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Texas Football: Projecting the 25-Man Defensive Core for 2025

by: Evan Vieth08/21/25
Jelani McDonald
Jelani McDonald (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Yesterday, I wrote about the offensive side of the ball and the 20 players that will impact the team in 2025.

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The goal wasn’t to name every single player who will play in some capacity for Texas; it was to narrow down the players that will make an impact in five of Texas’ biggest games of the season. Who will Sark be trusting when the College Football Playoff and SEC Championship Game are on the line?

Texas’ defense is deep. Legitimately, 35 players could play at the majority of Power 4 schools in the nation. Ten returning starters or key role players. Six transfers with Power 4 experience. Nine second- or third-year players on the two-deep. Five true freshmen ranked within the top five at their positions. That’s 30 right there, but not every single one of them will be a key part of this Texas defense.

In years past, Sarkisian has operated with around 23 players as key parts of his defense heading into the year. Injuries could alter those numbers, but he will have a group set out for this Ohio State matchup that all must prepare for double-digit snaps in The Shoe.

Defensive Tackle (DT)

Three-Year Average: 5 Per Season; 2025 Expectation: 6

Hero Kanu, Cole Brevard, Maraad Watson
Travis Shaw, Alex January, and Lavon Johnson

The Longhorns didn’t add five defensive tackle transfers for no reason. Usually, Texas has operated with a five-man rotation, but that number has decreased every year since 2022—the last time they utilized a six-man rotation. Those six are all in the NFL right now.

While the 2025 team doesn’t have as much true NFL talent, it has become a deep group. Texas is going to utilize its hockey-style rotation, pairing players together and wearing down interior offensive linemen while their groups get rest. All six of these players will play a role in 2025, but I suspect Lavon Johnson is the odd man out as the year goes on. The starters are far from solidifed, but my money would be on the top-three seperating as the true core.

Edge (ED)

Three-Year Average: 4 Per Season; 2025 Expectation: 4.5

Colin Simmons and Ethan Burke
Colton Vasek and Zina Umeozulu OR Brad Spence

Texas has pretty consistently utilized a four-man rotation off the edge: two Buck rushers and two Jack rushers. We feel very good about who the Jacks will be in 2025: Ethan Burke starting, Colton Vasek as the No. 3 edge. The Westlake duo is going to be imposing in the run game with Vasek potentially adding pass-rush value on later downs.

The Buck is trickier, because you want star pass rusher Colin Simmons off the edge as much as possible. But he needs a backup—another speedy attacker of the QB. That could either be Arkansas transfer Brad Spence or redshirt freshman Zina Umeozulu. Spence has the experience, which makes us lean more toward him early, but as of now, it sounds like Umeozulu is ahead on the depth chart. A .5 feels fitting because they should be limiting the snaps they take from Simmons in the biggest games.

Linebacker (LB)

Three-Year Average: 4–5 Per Season; 2025 Expectation: 4.5

Anthony Hill and Liona Lefau
Trey Moore and Ty’Anthony Smith
Spence?

There’s a ton of overlap between edge and linebacker, because both Spence and Trey Moore can flex between either off-ball or edge-rushing LB. Nine players should be utilized between the two groups, but theoretically, one of those players falls out of favor or to injury at some point.

Someone who won’t fall out of favor is Anthony Hill, arguably the best LB in the nation. Liona Lefau is a great pairing for him as a starter, but Moore and the emerging Ty’Anthony Smith are fighting hard for starting spots in 4-2-5 personnel. Texas is going to have a great unit when it can use three linebackers on the field with Moore/Smith, Hill, and Lefau/Smith. Edge and LB are the deepest units on the team.

Nickel Corner (STAR)

Three-Year Average: 1–2 Per Season; 2025 Expectation: 2

Jelani McDonald
Graceson Littleton

Well, what do we do here? There’s still no specific answer for what Texas will do at their nickel cornerback, known as the STAR position. Freshman Graceson Littleton has received a ton of buzz in camp, but I’m not sure you want to be starting a true freshman against Ohio State’s pass catchers. The current expectation is that Jelani McDonald is the starter, for now, with Littleton playing a significant amount. There’s also redshirt freshman Wardell Mack fighting for this spot, and all three could see play in 2025, but I’m reluctant to say he’s a part of the core rotation.

Outside Corner (CB)

Three-Year Average: 4 Per Season; 2025 Expectation: 4

Malik Muhammad
Jaylon Guilbeau and Kobe Black
Warren Roberson

Texas’ CB depth chart is the easiest to decipher on the defense. Malik Muhammad is the superstar in the room and will likely lead the team in snaps in 2025. The CB2 spot has a bit of a competition, but Jaylon Guilbeau will be the starter to begin the year. Kobe Black may take the spot by the time we get to the Playoff. Warren Roberson is the CB4 and should be solid in the role.

Safety (S)

Three-Year Average: 4–5 Per Season; 2025 Expectation: 4.5

Michael Taaffe and Derek Williams
Jordon Johnson-Rubell and Xavier Filsaime
McDonald?

Similar to ED/LB, there’s a bit of cross-positional versatility with McDonald (or even Taaffe) at STAR and safety. If McDonald were to be a full-time safety, it would likely mean one or both of Jordon Johnson-Rubell or Xavier Filsaime would fall out of the lineup.

But in the case of McDonald playing at STAR, Texas will need both to be able to fill in for the starters, Michael Taaffe and Derek Williams. Texas almost always possesses four safeties that can play, but JJR and Filsaime may be a bit limited in snaps, specifically for the OSU game. Still, Texas will need both to play throughout the year. Don’t count out Jonah Williams, either.

The offense concluded with 20 players. We named 25 guys on the defense for this one. There may be a few spots, like backup Buck and the tenth DB, that will need some time to play out, but I feel confident that these are the most important 25 for the 2025 season.

What’s so intriguing is that there’s so much I didn’t name. Five-stars Justus Terry and Lance Jackson WILL play on the defensive line—it’s just a question of how much. The same goes for the aforementioned Williams and CB Kade Phillips, who are probably the No. 5s in their room. There are still two second-year players and four top-200 recruits who probably aren’t worth a mention because their rooms is so crowded.

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Sarkisian mentioned they may play 30 players before the first half against Ohio State. I call a bit of BS, but when you take the 25 mentioned as well as the four five-stars and Mack, maybe it’s not that outlandish. Texas is scary deep and can withstand injuries in every room. If you allow for Spence and McDonald to play multiple positions, I believe Texas is three-deep at every single position on the defense. They are the only team in the nation that can say that.

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