Part 8 of a series looking back at the 2024 Texas Longhorns by position after spring football practice:
Derek Williams, sophomore
Jaylon Guilbeault, Jr.
Malik Muhammad, Jr.
Jade Barron, Sr.
Jelani McDonald, sophomore
Gavin Holmes, Sr.
Michael Taaffe, Jr.
Warren Roberson, freshman
terrence brooks
ryan watts
Jalen Catalon
Kittan Crawford
Jaelyn Thompson
BJ Allen
larry turner gooden
Zavion Bryce.
kobe black
Xavier Philzyme
jordan johnson rubel
Wardell Mack
Santana Wilson
Andrew Mukuba (Clemson)
Cornerback Terrence Brooks left via the transfer portal in April, considering he started 13 games last season and looked like he would get even more playing time this year. What I did was somewhat surprising.
However, the Longhorns should have plenty of depth at cornerback, with veterans Malik Muhammad, Gavin Holmes, and Jahday Barron getting a lot of snaps at the position over the past few years at the college level (Holmes (He was transferred from Wake Forest before last season).
The 2023 pass defense was UT's Achilles heel in an otherwise outstanding season marked by the program's first appearance in the four-team College Football Playoff, but the Longhorns narrowly lost to Washington in the CFP semifinals. When he did, he allowed 430 yards of flying distance. Seasonally themed.
In the annual spring game in April, UT's defensive backs didn't fare too well, as quarterbacks Arch Manning and Trey Owens combined for more than 500 yards against a backpedaling team. It looked like it was.
Texas hopes Clemson University's third-year starter Andrew Mukuba will get some relief through the transfer portal, and he has a number of other players, including four-star cornerback Kobe Black and four-star safety , he should provide plenty of leadership to the many talented young players in the secondary. Xavier Filsime, who was part of the 2024 recruiting class.
In this era of wide-open offense and covert defense, the Longhorns have a handful of defensive backs who can mix and match at various positions, as many teams across the country do. And considering last year, there may be a lot of mix-and-match decisions made early on by the coaching staff as UT tries to find the right formula for its first round in the SEC.
cornerback
Malik Muhammad
kobe black
cornerback
gavin holmes
Wardell Mack
strong safety
derek williams
jelani mcdonald
free safety
Andrew Mukuba
michael taaffe
Star
Jade Baron
jaylon guilbeau