Texas Football: 10 Things to Expect for Orange-White Spring Game 2012

The Texas Longhorns are one of the teams that are beginning to wrap up spring practice and get ready to play the spring game that takes place on April 1.

There have been a lot of interesting things that have taken place throughout spring practice, but nothing is better than putting the pads on again and really getting after it.

This will be a chance for players to really impress the coaches and to move up that depth chart for the upcoming season.

With the spring game just days away from taking place, here are 10 things you should expect.

Jordan Hicks to Really Stand out

One of the things you look for when watching spring practices and spring games is players to step up and make a name for themselves.

Jordan Hicks had a solid sophomore season, racking up 55 tackles and four tackles for loss.

But the speedy linebacker has the potential to be even better than that, and we should see a more mature and complete player this season.

"He's matured a lot," defensive end Alex Okafor said. "He's really coaching up the younger guys."

Hicks didn't participate in last year's spring due to a broken foot, but the expectations are extremely high for the former 5-star recruit.

Expect him to really stand out in the spring game and to have an even better season this year.

Sombody to Emerge as the Starting Kicker

With last year's starting punter and kicker no longer on the roster, the Longhorns are trying to find a replacement with three players who have no experience.

It's either going to be Ben Pruitt, William Russ or true freshman Nick Jordan.

So far, none of the players have impressed much throughout spring practice.

“We are not going to have the experience that we have had, but we have kicked with a lot of young kickers before,” Brown said.

This has to be an area of concern for the Longhorns, especially with so many games being decided by missed field goals at the end of games.

Somebody has to step up as a reliable placekicker—I expect it'll happen in the spring game. 

D.J. Monroe to Show Big-Play Potential at Receiver

D.J. Monroe is a running back at heart, but with the depth at the position with Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown having fantastic seasons, he'll likely move over to the wide receiver position.

"The best play D.J. has for us is the speed sweep, and he is a wide receiver when he does that," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "He will work more with (receivers coach) Darrell Wyatt the latter part of practice so we can try to get him in the game without giving it away that he's in there only for a play that he runs."

The Longhorns are really thin at the wide receiver position, but Monroe has big-play ability and is extremely fast with the ball in his hands.

Expect there to be a few growing pains as he tries to get more comfortable, but this could turn into something special if he's able to pick it up quickly.

The Offense to Struggle

We see it all the time in spring games and the first part of the season—the offense always takes a little more time to get going.

With many questions on the offensive side of the ball and the defense returning seven starters, I don't expect a high-scoring affair.

The quarterback battle should include a few impressive plays, but I expect this to be more of a defensive battle, as they seem to be the unit that's more complete at this point in the practices.

Brandon Moore to Really Emerge

There's a huge hole on the defensive line with Kheeston Randall moving on to the next level.

That's where Brandon Moore may see a lot of time (at defensive tackle) to replace him.

Moore is an absolute beast at 6'7", 335 pounds. He's a JUCO transfer who was on the 2009 Alabama national championship team.

He's a fantastic pass-rusher and, at the very least, will draw double-teams from the opposition. But don't just take my word for it.

"I watch pass rush every day, because I like to see the big boys getting after it," said safety Kenny Vaccaro. "And I've seen Brandon Moore just completely dominating on the pass-rush side of the ball for us."

We'll finally get to see the big boy in action, and if he can help build upon the 29 sacks the Longhorns had last season, expect him to see a lot of playing time this year.

Mykkele Thompson to Make a Name for Himself

Adrian Phillips will not play in the spring game due to shoulder surgery, which should open the door for freshman Mykkele Thompson.

The former 4-star recruit has received a ton of praise throughout spring practice and will have a great opportunity to earn a lot of playing time.

Thompson is a former wide receiver who will play safety—he's extremely fast and has great ball skills.

“Mykkele is a great kid—he's very smart, he picks things up very easily and he's very athletic. He's very rangy, so he gets to places in a hurry,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said.

This is somebody to keep an eye on throughout the game.

The Offense to Get a Bit More Creative

When your offense is as one-dimensional as the Longhorns were last season, you have to get a bit more creative to keep the defense on their toes.

That's where the Wildcat formation comes in, and Mack Brown and company are going to try their best to find the perfect combination of players to run it.

“People have said, could Daje Johnson do that? Could Johnathan Gray do that? Marcus Johnson was a wild guy in high school,” Brown said. “So which one of those guys do you look at? Can you look at both quarterbacks to do that? Can you look at Jalen Overstreet to do it? So that's a wide open one.”

Last season, Fozzy Whittaker was the trigger man, as he ran for 386 yards and scored a total of seven touchdowns, but he's no longer around to be that guy.

It's clear that if Texas is going to continue to run this formation, there's no better time to figure out who the right guy is than in the spring game.

That Running Game to Get Going

There are a couple of holes in the offensive line that need to be figured out, but for the most part they played well as a unit last season.

Now they have a running back tandem in Malcolm Brown, Joe Bergeron and eventually true freshman Jonathan Gray.

That has the potential to be one of the best backfields in the entire country and improve greatly on the 202 yards they averaged a season ago.

Expect to see a few big runs and enough production from the running backs to get you excited for the approaching season.

Now if only they can get that quarterback situation figured out, they'd be alright.

David Ash to Prove He's the Starter

The quarterback battle is probably the most watched position this spring, as many want to know who the starter is going to be come Week 1.

David Ash is the one that's impressed the most lately, and many expect him to be the man over Case McCoy.

But of course, like everything, this will be decided on the football field.

Expect Ash to outplay McCoy and make a few great throws to guarantee his spot as the starting quarterback this season.

The Longhorns to Get People Talking

Despite the questions this team may have and the youth on both sides of the ball, this is still one of the more talented teams in the country.

They return 16 starters from a year ago and have a running game and a defense that could help carry them to a possible national championship.

Many may say they're still a year away, but with a few breaks and the youngsters to grow up quickly, the Longhorns could make an interesting run this year.

I know this is only a spring game, but there should be a lot of positives to take out of it, and some of the results may get people talking about this team a little more than they already are.