Texas Football: Longhorns' Most Indispensable Players for 2015

Year two for head coach Charlie Strong at Texas will be pivotal. Even that might be an understatement. 

On one hand, the Longhorns lose several of the key playmakers who led the team to a bowl game last season. If there's a drop-off, no one would be terribly surprised. On the other hand, this is Texas, and Strong is paid handsomely to get results. Improving from year one to year two in the win column seems like a necessity. 

If Texas is going to take steps in the right direction, it's because of the players in the following slides. These are the Longhorns' most indispensable players as determined by past production, depth at their respective positions and their importance to overall offensive/defensive schemes. 

Linebacker Malik Jefferson

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

True freshman Malik Jefferson is the only player on this list who hasn't played a down of college football yet. So, how exactly is he indispensable?

The former No. 1 in-state recruit according to 247Sports provides a level of versatility as a linebacker and edge-rusher that the Longhorns simply didn't have on their roster before. During the spring, Texas' coaching staff has put him at outside linebacker, inside linebacker and at the hybrid "Fox" position. 

As Jeff Howe of 247Sports noted this month, no one within the program can keep his excitement contained:

"

From the minute he arrived in January his teammates and those inside the program talked about how hard he worked, how humble he was and how he was able to smoothly integrate himself into the culture established by Strong and his staff.

“He's one of those players who just wants to get better,” Strong said. “He has great awareness, but is willing to work hard and get better.”

"

He has a lot of room to grow, but that's a good thing. Jefferson will absolutely see the field right away and gives the Longhorns a variety of options in terms of what they put on the field. 

Offensive Lineman Sedrick Flowers

Eric Gay/Associated Press

There are no two ways around it: Texas' offensive line was woeful last season, thanks in large part to attrition that left the unit painfully thin. 

In theory, the O-line should be better this season. At the very least, you can't say experience is the problem. Depth should be better, too. 

Leading that group is guard Sedrick Flowers. A fifth-year senior, Flowers was the only O-lineman to start all 13 games at the same position for the 'Horns last year. Given their depth problems, that's a huge accomplishment. Flowers is also the most experienced offensive lineman with 31 game appearances in his career. Heading into this season, he is one of two Longhorns to be named a First-Team All-Big 12 selection by Phil Steele. 

With quarterback protection and a rejuvenated run serving as top priorities, it'll be up to Flowers to serve as a leader up front. Texas has experienced far too much attrition in the trenches over the past year or so. If the O-line can hold up on its own, Texas' more wide-open offense may have a chance yet. 

Offensive Lineman Kent Perkins

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Sedrick Flowers may be the most seasoned offensive lineman for Texas, but Kent Perkins is a junior who is starting to come into his own. 

As a sophomore in 2014, Perkins started in all 13 games—10 at right guard and three at right tackle. His versatility was valuable considering all the depth problems the Longhorns had up front. Now that Texas has more bodies on the depth chart, Perkins should be able to settle in at guard. 

While protecting the quarterback is important, the guard combo of Flowers and Perkins should help a running game led by Johnathan Gray. Last season, Texas finished in the middle of the Big 12 in rushing offense. 

Defensive Tackle Hassan Ridgeway

Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

As mentioned before, Texas' defense loses a lot of key players from last year. One of the promising returning starters is defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway.

Fellow DT Malcom Brown got a lot of the attention last season—and rightfully so. He was a disruptive force in the interior of the line and had a team-best 6.5 sacks. However, Ridgeway wasn't far behind with six sacks of his own. Now that the Longhorns have to replace Brown and defensive end Cedric Reed, Ridgeway becomes the unquestioned leader of the defensive front. 

With young, talented players such as Poona Ford emerging in the defensive front, Ridgeway is just as much a mentor as he is a go-to guy on the field. Once guys such as Desmond Jackson are fully recovered from injury, there should be plenty of depth along the D-line. 

Cornerback Duke Thomas

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Cornerback Quandre Diggs was the outspoken vocal leader for Texas last season—not just on defense but in general. However, it was Duke Thomas who led the team on the stat sheet. Thomas tied for second with Diggs with three interceptions and led all defenders with 10 passes broken up.

Now that Diggs is gone, Thomas is the most veteran player in the secondary with 39 game appearances and 23 starts, including all 13 games last year. 

Strong and his coaching staff put together a banner defensive group for the 2015 class. Among the top players in that class are defensive backs Holton Hill and Kris Boyd. There are a lot of young players who will see at least some playing time in the secondary this year. Losing Thomas would mean losing one of the few defensive starters who have major playing experience. 

Linebacker Dalton Santos

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Dalton Santos is another one of those longtime program guys who will look to end his career on a high note in 2015. He hasn't been a consistent starter during his career, but he could be that full-time starter at middle linebacker. 

Exiting spring ball, Santos was projected as the starting mike linebacker by Jeff Howe of 247Sports. 

In addition to being a player who needs to go sideline-to-sideline, Santos is a seasoned veteran who's going to be making sure everyone is lined up in the right spot, especially any young players who are seeing the field as freshmen. 

Santos has been productive at times throughout his career but has one final chance to become one of the rocks of this defense. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.