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Texas Football’s X-Factors: The Unheralded Players Who Could Define the 2025 Season

by: RT Young07/14/25
Jelani McDonald
Jelani McDonald (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Texas Football has more household names on its roster than it’s had in 20 years. 

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Everyone knows Arch Manning, Colin Simmons, and Anthony Hill. Most fans and Chatty Cathy’s also know that players like Ryan Wingo, Trevor Goosby and Malik Muhammad will set the pace for how fast the Longhorns emerge as national title favorites. As will DeAndre Moore Jr. and whoever emerges at running back after Quintrevion Wisner. But who are some unheralded members of the 2025 squad who could define the season?

The Punter: Jack Bouwmeester

The 2024 Texas defense was even more dominant than people realize. The Longhorns had a historic secondary, an amazing pass rush, and were known for goal-line stands. To only give up 26 touchdowns all season is mind-boggling. But they were often playing with one hand tied behind their back. 

The Longhorns ranked 68th in the country in DFP (opponent offensive starting field position on non-garbage, regulation drives). They also ranked 104th in DLF (the percentage of drives started less than 60 yards from the end zone). Meaning very few opponents were pinned deep. 

The 40.8 average punt and just 24% inside the 20 from Michael Kern and Ian Ratliff did very little to support an incredible defensive unit. That’s why Steve Sarkisian and Jeff Banks brought in Australian Jack Bouwmeester from Utah. The former Ute pinned opponents on 38% of his punts last season. It remains to be seen if the 2025 defense can live up to the lofty heights set by its predecessor. Regardless, they should have a lot more support in the field position department thanks to the new Aussie addition.

The Kicker: Mason Shipley

I was once a chaplain of a local high school team. The team was in the middle of one of their best runs in program history. Coincidence? I think not. Anyways, they had an amazing kicker who was committed to a MWC program. But during his senior year, he had a stretch in the middle of the season where he had something resembling the yips. Shanked extra points, missed chip shots, etc. During one of the games amidst the rut, I approached him on the sideline to try and encourage him. I knew the kid pretty well, after all. He ended up making a long field goal to end the game and snapped out of the slump. 

Then I got approached by the head coach in the hallway before the next game. 

“I saw you talk to the kicker. Kickers are weird, man. Don’t ever do that again.”

Anyways, kickers are weird. Bert Auburn was unreliable last season, and transfer Mason Shipley was very impressive down the road at Texas State. Early reports on him are glowing. Still, kickers are weird.

An NFL Defensive Tackle

Texas has had an unbelievable run at defensive tackle after Sarkisian’s staff was able to mold leftover Tom Herman balls of clay into gold. 

T’Vondre Sweat, Byron Murphy, Alfred Collins, and Vernon Broughton. That’s all-time stuff. 

We feel really good about who Justus Terry and Josiah Sharma will end up being. But, that might be a season away. So, who will emerge as a bona fide stud at DT in 2025? Will anyone? 

The Longhorns need to have NFL players emerge at the most important position on a college defense this season. Sarkisian and Pete Kwiatkowski certainly had no problem throwing bodies at the void Bo Davis left in the room. The five transfers in is proof of that. But someone has to pop, whether it’s promising transfer Maarad Watson, homegrown Alex January, or the breakout of a veteran like Cole Brevard or Travis Shaw. A committee approach might work and would be the betting favorite. It would just be very different from what we’ve seen of past SEC and national title-winning teams.

Jelani McDonald

Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba were manna from heaven in their ball-hawking ability. They cured the Texas defense of a lack of ball skills that had plagued the Longhorns for almost a decade. Michael Taaffe has a clear nose for the ball and playmaking ability and Derek Williams has shown it in flashes. 

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But returners Malik Muhammad and Jaylon Guilbeau do not—there’s just one career pick between them and relatively few pass deflections compared to their quality as defenders. I was speaking to a former Longhorn who spoke glowingly of McDonald during last year’s fall camp. “He’s a future star. He’s everywhere.” Texas will need McDonald to pick up the heavy mantle left by Mukuba and Barron. The Superman interception that McDonald had last year against Kentucky shows he’s capable of ball-snatching heroics. This defense will need it.

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