A first-stringer to start the preseason, Graceson Littleton might be what Texas needs at Star

Texas had one of the best defenses in all of college football in 2024 with some of the most important plays made by veteran defensive backs. Several of those players, namely Michael Taaffe, Jelani McDonald, and Malik Muhammad, are back in burnt orange and working to keep Pete Kwiatkowski‘s defense among the top handful in the nation.

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But on Thursday at Texas’ first practice of the preseason, one of the players with Taaffe, McDonald, and Muhammad on the first string in several team drills was true freshman Graceson Littleton.

Littleton, a one-time Clemson commit who joined the Longhorns out of Tampa (Fla.) Wiregrass Ranch, was the first-string player at Star for the Texas defense in pursuit drills. Listed at 6-foot-0, 180 pounds, Littleton was ahead of a multi-year veteran in Wardell Mack and a fellow freshman in Jonathan Cunningham.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian heaped praise on Littleton, who enrolled early in the winter, had a strong spring, continued to excel during the summer, and took the field first with a number of veteran players to start preparation for the fall.

“Graceson Littleton, for us, this guy had a great spring,” Sarkisian said Wednesday. “I feel like I talked about him a lot, and maybe it was not fair to him because I was talking about him too much. But he just comes back. He works. He’s very savvy. He’s smart, he’s tough. He works at his craft. Football is the most important thing in his life, and it shows. He went out and had a good day today. You coach him hard. He takes hard coaching. He responds. He tries to get better. It’s a good start for him with where he’s at.”

He wasn’t the only coach to mention Littleton in the days leading up to practice. Special teams coordinator Jeff Banks was complimentary of Littleton, saying he and fellow 2025 classmate Elijah Barnes were going to be big parts of his phase of the game this season.

But Banks never revealed he might be a big part of Texas’ defense as a starter.

Littleton was a top-50 prospect in the 2025 class according to On3, and brought with him a lot of traits to Austin. One thing Austin seems to have impacted Littleton is with some ink. The true freshman has a tattoo of the Interstate 35 sign on his arm.

Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power wrote this in his scouting report on Littleton from February of this year.

Coordinated technician who plays with advanced coverage polish. Measured around 5-foot-11, 175 pounds with arms slightly under 31 inches before his senior season. A plus athlete who runs well on the track, posting a personal best of 10.91 seconds in the 100 meters. Fluid and controlled in coverage. Has outstanding feet, showing the ability to effortlessly change gears while staying in the hip pocket of opposing wide receivers. GIves up little separation. A physical presence who plays like a safety when the ball is in the air, looking to strike and separate pass catchers from the pass. Flashes physicality as a run defender. Put together strong senior film, picking off two passes, breaking up eight more, and returning three kicks for scores. Showed well in matchups against top receivers in the camp and 7-on-7 circuit. Not overly imposing physically and length registers as average. Has the versatility to play outside or in the slot, offering a high floor cover man with the upside to develop into a top defensive back and early-round NFL Draft pick.

And the player Littleton is compared to on his Rivals page?

Of course, it’s just been one day of practice. The pecking order was also viewed during an open media period, so things could have changed during the rest of practice. But for Littleton to be first, and to be seen as first, was a big deal for a position group overseen by Keynodo Hudson.

“He’s just a smart guy,” Hudson said Tuesday prior to the first practice. “Has high football IQ. Has great instincts, and has the athletic ability that’s like a combo player that has the skill set to play outside and then has the physicality and high football IQ to play inside. Once you’re able to play inside, you become an interchangeable part that can also play safety. You are a true interchangeable part on the defense.”

Hudson explained what he needs from the position earlier this week. He’s looking for playmakers who are physical at the point of attack. He wants defenders who play with tremendous instincts. He needs a blend of coverage, tackle ability, and blitz prowess.

The person who seems to exemplify those traits most at this early stage? Littleton.

There are 30 days between now and when Texas kicks off the 2025 season against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Plenty could happen between now and then, including a player like Mack making a move or maybe even a veteran like Jaylon Guilbeau returning to the position.

For Littleton to be first, though, does show that he has done well to earn the coaches’ trust just six months into his time as a Longhorns.

Littleton was ranked as the No. 68 overall prospect, the No. 9 cornerback, and the No. 11 player in Florida in the Rivals Industry Ranking. On3 ranked Littleton as the No. 49 overall prospect, the No. 6 cornerback, and the No. 11 player in Florida.

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Two other notes on DB

Sarkisian made specific mention of two DBs who were limited on Wednesday.

“We limited Jonah (Williams) and we limited Kade Phillips. Jonah, if you recall in baseball, had that hamstring that just kept lingering and kept coming back. It’s just not quite 100 percent yet. I’m just trying to be mindful of where he is. We’ve got a long season to play, and the last thing I want to do is put him out there too soon in the intensity of that practice and have a setback on where he’s at. He was a little limited. He’s had a great summer. He’s very smart. We see the athleticism. We see the ball skills. He’s going to be a really good player for us.”

Sarkisian was complimentary of Phillips, too. He also wasn’t all that concerned about his injury.

“Same with Kade. Kade just tweaked his hamstring in the middle of July. If this was game week, he’d probably be out there. I just don’t feel like I have to rush guys right now. We’ve got a long runway to get ourselves ready to go.”

It also appeared as if Derek Williams was easing into things and not at full go.