With classes starting next Tuesday for the spring semester, the nine Texas Longhorns early enrollees reported to campus on Thursday, a number that represents more than 40 percent of the group that signed a little less than a month ago.
Our early enrollees are here. Welcome to Austin gentlemen.#ThisIsTexas #HookEm pic.twitter.com/JNm6qCE9Ov
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) January 17, 2019
In addition to having the spring semester to adjust academically, the early enrollees will participate in winter conditioning to add strength and speed, then participate in the 15 spring practices that culminate with the annual Orange-White game in April.
Particularly at need positions like offensive line, defensive line, and linebacker, the early enrollees will have a chance to position themselves as prospective starters or key members of the rotation next fall.
So let’s take a look at the outlook and expectations for each player this spring.
Port Neches-Grove QB Roshon Johnson | 6’1 | 200 pounds | **** | No. 252 nationally | No. 5 dual-threat QB
In the coming days, Johnson’s importance to the program could increase significantly with the departure of freshman Cameron Rising and the potential departure of junior quarterback Shane Buechele, as well as the uncertain status of freshman Casey Thompson, who denied having made a decision about his future on Thursday.
A worst-case scenario would leave Johnson as the backup quarterback to sophomore Sam Ehlinger as the only other scholarship quarterback on the roster, though that seems unlikely given the potential for Thompson to assume the backup role if Buechele becomes a graduate transfer.
After flashing some ability as a runner and passer in the 2019 Under Armour All-American game, Johnson will spend the spring focused on gaining strength and refining his mechanics. Though he’s not exactly a developmental project, Johnson would ideally redshirt this fall without having to worry about replacing Ehlinger in case of injury.
Cuero WR Jordan Whittington | 6’1 | 205 | **** | No. 53 nationally | No. 9 WR
The offensive and defensive MVP of Cuero’s state title win in late December will arrive early at Texas to play in the slot and potentially receive some carries on jet sweeps or at the running back position after showing excellent vision and patience as a ball-carrier in that game. Not only is Whittington a versatile and explosive athlete, he’s physically mature for his age thanks to his training with his older brother, Quincey.
So for Whittington, he doesn’t need to add strength, just dedicate himself to learning the offensive system and push for playing time with the departure of Lil’Jordan Humphrey to the NFL. He will have Joshua Moore in front of him prior to the arrival of Gatorade National Player of the Year Jake Smith, so the spring will be a critical time for Whittington to make his case for playing time at a position that likely won’t feature one player taking the vast majority of the snaps, as Humphrey did in 2018.
Temple TE Jared Wiley | 6’6 | 230 pounds | *** | No. 976 nationally | No. 41 TE
After spending most of his high school career playing quarterback in the Baylor-derived veer-and-shoot offense run by the Wildcats, Wiley will likely have a relatively lengthy learning curve at the tight end position. To play effectively in the trenches, he’ll need to take advantage of the extra time with strength and conditioning coach Yancy McKnight and refine his blocking technique under position coach Derek Warehime.
“Runs. No-nonsense, tough kid,” head coach Tom Herman said on Early Signing Day. “Reminds me of a couple of those tight ends we had early when I was at Ohio State. Just a big, tall guy. You can tell this kid is going to be massive, but still be able to run. He’s got a nasty streak to him.”
Indeed, the raw athleticism and natural body control at the tight end position that Wiley showed as a junior makes it easy to have a positive long-term projection for the Central Texas product. And he does have some experience as an in-line blocker.
With some older depth in front of Wiley set to replace Andrew Beck, however, the immediate expectations aren’t significant for the lowest-rated signee of the class, but it also wouldn’t be shocking to see him turn some heads this spring. It’s simply not that easy to find prospects with his size and movement ability.
And, if the Longhorns do suffer serious attrition at quarterback, Wiley could be a credible emergency option.
Conroe Oak Ridge OL Tyler Johnson | 6’5 | 310 pounds | **** | No. 46 nationally | No. 8 OT
The heaviest and highest-rated offensive lineman signed by head coach Tom Herman — and the highest-rated offensive lineman signed by Texas since Darius James in 2013 — Johnson is a one-time five-star prospect who already looks like a college lineman.
Since three starters are departing along the offensive line, he’ll have opportunities to contribute early. Herman thinks he can play every position along the line, so look for co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Herb Hand to cross-train Johnson at multiple positions this spring.
Center Zach Shackelford is about to enter his final season of eligibility, so there’s some long-term potential that Johnson could end up at that position if Derek Kerstetter doesn’t end up playing there in 2020. In terms of a 2019 outlook, Johnson has the physical maturity to compete for one of the two starting jobs at guard.
