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Updated Texas depth chart with summer enrollees

Tom Herman also provided some updates on positions changes along the defensive line.

Bijan Robinson
via @bijan_robinson (Instagram)

With no spring football for the Texas Longhorns, forecasting how the depth chart will look when players are finally allowed to return to campus — or arrive for the first time, in the case of the summer enrollees — there’s a lot of missing information that would normally influence those projections. Unusual times, indeed.

However, now that it’s official that spring football won’t happen in its normal format, and with head coach Tom Herman providing some insight for the first time on position changes along the defensive line, it’s worth looking at where the summer enrollees will fit and how Herman anticipates the defensive line will look.

Texas depth chart

11 Name No. Name No. Name No. Name No. Name No.
11 Name No. Name No. Name No. Name No. Name No.
QB Sam Ehlinger 11 Casey Thompson 8 Hudson Card * Ja'Quinden Jackson *
RB Keaontay Ingram 26 Roschon Johnson 8 Bijan Robinson * Daniel Young *
XWR Brennan Eagles 13 Marcus Washington 15 Al'Vonte Woodard 83 Troy Omeire *
HWR Jake Smith 16 Jordan Whittington 21 Dajon Harrison *
ZWR Josh Moore 14 Kennedy Lewis 84 Kelvontay Dixon *
YTE Cade Brewer 80 Malcolm Epps 85 Jared Wiley 18 Brayden Liebrock 89 Jaden Hullaby *
LT Sam Cosmi 52 Reese Moore 76 Isaiah Hookfin 65 Andrej Karic *
LG Tyler Johnson 72 Tope Imade 73
C Derek Kerstetter 68 Rafiti Ghirmai 74 Jake Majors *
RG Junior Angilau 75 Willie Tyler 55 Logan Parr *
RT Denzel Okafor 78 Christian Jones 70 Jaylen Garth *
Defense
DE Moro Ojomo 98 Marqez Bimage 42 Jacoby Jones 36 Vernon Broughton * Aflred Collins *
NT Keondre Coburn 99 T'Vondre Sweat 93
DT Ta'Quon Graham 49 Daniel Carson 88 Myron Warren 92 Sawyer Goram-Welch *
JACK Joseph Ossai 46 Byron Vaughns 50 Reese Leitao 81 Prince Dorbah *
MLB Juwan Mitchell 6 Ayodele Adeoye 40 Cort Jaquess 57 Jaylan Ford *
WILL DeMarvion Overshown 31 David Gbenda 33 Marcus Tillman, Jr. 13
CB D'Shawn Jamison 5 Josh Thompson 29 Kobe Boyce 38
S Caden Sterns 7 Montrell Estell 39 Xavion Alford *
S BJ Foster 25 Chris Brown 15 Tyler Owens 44 Jerrin Thompson *
CB Jalen Green 3 Kenyatta Watson II 2 Marques Caldwell 24 Kitan Crawford *
SPUR Anthony Cook 4 Chris Adimora 11
Special Teams
PK Cameron Dicker 17
P Ryan Bucjevski 8 Cameron Dicker 17
H Ryan Bucjevski 8 Zach Edwards 43
DS Justin Mader 54 Zach Edwards 43
KR D'Shawn Jamison 5 Jake Smith 16 Montrell Estell 39 Jordan Whittington 21
PR D'Shawn Jamison 5 Jake Smith 16
Injured Peter Mpagi 45 heart
Derrian Brown 24 stroke

Entering season four of the Herman era, Texas is now increasingly in a position where true freshmen aren’t likely to see playing time. That’s not the case for at least one summer enrollee, however — the nation’s top running back, Bijan Robinson.

Robinson should immediately take reps in front of senior Daniel Young, but since this projection is a forecast for how things might look when practice starts for preseason camp, it’s hard to move Robinson past sophomore Roschon Johnson, who was a revelation as a freshman. Is it possible that Robinson acclimates quickly enough to take over the backup role or even become the starter during the season? It’s possible, but it’s almost certainly going to take some time.

Otherwise, all the summer enrollees have slotted at the back of the depth chart and most of them should redshirt unless they earn spots on special teams.

During a Thursday chat on Facebook with Orangebloods, Herman provided the most in-depth information yet about where everyone will play in defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s new four-man line, the part of the depth chart that was most difficult to determine.

Herman revealed that summer enrollee Prince Dorbah will play the Jack position with junior Joseph Ossai and redshirt sophomore Byron Vaughns. When Ash was hired, it wasn’t clear whether Dorbah would remain on the edge, where he played in high school, or if he would move to inside linebacker, where he played in the Under Armour All-American game. Now there’s some clarity about where he will start this Texas career. Junior Reese Leitao may or may not also play that position after moving from tight end, but for now he’s slated there, too.

More pertinent to the top of the rotation is that senior Ta’Quon Graham will move inside and play three technique defensive tackle next to sophomores Keondre Coburn and T’Vondre Sweat. No surprise on the latter two, but Graham was so excited about playing on the edge after the Alamo Bowl that it’s a little bit surprising he’ll start out inside.

With Graham at defensive tackle, sophomore Moro Ojomo will move outside to defensive end, where he’s currently slotted as the starter over senior Marqez Bimage in this version of the depth chart. However, Bimage will benefit from the schematic change as much as anyone on the defensive line, so it’s possible that he earns the starting role or at least plays significant snaps during his final season on the Forty Acres.

The rest of the defensive line is still mostly guess work, but Herman did say that he thinks the scheme change will help 2020 signees like Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins play more on the edges, so Broughton is now listed at defensive end ahead of Collins since he was able to go through winter conditioning as an early enrollee.