By: Ryan Bridges & Will Baizer
The young men that signed letters of intent earlier this year arrived in Austin ready to make their mark on the program, and everyone – coaches, players, and fans – is buzzing about the freshmen. In fact, every time a Texas Longhorn coach or player talks to the media, it doesn’t take long before the conversation turns to the impact of the freshmen class. For example, this quote is from yesterday when Charlie Strong met with local media to talk about fall camp:
“When you look at the freshmen, they are all out there competing. Just with those freshmen, you don’t know how many we are going to play but a lot of them have the opportunity to.†– Charlie Strong
At this point, there’s no question whether or not Strong will play freshmen this season. How many play; which ones play; who has the biggest impact; whether freshmen playing is a good thing…it is specific points such as those that are still debatable.
New HornSports contributors Will Baizer and Ryan Bridges weigh in on some of the finer points of the Texas freshmen contributing this Fall:
The biggest contributor among the freshmen will be …
Ryan:
Easy. Obvious. Malik Jefferson. He was the best linebacker on the field in the spring, and he will be the best linebacker on the field in the fall. He may lead the back seven in sacks this year — we’d better hope so, because he’ll make some mistakes in coverage. But a lot of Jefferson’s contributions will happen off the field. First, his leadership on the team and among the freshmen will be invaluable – Jefferson’s coaches and teammates say he’s a leader and doesn’t seem like a freshman. Second, every high school player in the state knows who Jefferson is and will be watching his every move. One of the only things that could have a bigger effect on Texas’ 2016 and future recruiting classes than its win-loss record is seeing Jefferson play early and often.
Will:
While I agree with Ryan that Jefferson may be starting every game, in terms of how big the contribution to the team will be I believe John Burt is the answer. Defense is the strength of this team, and with Jefferson being in the middle of a bunch of playmakers on that side of the ball, I believe his contributions will pale in comparison to Burt’s on the offense. John Burt has been turning heads since he arrived on campus this past summer and was running with the first team within the first two days of practice. As a playmaker in a position where Texas lacks depth and talent, I expect Burt to contribute by filling in the gaping hole left by John Harris and Jaxon Shipley’s departures. Burt also provides Tyrone Swoopes (or Jerrod Heard) another capable outside receiver to throw to – an invaluable asset both for the quarterback as well as for players like Marcus Johnson. By mid-season Burt will be turning heads in the Big 12.
The position group where the freshmen will make the biggest difference is …
Ryan:
The trendy answer might tight end, but until I see DeAndre McNeal in his new position with my own eyes — and see Devonaire Clarington on campus — and know how this “new†offense will use the tight end, I’m not getting excited. I also love the potential of the secondary and think they’ll end all debate about who the real DBU is. However, I’ve got to go with the offensive line, where two freshmen are already running with the first team. Connor Williams has been a bona fide stud since he first set foot on campus, and Patrick Vahe might be the nastiest guy in the class. Because of the lack of depth up front, there are a lot of opportunities for other freshmen to work their way into the two-deep and get playing time. Even more than quarterback, the ceiling for this offense will be determined by the line, and Texas added quality players.
Will:
Ryan, I think you should have stuck with your answer from above and gone with the linebackers. Malik Jefferson, Anthony Wheeler, and Edwin Freeman are currently Texas’ most capable (and healthy) linebackers on the team. This class of linebackers is being touted as one of the best in the country for a good reason. We saw them tear up the offense during the spring game and that was before five months of coaching and conditioning, and the addition of the rest of the freshmen ‘backers. I think it could very well be the case that all the starting linebackers are freshmen by the end of the year.
Linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary said the team has been alerted that a tie goes to the freshmen. Playing freshmen is a good/bad thing because …
Ryan:
It’s good all around. Texas is lagging behind some other teams in the conference in terms of talent. There were a few gems in the 2014 class; there are a lot in the 2015 class. The Longhorns will not be a great team this season, but playing the young talent sets the team up for future success. Not only that, but as I said about Jefferson, seeing young guys play early can have an effect on recruiting, and Charlie Strong needs to continue adding players that share his attitude onto the roster if he’s going to turn the program around quickly.
Will:
So you’re saying you want to exchange the upperclassmen who have been running the systems and are acclimated to the speed of the college game for freshmen who have not had any collegiate experience at all and have only had one summer of learning the playbook? While I agree playing time is good and necessary for freshmen, throwing the freshmen into the fire (especially against Notre Dame to start the season) is not the best idea. Another angle is that if freshmen are playing, it is a sign that the upperclassmen are not taking their next step – that’s not good for the program.
Quarterback Matthew Merrick was added to the class. If Kai Locksley is ready, should he play this fall?
Ryan:
Let’s get this out of the way first: Locksley won’t be ready. If he were ready, and Swoopes and Heard don’t seize hold of the position, you absolutely play him. The really interesting part of the Merrick equation is that it allows Texas to move Locksley to receiver, where he probably has the highest ceiling. Whether Locksley can be a good quarterback is a coin flip, but the chances are much higher that he can be a great receiver. In fact, Texas fans should be hoping that he changes positions — not only because he can be a dangerous receiver, but also because that means Swoopes and/or Heard have been good enough that the coaches felt comfortable moving him.
Will:
If Locksley is far and away the best quarterback (over Jerrod Heard and Tyrone Swoopes) then yes, by all means, get him on the field. But if he is merely “ready†then no; redshirt him. Locksley looks special already, but even if he is “ready”, he doesn’t have the feet and downfield running vision of Heard nor the arm of Swoopes. Coaches should redshirt him just like they did with Vince Young. Another year gives the freshman time to develop his throwing motion, learn the offense, and adjust to playing at college speed.
Extra time also allows the talent around Locksley to solidify. In 2016 the offensive line will be experienced and have an additional year of coaching from Joe Wickline; and the wide receiver corps will be Armanti Foreman and John Burt along with an extremely talented group of freshmen wide receivers currently committed to Texas. After a redshirt year, Locksley would be stepping into a situation where he had all the comforts and support that Colt McCoy had in his first season playing. Playing Locksley this year wastes his talent with an offense that is still inconsistent and an offensive line that could get him killed.