Questions for the Texas defense as spring camp begins – Part 2

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In our second installment of a look at questions that need to be answered during the Longhorns spring practice, Hornsports will focus on the defense and special teams units. Because everyone and everything is new, for Texas, spring practice will be about making positive first impressions. Whether it’s players to coaches; coaches to players; or coaches to the fan base, everyone has someone to impress this spring. Fans are anxious to get a glimpse of what new Head Coach Charlie Strong’s Longhorn team will look like this fall, are the first clues being revealed this week?

Who fills the holes in the defensive secondary this year?

Carrington Byndom and Adrian Phillips combined to play in over 100 games for Texas. Unfortunately for Defensive Coordinator Vance Bedford, both Byndom and Philips are graduating. Their departures leave gaping holes in the defensive secondary and Bedford, who is also the secondary coach, will use Spring Practice to get an up-close look at the players available to fill those vacancies.

Duke Thomas likely has the inside track to one of those spots after being a steady member of the backfield rotation last year. In addition to Thomas, Quandre Diggs returns with his 31 career starts.

One major advantage for Bedford is that Thomas and Diggs give him flexibility. Positions need to be filled at safety, corner and nickel, but Thomas, and especially Diggs, provide Bedford with the luxury of filling positions with the best players available.

At cornerback, Sheroid Evans, who is rehabbing a torn ACL, has a chance to be a factor.Redshirt freshman Antwaun Davis will also get plenty of chances to validate his recuiting ranking when he came out of Bastrop High School. At Safety expect Josh Turner and Adrian Colbert to get the first opportunities to be part of the starting rotation.

Those four players will get the first crack at three open spots. Expect Bedford to play the best three guys rather than the best player at a specific position.

Who wins the job at defensive end opposite of Cedric Reed?

Most fans expect Shiro Davis to take a stranglehold on the open defensive end position. Davis has appeared in 20 consecutive games as a reserve and has seen playing time on special teams.  In his limited time, the Louisiana product (Woodlawn HS) has proven to be a skilled pass rusher. The question for spring practice is whether Davis can emerge as an every down player.

Beyond Davis, Bryce Cottrell is the another player that will factor in at the end spot. Fans heard a lot about Cottrell in Alamo Bowl workouts, and several reports indicate Cottrell is having success in the new strength and conditioning program.

Caleb Blueitt will be in his third year with the team, but has bounced back and forth to tight end due to injuries to other players. Blueitt’s spot in the rotation will be challenged by true freshman Derick Roberson. Out of San Antonio’s Brennan High School, Roberson is one of the most highly touted members of Charlie Strong’s first recruiting class.

What is expected to happen with kicking duties?

Anthony Fera was a consensus All American at place kicker. He also capably handled the punting duties in all 13 games last season. Unfortunately for the burnt orange faithful, Fera will be getting paid to kick field goals this Fall by an NFL team.

The place kicking battle will be decided between Nick Rose and Nick Jordan. Rose served as the team’s kickoff specialist in 2013 and is thought to have an advantage in the kicking competition in terms of leg strength. Jordan’s advantages are experience (played 10 games in 2012) and accuracy. There are a handful of scholarship and squad players that will also get an opportunity at place kicker, but Rose and Jordan are clear favorites.

The situation at punter is much less clear. Will the Horns be able to rely on Rose or Jordan to hold down both duties the way Fera did in 2013 (both players punted on their HS teams)? If not, there are options on the roster including Will Russ (Evangel Christian HS) and Mitchell Becker (Clear Creek HS).

Who will be the surprise player of the spring?

This question is included in this article, because the player with a significant chance to be a surprise contributor plays defense… Sheroid Evans possesses all of the tools to carry on the tradition of “DBU”.  Evans was beginning to play very well before his injury last season. With great size and speed to go with very fluid hips, Evans could step in and play multiple positions in the backfield for Vance Bedford.

There is the obvious question of how well Evans’ ACL will hold up after being torn last Fall. The Fort Bend Dulles HS product is a bit of a risky pick considering he also missed four games in his sophomore season due to injury. However, the fact is that Evans has as much or more potential than anyone on the roster and he plays a position of need.

With Hicks returning from injury what will the LB corps look like?

There is no question that if Hicks can remain healthy, Vance Bedford will have an intelligent defender lining up the defense. Ideally, Jordan’s leadership will yield tremendous dividends for the Texas defense.

Steve Edmonds returns as an experienced player that brings versatility that should help the Longhorns get more speed at the line of scrimmage.  In addition to Edmonds, it’s critical for Peter Jenkins to elevate his game. Texas needs a linebacker that can play from sideline to sideline in order to compete with the potent offenses in the Big 12 and Jenkins would be a significant boost in this capacity.

Whether Bedford and Strong choose to play a 3-4 or 3-3 base defense, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for backups to see playing time.  With that in mind, the coaches need Tevin Jackson to return from injury and be ready to at least provide some much needed depth.