Texas Football: Ranking the 5 Best Redshirt Freshmen for the Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are getting younger in 2015, bringing in 27 recruits after redshirting much of last year's haul. Just like the true freshmen, several members of that group are going to have to play a major role next season.

Thanks to a big weekend that saw them add three recruits, Charlie Strong and the Horns now sport a top-10 recruiting class according to 247Sports. And that's with several highly rated players still there for the taking.

While that represents a major step forward for a program that could easily lose ground on the trail because of performance, it guarantees nothing, especially in the immediate future.

Several of these freshmen will contribute, and even start. But with only seven early enrollees, Strong can only count on what he's got, which means current players will have to step up.

There's talent waiting in the redshirt ranks to help out in that area, ranked here based on their potential to be reliable contributors.

5. WR Garrett Gray

A 3-star recruit, wide receiver Garrett Gray looks like just another guy on a Longhorn roster lacking real offensive talent. 

And then you look at his measurables.

At 6'4" and 211 pounds, the imposing outside receiver runs a ridiculous 4.40 in the 40-yard dash. For reference, Rivals.com had Armanti Foreman, next year's probable top receiver, at a 4.43 time during his recruiting process, and Foreman is four inches shorter.

Gray is also interesting because this is only his fourth year playing football, picking the game up as a high school junior. There's as much potential here as any player on this team.

Whoever Texas hires to be its new wide receivers coach will arrive with four years to work on a talent like Gray. If the eventual hire figures him out, it would give the Longhorns a true size-speed freak on the outside.

4. LB Edwin Freeman

With Texas primarily running with two linebackers in 2014, there was little need for the Longhorns to throw Edwin Freeman into the fray. This season, they're going to need him.

Leading tacklers Jordan Hicks and Steve Edmond have each exhausted their eligibility, leaving two massive gaps behind the defensive line. One of those spots will presumably be manned by physical marvel and 5-star recruit Malik Jefferson, who has too much size and speed to be kept off the field.

From there it's a little murky. Peter Jinkens has logged 10 starts, but he has been unable to make good on the promise he showed as a freshman. The Horns have also recruited as many as four other linebackers in their 2015 class, though starting two true freshmen feels like tactical suicide.

That leaves Freeman, a cat-quick striker according to SB Nation's Steven Muma, who has solid range and coverage skills from his days as a high school safety. 

Logic says Jinkens, or even plodder Dalton Santos, will get the nod due to experience. But Freeman will play, and that should turn into a starter's role before long.

3. RB Donald Catalon

There's little doubt that running back Donald Catalon has a ton of talent. It's just difficult to project how it'll fit in 2015.

Slippery quick with long speed and impressive receiving chops, Catalon came out of high school as a top-10 running back in the 2014 class. He's not the same type of talent as Leonard Fournette or Dalvin Cook, but he'd be a weapon in an all-purpose role out of the backfield.

The problem with that is Texas already has players who can do those same things. Presumed starter Johnathan Gray runs with a similar style and has 20 pounds on the freshman, while Daje Johnson can never get enough touches as a hybrid weapon.

What the Longhorns need is a power back, which is why they're all over Chris Warren for the 2015 class. That would leave Catalon fighting three guys for touches in the backfield, as he did in 2014 behind Gray and the departed Malcolm Brown.

Still, there's dynamic talent here that the Horns should put to good use. He has a unique skill set and would at least be a nice safety valve on passing downs. 

It's just hard to imagine the coaches leaving him on the bench for another season, and his role will only grow as his career wears on.

2. DE Derick Roberson

On the subject of talent, redshirt freshman Derick Roberson has a lot of it as Texas' top recruit from the 2014 class. First, he needs to fill out.

Roberson dominated the high school level, using a vast array of pass-rushing moves and pure athletic ability to pile up 20 sacks and 39 tackles for loss as a senior, per SB Nation's Wescott Eberts.

It's all there for Roberson, except he's far too lean to match up with college linemen. Even after a full season in the program, he's still listed at 220 pounds. He still has time to grow into his frame, and he'll have to before he sees the field, as Charlie Strong said in October, per TexasSports.com:

"

Derick Roberson, I think he could be an outstanding pass rusher, but all of a sudden you've got a game we're playing against Baylor or Oklahoma and you've got a guy who's 6-foot-6, 315 pounds and running 4.9 in the 40, what is he going to do? I don't know that.

"

Let's see where Roberson is at once the spring game rolls. If he's up over 230 pounds, he's going to be fun to watch next season.

1. QB Jerrod Heard

These days, it's impossible not to get excited about any quarterback with a pulse in Austin. Jerrod Heard might be worth the hype, though.

Unlike David Ash and Tyrone Swoopes before him, Heard is a proven commodity who has impressed a lot of people with his all-around talent. He's a two-time state champion, an electric runner with true speed and, as Elite 11 coach Trent Dilfer told Wescott Eberts, he's a sound passer who is constantly working to improve.

Rising senior wideout Marcus Johnson is already sold:

"

Jerrod is a shifty guy in the back field. He makes things happen with his feet. At the same time, when we watch him in practice, he'll make great passes. It's one of those things where once he gets more comfortable with the offense, you'll be able to see him more. He'll be able to show you why he won two state championships and what he can do on the field.

"

The Longhorns have been smart to keep Heard from stepping into a hopeless situation, especially behind a bad offensive line. Now he gets a full offseason to master this scheme and assume his natural leadership role.

He's going to be the guy by the time spring rolls around, and that won't change for a long time.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com and 247Sports.