Sarkisian says they have 15-16 "starter-types" on defense. Here's how he got there.
An obvious strength this year for Texas is not just the defense, but the depth on defense. “Next man up” is not just something we’ll see if injuries occur—we’ll see it after TV timeouts and the like. The ability to substitute with little drop off has been a hallmark of Texas defense since the 2022 season. Understand “duty cycle” and then apply it to defensive players going all out for 40 plays rather than playing hard for 60 or 70. This is a massive advantage for Texas the coaches have always been keen to exploit.
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Before I get into the starters and starter-like players, I will acknowledge, there has been “some” drop off when backups are in. I know you were thinking it.
Starters as we see it
Here are the starters based on what we’ve heard from team sources.
Edge: Ethan Burke (Jack); Colin Simmons (Buck)
DT: Hero Kanu; Travis Shaw
LB: Anthony Hill; Liona Lefau
DB: Manny Muhammad; Jelani McDonald; Derek Williams; Michael Taaffe; Jaylon Guilbeau
Commentary
Starters should be pretty obvious, other than maybe defensive tackle. And that’s because there are so many potential starters, which feeds into Sark’s point.
Despite our confident assumptions on the depth chart, there is competition at DT, boundary corner, and perhaps Will linebacker. There’s also the semantic discussion to be had at nickel.
How do you get to 15-16
Pretty easily.
From our vantage point, you could almost get there just by accounting for defensive tackle. Sources indicate Maraad Watson and Alex January are perhaps the two most talented D-tackles in the six-man rotation, then there’s Cole Brevard who has shown up consistently in offseason reports.
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Beyond that, we know the coaches would feel great about starting Colton Vasek at Edge, Ty’Anthony Smith at linebacker, and Kobe Black at corner.
Then there’s Star where true freshman Graceson Littleton will likely be considered a starter depending on the offense Texas is facing. Texas likes a cover corner at nickel if the offense throws a dynamic athlete at them.
Finally, senior Trey Moore could be considered a starter at multiple positions.
This doesn’t even account for functional depth where Edge Zina Umeozulu, Edge Brad Spence, cornerback Warren Roberson, safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell, and safety Xavier Filsaime could play heavy snaps.
