Put it in pencil

“Spring” football started in the winter with conditioning drills early in the mornings. As the weeks progressed and temperatures warmed, the Longhorns went through 15 spring practices, culminating in the Orange-White scrimmage.

 

 

 

The key word on everybody’s lips for the last 90 days has been competition. While players will continue to compete during unsupervised summer workouts, the coaches spent the last few weeks challenging the roster.

 

 

 

By shifting players across multiple positions and utilizing different personnel groupings, the coaches spent the spring assessing the current roster. Now that they possess a solid grasp of the skill levels are available to them at different positions, Texas coaches can plan ahead for the arrival of the rest of 2015’s recruiting class.

 

 

 

Which positions need to be bolstered by incoming players? Are there starting spots up for grabs? How is roster depth at each position?

 

 

 

To answer those questions, the coaches have to honestly assess how the depth chart looks as the team exits spring football. Knowing there will be transfers, injuries, academic casualties, and an injection of freshman talent, attempting to project starters for the game against Notre Dame is folly.

 

 

 

Instead, the coaching staff will take a snap shot of how things stand at the current point in time, and put it in pencil. If Texas played this Saturday, this is the depth chart that would be used:

 

 

 

Offense

 

 

 

QUARTERBACK

 

1st string: Tyrone Swoopes

 

2nd string: Jerrod Heard

 

 

 

RUNNING BACK

 

1st string: Jonathan Gray

 

2nd string: D’Onta Foreman

 

 

 

OFFENSIVE LINE

 

1st string:

 

LT: Marcus Hutchins

 

LG: Sedrick Flowers

 

C: Taylor Doyle

 

RG: Kent Perkins

 

RT: Tristan Nickelson

 

 

 

2nd string:

 

LT: Connor Williams

 

LG: Elijah Rodriguez

 

C: Jake Raulerson

 

RG: Brandon Hodges

 

RT: Camrhon Hughes

 

 

 

TIGHT END

 

1st string: Andrew Beck

 

2nd string: Blake Whiteley

 

 

 

RECEIVER (X)

 

1st string: Dorian Leonard

 

2nd string: Lorenzo Joe

 

 

 

RECEIVER (Z)

 

1st string: Marcus Johnson

 

2nd string: Ty Templin

 

 

 

RECEIVER (H)

 

1st string: Jacorey Warrick

 

2nd string: Armanti Foreman

 

 

 

 

 

Defense

 

 

 

FOX END

 

1st string: Naashon Hughes

 

2nd string: Malik Jefferson

 

 

 

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

 

1st string: Hassan Ridgeway

 

2nd string: Paul Boyette

 

 

 

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

 

1st string: Poona Ford

 

2nd string: Paul Boyette

 

 

 

DEFENSIVE END

 

1st string: Bryce Cottrell

 

2nd string: Shiro Davis

 

 

 

MIDDLE LINEBACKER

 

1st string: Tim Cole

 

2nd string: Malik Jefferson

 

 

 

WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER

 

1st string: Peter Jinkens

 

2nd string: Edwin Freeman

 

 

 

CORNERBACK

 

1st string: Duke Thomas

 

2nd string: Antwuan Davis

 

 

 

NICKEL BACK

 

1st string: John Bonney

 

2nd string: Antwuan Davis

 

 

 

SAFETY

 

1st string: Jason Hall

 

2nd string: Kevin Vaccaro

 

 

 

SAFETY

 

1st string: Dylan Haines

 

2nd string: Adrian Colbert

 

 

 

CORNERBACK

 

1st string: Bryson Echols

 

2nd string: Jermaine Roberts

 

 

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

 

Place-Kicker: Nick Rose

 

Kickoff Returners: Daje Johnson & Armanti Foreman

 

Punter: Mitchell Becker

 

Punt Returner: Jacorey Warrick