TEN THINGS TO WATCH FOR IN THE SPRING GAME (#8)

[Lukus Alderman]

Hornsports is getting you prepped for the Spring Game by counting down the days until kickoff with a daily topic for discussion. Here's the third installment in the series...


Who lines up opposite Cedric Reed at Defensive End?

With the departure of All-American defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, the defensive line will be showing a new look come April 20th at DKR. A new face will be lining up to *try* and replace the 13 sacks and 19 Tackles for Loss that left when Jeffcoat graduated.

Even with the loss of Jeffcoat as well as Reggie Wilson, Texas still has talent on the depth chart that will alleviate the missing graduates. The names we are most likely to hear as replacements are Shiro Davis, Caleb Bluiett, and Bryce Cottrell.

The issue is that those three (plus Reed) are the only scholarship players on the roster. If Reed and Davis are the starters, that leaves only Blueitt and Cottrell for depth. Having fresh legs is a huge plus at DE, especially in the 4th quarter. Talented true freshman Derick Roberson (Brennan HS in San Antonio) will join the rotation, but not until he arrives this Summer.

Fortunately for the Longhorns, Shiro Davis has seen extended time on the field over the last year. Bluiett and Cottrell also had spot duty throughout the season, but not as much as Davis. I expect to see Shiro Davis starting in Jeffcoat's place, with Cottrell and Bluiett vying for plays in the rotation.

 

[Jedi Day]

UT has seemed to produce top notch DE talent for over a decade. I think we barely see a bump in the road.

I know I'm a homer, but that's what I think.

 

[HornNdriftwood]

I think Shiro is definitely being groomed to be the next in the line of Kindle-Orakpo-Jeffcoat-Reed. Our 2-deep are all 4* recruits and Roberson in the wings. Nashaan Huges can play some stand-up DE (he may switch positions to DE eventually). Chris Nelson could be a candidate to play SDE on rushing downs.

Glimpse of Shiro in this video. He certainly looks the part:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWhc58CyXuE&sns=em

 

[Matt Cotcher]

My concern is whether or not there's enough depth to rest Reed & Davis without having a major drop off. One of the reasons Jeffcoat was so effective is that he was able to rest during a game.

 

[Lukus Alderman]

Looking forward to the fall where we'll see Roberson. I'm hoping he's gonna be a player.

 

[BigPhil76]

Spoke to an Old Coach recently who thinks Blueitt might have the better upside than Davis. Just FYI, he thinks Davis is a little light and he also over pursues and gets caught in no mans land. We will see what coach Rumph has for us come Saturday.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Looking forward to the fall where we'll see Roberson. I'm hoping he's gonna be a player.

Me too, but Roberson's gotta put on weight.  He can use a redshirt.