Texas Coaching Staff Will Face Tough Task Replacing Defensive Stars for 2015

The Texas Longhorns defense was one of the brighter spots on the team in 2014. One could make a reasonable argument that the reason Texas is bowl-eligible is because of its defense.

The Longhorns offense has done little to assist its defense this season. Texas ranks No. 33 in the nation in scoring defense and has allowed an average 23.3 points per game in 2014. Meanwhile the Longhorns rank No. 101 in scoring offense and have averaged 22.6 points per game.

Some critics may say head coach Charlie Strong and defensive coordinator Vance Bedford inherited solid players, which is why the defense is so good. That's a fair assessment to a certain extent, but the team the coaches inherited ranked No. 73 in scoring defense in 2012 and No. 57 in 2013.

Nobody can overlook the changes Strong and his defensive staff made this season. The defense is more fundamentally sound and does not make many mental mistakes or miss many tackles compared to recent history.

But Strong and Bedford will face a tough test in finding a way to continue the unit's progress and replace the stars from 2014.

The Longhorns will likely lose six starters in 2015, all of whom have played since arriving in Austin. But the position group that will lose two impactful players is linebacker.

Jordan Hicks and Steve Edmond led the Longhorns with 260 combined tackles in 2014, and the drop-off in experience next season is difficult to ignore. 

The Longhorns will have a handful of linebackers on campus, but only one has significant experience as a starter. Peter Jinkens has a lot of experience playing at Texas and will likely gain more in 2015. Who will be on the field with Jinkens is unknown.

The Longhorns received a verbal commitment from Rivals.com 4-star linebacker Cecil Cherry earlier this week. Cherry is a physical player who has the potential to be a difference-maker on the field. 

If Cherry continues his progress, the linebacker position could be stout. But it's going to take more than two players to keep the defense progressing.

The losses of defensive backs Mykkele Thompson and Quandre Diggs and defensive end Cedric Reed and the potential loss of defensive tackle Malcom Brown will be significant.

The positive news for the defensive line is the Longhorns will have Desmond Jackson and Hassan Ridgeway to help with any fall-off from departures. But defensive backs coach Chris Vaughn and Bedford will need to find reliable replacements for Diggs and Thompson.

Is the talent on campus? Possibly. But replacing two four-year starters is not an easy task. Also, the leadership Diggs provided may not be replaceable.

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

Diggs previously said he expects defensive back Duke Thomas to step up and take over as a leader. Thomas has a lot of playing experience from 2014 but will need to lead his team next year. 

Ultimately, the Longhorns have a variety of potential replacements for the departing stars, but it would be foolish to say Texas will automatically be as good or better on defense next season.

Although Bedford and Strong will have their work cut out for them in 2015, the positive news for Texas fans is the coaches have a lengthy track record of putting together and recruiting stout defenses.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Taylor Gaspar is Bleacher Report's featured columnist covering the Texas Longhorns. Follow Taylor on Twitter: @Taylor_Gaspar.