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96 days until Texas Football: Gabriel Lozano and a look at the UT kick coverage team

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook05/29/23josephcook89
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Jeff Banks (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Inside Texas is putting a new twist on long-time photographer Will Gallagher’s countdown to Texas football kickoff. In addition to Will’s great pictures, the Inside Texas staff will go through every player on the roster by jersey number and offer a season outlook for each, from five-star to walk-on. 

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In addition, we’ll look back at other greats to wear that day’s number, with special reverence to some of Texas’ best. 

Today is 96 days until kickoff. No. 96 will be worn in 2023 by Gabriel Lozano, a redshirt senior kicker 

Gabriel Lozano season outlook

Lozano is likely to remain a backup to place kicker Bert Auburn and kickoff specialist Will Stone.

Lozano transferred from Texas Tech after the 2020 season and has not seen any game action the past two years while at Texas. He was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in 2022 and is a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (fall 2021, spring 2022, fall 2022).

Gabriel Lozano as a recruit

Lozano was unranked.

A look at Texas’ kickoff team

Without much on Lozano’s resume, 96 days is a good juncture to check on how Texas operates its kickoff team.

“I don’t like covering kickoffs,” Steve Sarkisian said in late April. “I love touchbacks, but we covered really hard, so most people shut them down against us anyway.”

Stone has the leg and Texas’ coverage team has the consistency to where opposing returners to choose to start at the 25 more often than risking worse field position. The Longhorns ranked No. 22 in kick return defense last year. No teams returned a kick for a touchdown versus Texas.

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On the 35 occasions in the 2023 season where a team did elect to test Jeff Banks’ coverage unit, they averaged just 17.23 yards per return. That mark was third in the Big 12 behind Texas Tech (16.04) and Kansas State (16.79). Opponents elected to take the touchback 27 times on 87 Longhorn kickoffs last year. In those 87 kickoffs, 86 by Stone, all but three remained in bounds.

Thanks to Sarkisian and Banks having a preference to play starters on special teams, the coverage unit should continue to be a strength whenever Stone doesn’t boot it to touchback territory.

Notable No. 96: Derrick Lokey

Derrick Lokey (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Steve Habel contributed to this story

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