Texas football roster countdown: Nos. 19-15

Texas is weeks from the season opener, where the No. 1 Texas Longhorns will try to enact revenge against defending national champions and No. 3 Ohio State. In preparation, we’re checking in on every Longhorn grouped by jersey number.

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Up next, Nos. 19-15.

• 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.
• Here are defensive players added to the updated roster.
• Here are offensive players added to the updated roster.
• Here’s Nos. 49-45.
• Here’s Nos. 44-40.
• Here’s Nos. 39-35.
• Here’s Nos. 34-25.
• Here’s Nos. 24-20.

19 Zina Umeozulu, EDGE

After taking a redshirt last season, Umeozulu has made his presence known in one of the most stacked positions on the team. Listed at 262 pounds, Umeozulu is likely to play a high number of snaps this season. Most of those snaps may end up at Buck, and Umeozulu will have to battle with Brad Spence and maybe even a versatile Colton Vasek for those snaps behind Colin Simmons. But No. 19 has earned his way into LaAllan Clark‘s circle of trust.

19 Jack Bouwmeester, P

Texas was recently ranked No. 135 out of 136 FBS teams in special teams SP+ according to ESPN. There’s a lot that goes into that figure, like struggles on field goal, kick return, and at punter. Last season, Michael Kern could boot the ball okay, but that was about it. He couldn’t really directional punt in a way that would benefit the Texas coverage unit. Not only can Bouwmeester do that, he can boom it too. Texas upgraded at punter in the portal and the third phase should benefit greatly from it.

18 Joe Tatum, QB

A fourth-year member of the roster, Tatum made an appearance last year in the win over ULM. He is likely to make contributions on the scout team this season.

18 Liona Lefau, LB

Lefau had a strong sophomore campaign last season, playing at the Will linebacker spot alongside Anthony Hill. Lefau was a positive contributor at Will and maintained a spot in the starting lineup throughout the season. His quality ability to play in coverage as a linebacker was something seen on his film at Kahuku High School and that carried over to Texas. Lefau is going to play a lot this year and is probably going to start, but he’s being pushed by Ty’Anthony Smith on a regular basis. Lefau is also likely to be a regular participant on special teams as Texas looks to improve on 4th downs and kickoffs this season.

18 Matthew Caldwell, QB

Caldwell was brought in because behind Arch Manning, no quarterback had any real experience in a competitive FBS game. Sure, Trey Owens had handed the ball off a few times, but that’s about it. KJ Lacey was a freshman. Steve Sarkisian and company brought in Caldwell in order to provide more competition for that room and bring an experienced player in as an option. He’s been battling it out with Owens and Lacey, rotating in with twos, threes, and fours in the most recent scrimmage. No matter where he ends up on the depth chart, he provides another veteran voice in AJ Milwee‘s position group.

17 Daylan McCutcheon, WR

Of the highly ranked class of 2025 receivers, McCutcheon seems to have the most buzz around him. That could be a result of working in the slot, a place where receivers do have some extra room to work with and don’t have to deal with difficult press coverage as a freshman. But he’s earned praise from coaches and players alike. One small piece of evidence that supports McCutcheon earning trust? He’s taken some reps at punt returner. Not likely to start there, the fact there’s trust in him to field punts in practice says a lot already. This is a good year for McCutcheon to learn from DeAndre Moore.

17 Xavier Filsaime, DB

Filsaime played in seven games last season but was mostly out of the spotlight compared to Michael Taaffe, Andrew Mukuba, and Jelani McDonald. Filsaime’s physical gifts were highly thought of coming out of high school, but the aspect of his game that would determine how quickly he saw the field was his ability to process in the back end. With veterans like Taaffe, McDonald, and Derek Williams still around, it’s going to be tough for Filsaime to crack the starting lineup. However, he should see a considerable amount of special teams snaps and be part of Texas’ safety rotation, especially early in the season when Sarkisian likes to play a lot of players.

16 Michael Taaffe, DB

Is he No. 16A or No. 16B? No matter what No. 16 comes to the minds of fans first, Taaffe is one of the unquestioned leaders on this team after his All-American 2024. He returned to the 40 Acres with the goal of winning a national championship in 2025 and cementing his legacy as one of the all-time Longhorns. Taaffe will do just about anything asked of him, including playing a little bit of Star. It shouldn’t be out of place for the high school corner. Even if he does it at some junctures, most of his work with this Texas defense will be playing the post at deep safety and making sure everyone is in the right spot.

16 Arch Manning, QB

Rarely has a Texas player been as hyped up as Manning. The grandson of Archie and the son of Cooper waited two years before becoming a starter, something many in the college football world never saw coming. Manning didn’t just waste away on the bench. After all, he was the No. 1 overall prospect in his class. He saw action in 2023 and then started two games in 2024 before becoming a regular part of Texas’ offense over the course of the season.

Manning has played against some of the tougher SEC defenses and even some Playoff caliber units, but he wasn’t the full-time starter for those games. That is one of the few questions about Manning heading into this season: can he play at the level he displayed against ULM and Mississippi State against teams like Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Florida? It’s a legitimate question, but Manning has reportedly done everything on and off the field, including in training camp, in order to make the answer to that question an emphatic yes. His legs will be a factor, but his arm talent and ability to throw bombs will be what determines how far Texas goes in 2025.

15 Justus Terry, DL

One of Texas’ biggest recruiting wins on the defensive side of the ball in the Sarkisian era, Terry is listed at just under 270 pounds by the school. That may make playing true defensive tackle snaps tough in 2025. No problem, Terry will get some run at Jack as a strongside end.

Terry is one of the most physically gifted players on the roster, and has a talent too tantalizing to leave on the sidelines in 2025. How much standard down action will he see? That’s up to him, but don’t be surprised if Terry makes his name known as part of the Longhorns’ specialty third-down packages.

15 Will Stone, K

A fourth-year player, Sarkisian has mentioned that Stone will contend with Mason Shipley for the starting kicking role. It doesn’t seem likely that Texas would put in the effort to acquire Shipley solely to leave him on the bench. That said, Stone has been a reliable kickoff specialist and if something were to happen to Shipley, Stone could capably step in.

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15 Trey Owens, QB

Owens entered the 2025 offseason as the second player on the depth chart behind Manning, but that did not mean he was automatically etched in as Texas’ back-up quarterback. The Longhorns brought in Caldwell and Lacey, one a transfer and one a high school signee, to bolster the room. Owens had a leg up on both considering his year in the program, but he had to make the most of it to ensure he’d be the next man up if anything were to happen to QB1. It appears as if Owens is on his way to doing that, though the rest of camp will determine whether he won the race.