Texas Football: Week 2 Fall Camp Stock Report for the Longhorns

Fewer than two weeks into fall practice, the Texas Longhorns would-be quarterback competition seems a little one-sided, and true freshmen are ascending into two of the most important roles on the team.

Such has been the standard for Charlie Strong's team. Hardly anything has gone as expected, headlined by the surprising early transfers of Cecil Cherry and then Duke Catalon.

But on the flip side of that coin, the guys who are still in the program seem to be working hard. That's especially true for Strong's first full recruiting class, who all seem to be dead-set on making an early impression.

Stock Up: QB Tyrone Swoopes

Through over a week of spring practice, we're getting only weak evidence of Tyrone Swoopes ceding reps to Jerrod Heard at quarterback.

By all accounts, Swoopes has been absolutely killing it in camp. Coaches on both sides of the ball see "a different guy," and he's been very sharp throwing the ball, as noted by Horns Digest's Annabel Stephan.

But Stephan does make one important distinction. Swoopes is still throwing in an environment in which he's mostly protected. He can't get hit, and the defense isn't putting real heat on him in the pocket. We know he can throw, but can he weather the storm when the heat is on?

We have seen Swoopes tear it up, particularly in games against Oklahoma, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. He certainly has potential, and that version of him proved to be a pretty tough to stop.

If that's who Texas gets next season, then this team will be just fine. That'll have to bear out when the scrimmages start happening, which is also when Heard's dual-threat ability will shine through. 

It's still a competition, but Swoopes is acing the section that matters most to his future.

Courtesy of 247Sports

Stock Down: CB Holton Hill

As first reported by Horns Digest William Wilkerson, prized freshman Holton Hill has finally been cleared to practice. The only thing is, his path to the starting lineup isn't quite as straight as it was earlier this summer.

In Hill's absence, both Kris Boyd and Davante Davis have been showing off some impressive skill sets. Boyd could eventually end up as the nickel corner because of his quicks and physical brand of play, while Davis can match Hill's length on the outside. Both guys are going to play.

Hill's a great talent, so there's no reason to think he's fallen behind. 247Sports' Jeff Howe reported that he was "better than advertised" this summer, so the belief is he'll be worked into the rotation sooner rather than later.

However, he has an uphill battle to be the Week 1 starter at Notre Dame.

Courtesy of 247Sports

Stock Up: WR John Burt

With few exceptions, the 2015 class has been excellent in fall camp. From Malik Jefferson to DeAndre McNeal to Charles Omenihu, these guys are getting after it.

And John Burt might be the best of them all.

Texas' 6'2" freshman taking first-team reps has gone past the point of being a motivational technique. The big Florida wideout is dominating the work load in the same outside role that saw John Harris crack the 1,000-yard mark in 2014.

As noted by 247Sports' Howe, Burt has arguably the most complete skill set of the Texas receivers. He's fast, quick enough to do work after the catch and he can climb the ladder to finish plays. He's going to be really tough to handle as he continues to add weight.

Burt might not be Texas' leading receiver this season, but he's going to be very important to this offense from the get-go. 

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

Stock Down: OT Marcus Hutchins

Joining Burt with the first-team offense, Patrick Vahe has really come on in fall practice. As of now, it's looking like it's happening at the expense of senior Marcus Hutchins.

Vahe has been coming on strong since camp began, and it sounds like the coaches have seen enough. As noted by SB Nation's Wescott Eberts, he's a mauler with a background in run-heavy offense, adding toughness to a line that was pushed around at times last season.

With Vahe now getting his shot with the ones, Hutchins looks like the odd man out. A converted defensive tackle, Hutchins has worked hard to hold down the left tackle spot, but his inexperience at the position stood out often last season. 

Now Hutchins is watching freshman Connor Williams hold down his spot, while Vahe handles right guard. We'll have to see if it sticks because that's Kent Perkins' best position, but the coaches wouldn't mess with the cohesiveness of this unit unless they felt like it would pay off long-term.

So unless Hutchins can prove otherwise, it looks like he's going to have to lead as a second-teamer. 

Stock Up: LB Breckyn Hager

This section could easily be devoted to the freshman running backs, who have each been excellent. Then again, if you didn't know Chris Warren, Kirk Johnson and Tristian Houston could ball, you just haven't been paying attention.

So, for now, let's through some praise in the direction of Breckyn Hager. 

One of the lowest-rated commits in Texas' class, per 247Sports, Hager has been turning heads. The son of Britt Hager, Texas' all-time leading tackler, has made an easy transition from defensive end to middle linebacker, and Horns Digest's Wilkerson thinks he's the steal of the class:

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To a certain extent he has been the talk of camp. He’s extremely quick off the ball, is tough-nosed like his pops, understands angles really well, and just flat out knows how to tackle. I’ve heard more talk about him from teammates during camp than anyone. I had one person close to the team tell me that he “is going to be a monster.” This could end up being a huge steal for the staff. I think it already is.

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Malik Jefferson looks like the middle linebacker of the future, but every team has room for a guy like Hager. He's got a great pedigree, and he flat-out knows how to play the game.

The Longhorns lived to regret not giving former Baylor All-Big 12er Bryce Hager, Breckyn's older brother, a shot. They made it right by going after the youngest member of the family, and he looks like he's going to pan out beautifully.