As a prospect, Johnson checks all the boxes on and off the field, so the expectations are high for him to make an immediate impact.
Butler CC DE Jacoby Jones | 6’4 | 250 pounds | *** | No. 23 JUCO nationally | No. 2 JUCO SDE
The return of Malcolm Roach for his senior season and promising play of Ta’Quon Graham as a sophomore mean that Texas may not need Jacoby Jones to start this fall, but his presence will be extremely important for a defensive line that replaces three starters.
As a junior college prospect, the biggest adjustment for Jones may be in the classroom — there aren’t any red flags there, but he’s had two years to mature physically out of high school and looks ready to play, so he’s not showing up to campus “looking hungry,” like Gary Johnson did when he arrived in the summer of 2017.
Where Jones could really make a difference for Texas is as a pass rusher, as he may have a more complete game there than Graham or Roach and projects as a potential impact player off the edge. They key this spring for Jones is to prove to position coach Oscar Giles and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando that he can hold the point of attack on running downs.
Richmond George Ranch B-backer Peter Mpagi | 6’4 | 225 pounds | *** | No. 749 nationally | No. 50 WDE
Listed as a defensive lineman by Texas and classified as a weak-side defensive end by the recruiting services, Mpagi will start out at the B-backer position when he arrives at Texas. The projection here is that Jeffrey McCulloch will play Rover as a senior, leaving the B-backer position in the emerging hands of Joseph Ossai, who was excellent against Georgia.
If that projection comes to pass, then it would provide an opportunity for Mpagi to show off his explosiveness from the edge this spring in a competition with freshman Byron Vaughns, who redshirted this season, for the backup role.
There’s some truly promising dynamic ability from Mpagi as a senior and he has enough time to develop enough strength this spring to potentially make him a viable option for the same type of growth that Ossai showed as a freshman.
More likely, however, it will be 2020 or 2021 when Mpagi is really ready to make an impact for the Longhorns.
Westlake Village (Cali.) Westlake LB De’Gabriel Floyd | 6’2 | 240 pounds | **** | No. 64 nationally | No. 4 ILB
Like Johnson, Floyd flashed during the Under Armour All-American game, in particular showing his physicality filling against the run with a crunching hit on a running back. Following a high school career that saw him make plays on offense, special teams, and at cornerback and safety in addition to linebacker, Floyd arrives in Austin with truly unique experience and versatility.
So the expectations are as high for him as any of the other early enrollees, especially since Texas desperately needs to find bodies at both of the inside linebacker positions. Since Floyd moves well and is so versatile, expect Orlando to cross-train him at Mac and Rover this spring to find his best fit. As mentioned earlier, McCulloch is a strong possibility to play at Rover, so Floyd’s best shot at early playing time may be beating out freshman Ayodele Adeoye at the Mac position.
Wherever Floyd ends up, he profiles as an early contributor and the Horns almost certainly will need him to prove that he can step into that role over the coming months.
Fullerton College LB Caleb Johnson | 6’1 | 220 pounds | *** | No. 40 JUCO nationally | No. 3 JUCO OLB
The first order of business for Johnson is to rehab the shoulder injury that he suffered during his sophomore season that resulted in a medical redshirt, which will leave him with three seasons of eligibility remaining. Last month, Herman was hopeful that Johnson will be fully healthy and available by the middle of spring practice.
Unfortunately, the injury is going to limit how much progress Johnson can make in the weight room and almost certainly limit the number of repetitions he can take during spring practice.
At the risk of returning too often to this point, whether or not McCulloch can credibly play the Rover position is a huge storyline this spring. If he can, the pressure will decrease on Johnson to be able to step in as a starter at a position that doesn’t have any returning players with experience other than McCulloch, who spent relatively limited time there in 2018.
Everything else being equal, Johnson has an advantage over McCulloch in speed, which is a critical aspect of that position since Orlando uses the defensive line to funnel everything outside to the linebackers and the secondary, so if Johnson can get healthy and pick up the defense quickly, he has a solid chance of beating out McCulloch eventually.
Orlando (Fla.) Jones LB Marcus Tillman Jr. | 6’1 | 220 pounds | *** | No. 431 nationally | No. 22 OLB
Through much of the recruiting process, the focus was on Floyd and landing Johnson, so Tillman has flown under the radar a little bit, in part because he committed so quickly to Texas after receiving his offer in late July.
At the time, Tillman said he was going to play on the edge for Orlando, though it remains to be seen whether that will be the B-backer position or Rover. In all likelihood, he’ll get a look at both spots this spring and Orlando will use him where he fits best. There’s no question that the faster route to playing time is at Rover if he can emerge there.
Even in a worst-case scenario, Tillman will provide valuable depth this fall after growing during the 15 spring practices.