On3 ranks the Texas O-line room as the fifth-best in the nation
On3 national college football columnist Jesse Simonton not only likes the Texas Longhorns at the skill positions on offense, he likes them up front too.
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Simonton labeled Steve Sarkisian‘s quarterback room as the third-best in the country, Chris Jackson‘s wide receivers as the second-best behind only Ohio State, and Jeff Banks‘ tight end position as the third-best. On Friday, he called Kyle Flood‘s offensive line unit the fifth-best in the country behind No. 4 LSU, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 2 Michigan, and No. 1 Georgia.
Here’s what Simonton had to say about the Longhorn O-line.
The Longhorns bring back all five starters, headlined by former 5-star tackle Kelvin Banks. Texas has made a strong investment in its OL room thanks to some coordinated NIL packages, and while depth is a bit of a concern, the 1st Team group should be even better in 2023 after a year of growth and chemistry.
Those five starters, a group consisting of (left to right) Banks, Hayden Conner, Jake Majors, Cole Hutson, and Christian Jones, started every game last season. Banks, who garnered several freshman All-America honors, is one of the best in the league and should be a national breakout O-line star this year.
Jones returns for his sixth season at right tackle, a position where he’s more comfortable and flourished in 2022.
Simonton likes the interior trio of Conner, Majors, and Hutson, but there are several underclassmen Longhorns vying to take their spots and provide the depth he’s looking for, including DJ Campbell, Neto Umeozulu, and Connor Robertson.
Hutson, Campbell, and Robertson missed some or all of spring due to injury but each is expected to be ready for preseason camp. They’ll compete along the interior with Majors and Conner, likely offering Flood and the Longhorns a group of eight linemen from which a top five will emerge.
Texas’ O-line was ranked ahead of No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Utah, No. 8 USC, No. 9 Florida State, and No. 10 Kansas State. Penn State, Texas A&M, Washington, Oregon State, and Ohio State were honorable mentions.
