Texas freshmen who could benefit the program, and themselves, via more snaps in the home stretch

On3 imageby:Eric Nahlin11/02/22

A frustrating aspect of Texas football over the years has been the inability to blow out lesser teams. Yes, the bigger issue is they haven’t won enough games, but even against out-matched opponents they’ve played down to the competition. Essentially, Texas played in too many close games during Tom Herman’s four-year tenure and that has remained the case during Steve Sarkisian’s first couple of years. Not only do close games open the door for upsets, it also precludes younger players earning valuable game experience.

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The priority for Texas over the remainder of the season will be to collect as many wins as possible. They need to win out and receive a little help to play in the Big 12 championship game. That’s going to be a tall order.

A good secondary goal should be to play any freshmen who would not only gain important experience for next year, but also help the team win now.

One such player could be Jaray Bledsoe. Looking at the participation table below, you’ll see he’s only played in one game this season, however his combination of size and movement skills are elite, and he’s improving in practice each week. Steve Sarkisian said this on Monday but IT sources have also said the same. When accounting for size, he’s described as one of the best athletes on the team. Texas needs an infusion of athleticism on the edge. The staff may elect to both play him and let him redshirt within the four game participation window. That would seem ideal in case his career takes an unforeseen turn, but Bledsoe is very unlikely to be a five-year player at this point. Texas needs the help at Edge; hopefully we see what the young bull can do.

DJ Campbell was another player singled out by Sark after the stud offensive guard saw meaningful snaps versus Oklahoma State. I’m not opining he should replace anyone as a starter, but more playing time would go a long way toward propelling him into a very important spring where competition is going to be fierce for interior offensive linemen. Similar to Bledsoe, Campbell is not going to be in Austin for five years.

Brenen Thompson is yet another player where playing time would benefit him greater than a redshirt. He needs more on the job training to help stake a claim to real playing time next season. Texas will have talent at receiver next year, but it won’t have much experience. At a minimum, Thompson’s elite speed should help him carve out a niche down the stretch. Screens and verticals would help utilize his speed in a way that doesn’t require too much experience.

Texas will possibly lose 1,000 pounds of quality defensive tackles this offseason. It would be nice to see what Aaron Bryant can do in anticipation of playing time next season. However, he is the type of player you’d like to redshirt. He can still play in two games if Texas finds itself in position to play the youngster.

Terrance Brooks‘ next snap will remove his redshirt. He was likely to lose it anyway, but injuries in the secondary nearly guarantee it. One wonders if he’ll get a look at Star in the coming weeks with Jaylon Guilbeau possibly missing time. Sources state he’s smart enough to pick up the position relatively quickly.

The players written about above are some of the most talented in the program. Along with their natural talent, they are at need positions when projecting next year’s roster, but they should also be able to help now.

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