Texas Football: 5 Players to Watch in Texas' 2015 Spring Game

Spring ball reaches its end next weekend when the Longhorns kick off their spring game. No matter which team they work with, every Longhorn fan will have eyes on Jerrod Heard and Malik Jefferson.

Charlie Strong's second spring game is packed with intrigue. It will be the general public's first look at Heard and Jefferson in Longhorn uniforms, the new uptempo offense and an overhauled defense that lost no fewer than five of its best players.

Beyond the two former top recruits, the new offensive workhorses and the defense's unheralded top player will be must-see when the Horns take the field April 18.

1. QB Jerrod Heard

In all likelihood, Tyrone Swoopes starts this game with the first team. He has the most experience, has been consistent throughout spring practice and is taking a leadership role with the team.

It'd be great to see the junior play well. He just doesn't bring quite the same level of excitement to the field as Jerrod Heard, who ran for almost 5,000 yards during his high school career en route to two state titles.

Facing an uphill battle to start the spring, Heard has started to turn heads as a passer, and Strong said the redshirt freshman was the better player during Monday's practice. With reports emerging that he's progressing as a passer, the competition with Swoopes is getting closer.

Heard's improvement through the air will be interesting in the biggest scrimmage of the year, but his legs will bring the real excitement. After all, the Longhorns are now running an offense he ran to perfection in high school, and his explosiveness adds an element that gives defenses nightmares.

With some big runs and a couple of nice throws in a game setting, Heard can do himself a lot of favors to close spring practice.

2. LB Malik Jefferson

Malik Jefferson has been a college athlete for less than three months, and his coaches are already trying to find ways to put him on the field whenever possible.

The No. 1 recruit in the state this past cycle, Jefferson has lived up to the hype this spring. The remarkable young athlete looks no worse than the backup to Naashon Hughes at the hybrid "Fox" position, and he's been among the first players to get a look inside following Dalton Santos' injury.

To summarize, Jefferson is basically getting looks at three different positions within his first two weeks of collegiate practice. He's shown the size and strength to rush the passer, the speed to drop into coverage and the instincts to diagnose plays as a middle linebacker, though the latter hasn't come quite as naturally.

247Sports' Jeff Howe has more on Jefferson's recent work on the inside:

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The biggest happening at linebacker was Malik Jefferson worked on the inside. He had been on the outside and worked behind Hughes at the Fox some, but the coaches wanted to get a look at him in the middle.

It was a learning day for Jefferson, who got consistent feedback from Brian Jean-Mary. Jefferson got barked at a few times for being out of position or missing an assignment, but it clearly looks like the staff is pushing him as hard and as fast as they can knowing they're going to need him to play this fall and possibly multiple positions.

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Few of these 5-star, can't-miss recruits have panned out for Texas of late. Rest assured that Jefferson is already too good with too much remaining upside to disappoint like Garrett Gilbert or Taylor Bible.

Watch this guy go to work every chance you get or else you'll regret it.

3. WR Dorian Leonard

Dorian Leonard validated his coaches' praise with a ridiculous one-handed grab in drills. However, it's what got him noticed in the first place that should intrigue Longhorn fans.

Strong has mentioned Leonard's work in all three of his press conferences this spring, and it's easy to see why. At 6'3", 203 pounds, he's one of the few receivers on the roster with the length and size to play every down on the outside. 

Even with only one career reception under his belt, those traits give Leonard a great chance at being a key contributor this season. Anyone who doubts Texas' desire to feed receivers of his type should note that 1,000-yard wideout John Harris only had nine catches before last season.

Leonard will compete with Lorenzo Joe all offseason, but he's been the guy so far this spring and looks like a starter. Expect some big plays from Texas' next No. 1 receiver against a depleted secondary in the spring game.

Erich Schlegel/Getty Images

4. S Jason Hall

If you're a fan of old school, hard-hitting football, then Jason Hall should be one of your favorite Longhorns. He's also one of the most talented players on the team in spite of those who have forgotten what he brings to the table.

As noted by Howe, a healthy Hall was a freshman All-American. He wasn't as productive as Virginia's Quin Blanding, but his numbers were right on par with LSU's Jamal Adams despite being hampered by a knee injury for the second half of the season.

When he's at full speed, there's nothing Hall can't do from the safety position. He's solid in coverage, and anyone who was on the business end of his aggressive style will check the closet for him next time they square off. 

Seriously, Strong had to tell him to stop hitting his teammates so hard on Monday.

Horns Digest's Chip Brown thinks Hall could lose his job to incoming freshman DeShon Elliott. Don't count on it, because Texas needs a fiery leader like this on the field as much as possible, and Hall has too much talent to be written off like that.

He'll make a play or two that will have you aching for real football. That you can count on.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

5. RB Johnathan Gray

The last time we saw Johnathan Gray going to work in an uptempo offense, he was slicing and dicing his way to a 1,000-yard season. Behind an improved offensive line, he should be even better as a senior.

Gray just wasn't right for most of 2014. The Achilles tear he sustained in late 2013 robbed him of his trademark acceleration and agility, making him an undersized straight-line runner for much of the year.

The speedy back eventually found his wheels against Texas Tech, West Virginia and Oklahoma State, but poor play from his blockers kept him under wraps thereafter.

This season, Gray gets back to the scheme he excelled within, telling the media, "I love this offense." What should really excite Longhorn fans is he believes in his offensive line, stating the following in that same interview:

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Those guys have shocked me, actually. They don't need any motivation. They go out there and work 100 percent. They work hard, too. That's what you want to see in young guys, and I think they know what they're supposed to do and what we're trying to get done and accomplished. Those guys are ready, I think.

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Per CFBstats.com, Gray's 86.7 yards per game were among the nation's top 50 in 2013, all while working in tandem with Malcolm Brown. While there are some intriguing talents battling it out for starting jobs at receiver and along that improving offensive line, Gray's the workhorse the offense will lean on.

He's second only to the quarterback in terms of importance to this revamped attack.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy ofTexasSports.com.