense. I am very interested to see how he continues to grow as a player this fall during his senior year.
