Texas Football: Projecting the Longhorns' Post-Spring 2-Deep Depth Chart
Following Texas' spring game, it's obvious that the defense still has talent, the offense still has a ways to go and both sides of the ball will need some help from freshmen.
There are still a lot of dominoes that need to fall before the depth chart shapes up. The Horns are replacing 10 starters and sat 11 scholarship players during Saturday's game.
Right now, all that's certain is that the defense's returning starters will hang onto their jobs and almost the entire offense will be competing with somebody. Based on what we know after a month of practice and the talent arriving in June, here's what we can expect the depth chart to look like in the fall.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Offense
| Quarterback | Jerrod Heard (R-Fr.) | Tyrone Swoopes (Jr.) |
| Running Back | Johnathan Gray (Sr.) | D'Onta Foreman (So.) |
| Wide Receiver (X) | Dorian Leonard (So.) | Lorenzo Joe (So.) |
| Wide Receiver (Z) | Marcus Johnson (Sr.) | John Burt (Fr.) |
| Wide Receiver (H) | Armanti Foreman (So.) | Jacorey Warrick (Jr.) |
| Tight End | Alex De La Torre (Sr.) | Andrew Beck (So.) |
| Left Tackle | Marcus Hutchins (Sr.) | Brandon Hodges (Jr.) |
| Left Guard | Kent Perkins (Jr.) | Elijah Rodriguez (R-Fr.) |
| Center | Taylor Doyle (Sr.) | Jake Raulerson (So.) |
| Right Guard | Sedrick Flowers (Sr.) | Terrell Cuney (R-Fr.) |
| Right Tackle | Connor Williams (Fr.) | Tristan Nickelson (So.) |
Starting with quarterback, the simple answer is that Jerrod Heard played the better game on Saturday. He completed almost 70 percent of his passes despite going against the starting defense. On the other hand, Swoopes just cleared 50 percent against the twos.
Athletic quarterbacks tend to have the highest ceiling in spread offenses, and Heard's already close enough as a passer to infer he takes over this job in fall camp.
The controversy doesn't stop there. The wide receiver position is already crowded, and that's before the foursome of talented freshmen get thrown into the mix. For now, Dorian Leonard, Marcus Johnson and Armanti Foreman are your starters, with Jacorey Warrick seeing plenty of action in four-wide sets.
Because he's such a good route-runner, Lorenzo Joe will be first guy off the bench for both outside positions. He had a better spring game than Leonard, who had no trouble doing everything but catching the ball, and will battle his classmate all offseason. Theirs will be a fun battle to watch.
Alex De La Torre emerging as the top tight end also comes as a shock. The senior played fullback for his first three seasons, but he got first-team work because he can line up in the backfield as well.
If that's the versatility Texas wants from this spot, Andrew Beck makes the most sense to push for time, but keep an eye on freshman DeAndre McNeal. Per 247Sports' Jeff Howe, he's as versatile as they come and should be a much more dynamic option once he adjusts to the college game.
Up front, true freshman Connor Williams looks like the only tweak from last year's group. Transfers Brandon Hodges and Tristan Nickelson will be the first ones off the bench, with Hodges serving as the first option for all interior positions. This looks like the group, though Joe Wickline will surely give everyone his shot.
Lastly, running back has been the most predictable position on the team. Johnathan Gray will be the feature back, and D'Onta Foreman tightened his grip on power back duties with an 84-yard spring game, though he could still get pushed by freshman Chris Warren.
Defense
| Fox End | Naashon Hughes (So.) | Malik Jefferson (Fr.) |
| Nose Tackle | Desmond Jackson (Sr.) | Paul Boyette Jr. (Jr.) |
| Defensive Tackle | Hassan Ridgeway (Jr.) | Poona Ford (So.) |
| Defensive End | Bryce Cottrell (Jr.) | Shiro Davis (Sr.) |
| Middle Linebacker | Dalton Santos (Sr.) | Tim Cole (Jr.) |
| Weakside Linebacker | Peter Jinkens (Sr.) | Edwin Freeman (R-Fr.) |
| Nickel | John Bonney (R-Fr.) | Jason Hall (So.) |
| Cornerback | Duke Thomas (Sr.) | Antwuan Davis (So.) |
| Cornerback | Bryson Echols (Jr.) | Holton Hill (Fr.) |
| Free Safety | Jason Hall (So.) | DeShon Elliott (Fr.) |
| Strong Safety | Dylan Haines (Jr.) | Adrian Colbert (Jr.) |
Yes, spring game standout Malik Jefferson begins next season as a backup. He lacks a defined position at this point because he can do a little bit of everything, as he proved by standing in at middle linebacker on Saturday.
Jefferson's a capable pass-rusher, so chances are Texas plays him all over the place. Until his specific role becomes more apparent, we'll put him behind Naashon Hughes, the other supremely versatile athlete along that front seven.
Opposite Hughes at defensive end will be Bryce Cottrell, who Charlie Strong called "the surprise of the spring," according to TexasSports.com. His pass-rushing ability will be a major asset to this team, which gives him the edge over Shiro Davis and Quincy Vasser.
Hassan Ridgeway and Desmond Jackson are each locked in to the inside spots, with the former being arguably the best defender on the roster. But there's also good depth behind them, with Paul Boyette and Poona Ford each growing into reliable players.
Defensive coordinator Vance Bedford raved about Ford's talents in the week leading up to the spring game, per TexasSports.com:
"[Ford] gets down and he's a technician. He gets in a great stance, his first step is good. He uses his hands and enters the right spot. He does the little things right and he understands football. What made Malcom Brown a great football player was not just his athletic ability, he understood the game. Poona Ford has that in him; he has that kind of ability. He's not as big as Malcom, but as far as being a football player and understanding the game, he brings that to the table.
"
Joining Ford as a breakout candidate is classmate Edwin Freeman. The redshirt freshman linebacker is still squarely behind seniors Dalton Santos and Peter Jinkens, but his knack for playing in space means a starting role shouldn't be far off.
In the secondary, John Bonney is exactly what the doctor ordered at the nickel spot vacated by Quandre Diggs. Also a redshirt freshman, Bonney's ability to both cover and come downhill makes him a great fit for the position, and he played like he wants to man that spot for a long time.
Duke Thomas, Jason Hall and Dylan Haines are all sitting pretty as returning starters, leaving one corner spot open. Bryson Echols locked up in the spring game as the acting No. 1 corner in Thomas' place, so the job should be his.
However, cornerback Holton Hill and violent safety DeShon Elliott both have designs on starting as freshmen. There's no depth at either spot, so they'll crack the two-deep early in camp and get increased reps as their talent starts to stand out.
Special Teams
| Kicker | Nick Rose (Sr.) | Nick Jordan (Sr.) |
| Punter | Mitchell Becker (So.) | Matthew Sims (So.) |
| Kick Returner | Armanti Foreman (So.) | Daje Johnson (Sr.) |
| Punt Returner | Ryan Newsome (Fr.) | Daje Johnson (Sr.) |
Nick Rose went 5-of-6 in the spring, with all of his attempts coming from outside 40 yards. It's a great sign for the senior who connected on just 14 of his 21 attempts last season.
Punting duties belong to Mitchell Becker by a wide margin, though that's hardly a comforting fact. The walk-on averaged less than 40 yards on his five total punts in the spring game, which is nowhere close to good enough.
Luckily, the return game should be far more entertaining in 2015. Armanti Foreman and Daje Johnson will see work in both phases, as will explosive newcomer Ryan Newsome. The freshman could have a monopoly on the return game by the end of the year.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
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