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Texas football roster countdown: Defensive players previous editions missed

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook07/12/25josephcook89
Maraad Watson, Syracuse Football
Maraad Watson, Syracuse Football

It’s not so far away, is it? Texas is just seven weeks from the beginning of the 2025 CFB season, where the Longhorns will head to Columbus, Ohio, to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in week 1. In that preparation, we’re checking in on every Longhorn grouped by jersey number.

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Texas updated the 2025 roster yesterday to feature summer additions who joined the Longhorns either via the portal or via the high school signing class. This will look at defensive players previous countdowns were not able to mention because jersey numbers had not yet been assigned.

Here’s Nos. 99-89. 

Here’s Nos. 88-77.

Here’s Nos. 76-60.

Here’s Nos. 59-55.

Here’s Nos. 54-50.

No. 98 – Maraad Watson

Texas had already made several transfer additions, including at defensive tackle, when Watson entered the portal after a freshman All-American season at Syracuse. But Texas pursued him and wanted him to join their already hefty DT haul because of the talent he possesses.

Watson was ranked as the No. 94 overall prospect in the portal and was named one of On3’s spring transfers that will make the biggest impact in 2025. On3’s Pete Nakos wrote of the Irvington (N.J) product…

Texas has gone to work on its defensive line this offseason, bringing in five transfers. But the Longhorns scored their biggest win in the spring window, landing Syracuse freshman standout Maraad Watson. The 6-foot-3, 313-pound defensive lineman finished his 2024 season with 31 tackles and a sack. He also showed up as a disruptor against Miami, forcing chaos and pressure on quarterback Cam Ward. With three years of eligibility remaining, he’s expected to be a key piece of the Texas defensive line in the years to come.

Pro Football Focus gave him a defensive grade of 65.1 with a run defense grade of 77.4.

Even as a sophomore, Watson is likely to join Texas’ main defensive tackle rotation and play a significant role. That most likely means 15-20 snaps per game, but more could be on the table. His 6-foot-3, 313-pound frame means he can play multiple spots on the defensive line in Texas’ system. He’d pair well with the larger players at his position like Travis Shaw or Cole Brevard. Expect to see a lot of No. 98 this year as he tries to capitalize on his freshman All-American season, albeit in a different shade of orange.

No. 96 – Lavon Johnson

Johnson pump-faked everyone in the college football world, reportedly signing with North Carolina on April 18 then actually signing with Texas just a few hours later. A junior from Allentown (Pa.) who played his high school ball in Connecticut, Johnson is listed at 6-foot-2, 311 pounds.

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Last year for the Terps, Johnson logged 14 tackles with a tackle for loss. PFF gave him a defensive grade of 64.8, and most of his snaps were in the A-gap. He’s likely to see fewer snaps than someone like Watson, and may have to work to truly break into a rotation that features the Syracuse transfer, Brevard, Shaw, Alex January, and Hero Kanu. But Texas rotates its defensive tackles and he didn’t come to Austin to sit. Expect to see Johnson possibly in the third wave of defensive tackles when they make their contributions in the early stages of the first half to keep the main contributors fresh.

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