Jaylon Guilbeau's "return" gives Steve Sarkisian versatile options at Star
Earlier in the offseason, senior Jahdae Barron announced via a video with Michael Huff that he’d return to Texas for his fifth season. Barron’s return provided Texas not only with veteran leadership, but with an all-conference level defensive back who can play a number of positions with eyes on the Jim Thorpe Award.
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Barron’s return was important, but so too was another “return” according to Steve Sarkisian on Tuesday.
“At the star position, I would say Jaylon Guilbeau has had a tremendous spring,” Sarkisian said. “He’s back, as I joked with him the other day. He’s playing fast. He’s physical. He’s understanding his angles better.”
Barron and Guilbeau have been mainstays at the Star position over the past two years. Barron has started 21 of Texas’ 27 games over the last two seasons, with those six exceptions mostly due to opponents starting in a personnel package that doesn’t require a fifth defensive back. Guilbeau has started four games, all at Star, over his first two years on the 40 Acres. In his 16 career contests, Guilbeau has 26 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and four pass breakups.
Those two have been the stalwarts for Terry Joseph, Kwiatkowski, and Sarkisian at a crucial spot in the Longhorn defense.
“Star is a difficult position in any defense, but most notably ours,” Sarkisian said. “You really have to be one of our better players because we ask so much of that guy at that position. He’s got to be able to play zone coverage. He’s got to be able to play man coverage. He’s got to blitz. He’s got to sometimes fit the run and play in the box predicated off of formations. He’s got to be a great communicator.”
Guibeau’s “return” provides Texas with three players they know can man the Star position. Not only have Barron and Guilbeau played the spot, but so too has Andrew Mukuba. The Austin LBJ graduate played a considerable amount of Clemson’s version of Star while with the Tigers.
That trio gives Texas a lot of options, options Sarkisian will have to suss out over the course of the next four-plus months.
“Now, how do we get our best five?” Sarkisian said. “Clearly, Jahdae and Jaylon both have versatility, position flex. Last year, Jahdae played nickel but also played a fair amount of corner, as well as played some safety for us. Guilbeau, naturally, we are playing him some at corner and at nickel, that position flex. Mukuba is another guy I’d hate to leave out. He’s had a great spring so far. He gives us that ability to play safety and nickel.”
And those personnel options provide Kwiatkowski with a number of deployment options.
“That position flex back there helps us, but I also think it also helps us in some of the coverages we can do,” Sarkisian said. “We can disguise a little bit more and do a little bit more creative things from a coverage standpoint, especially on third down.”
Sarkisian will have to find the best creative combination of Barron, Mukuba, Michael Taaffe, Derek Williams, Terrance Brooks, and Malik Muhammad in the defensive backfield. That’s a task that wouldn’t be possible without the spring surge of Guilbeau at Star.
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“There’s a lot that goes into that position and he’s a guy to me that has really stepped up,” Sarkisian said.
