Texas releases UTEP depth chart

The Texas Longhorns officially have a depth chart for the season opener against the UTEP MIners on Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

The first depth chart released since the Alamo Bowl against Utah, it’s the result of a month of practice and three scrimmages.

There are a handful of notable developments with the depth chart.

— Junior Keaontay Ingram remains the starter at the running back position despite reports that sophomore Roschon Johnson out-performed him during preseason camp. But that’s also not particularly surprising because freshman running back Bijan Robinson will also see action in a group that head coach Tom Herman says doesn’t have a starter. He doesn’t think that which running back trots out with the ones on the first snap against UTEP is particularly important and the depth chart seems to reflect that.

— Graduate transfer Tarik Black is officially the starter over junior Brennan Eagles after a disappointing camp for Eagles, the team’s leading returning receiver. Throughout the offseason, the expectation was that Eagles would take a big leap this season, but that’s now in question as he starts the season as a backup. Black has been impressive in his own right, however.

— It also seems notable that only six wide receivers were listed on the depth chart. That seems like a message to second-year players like Marcus Washington and Kennedy Lewis. Expect to see Arizona graduate transfer Brenden Schooler ahead of them, as Herman noted that he seems last a fast learner since he arrived in Austin. Schooler will wear No. 81 for the Horns.

— Herman said that redshirt sophomore Christian Jones is the fifth-best offensive linemen on the team — at least with redshirt freshman Isaiah Hookfin sidelined with a shoulder injury — so he’s the starter at right tackle, with redshirt senior Denzel Okafor next to him at guard. Note that freshman Jake Majors has already moved slightly ahead of redshirt sophomore Rafiti Ghirmai at center.

— There aren’t any surprises among the starters on the defensive line, but it is clear from the depth chart that freshmen Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins have made an impression. In fact, Collins has already moved ahead of multiple returning players like redshirt sophomore Daniel Carson and redshirt freshman Myron Warren.

— The biggest surprises may be at the Jack position. Behind starter Joseph Ossai, the junior who dominated in the Alamo Bowl, former tight end Reese Leitao is the backup, along with sophomore walk-on Jett Bush, leaving redshirt sophomore Byron Vaughns off the depth chart. Given that there wasn’t any spring practice, Leitao seems ahead of the curve in his transition to defense, while Bush made an impression last year by earning a spot on special teams as a true freshman who spurned offers from New Mexico State and a host of Ivy League programs.

— Junior DeMarvion Overshown handling his spin down to linebacker well enough to earn the starting role seems like a positive development for the Longhorns.

— No big surprises in the secondary based on reports emerging during camp and the change in scheme, although it does seem like there isn’t enough buzz around senior safety Chris Brown, who is playing well enough to relegate 14-game starter BJ Foster to a backup role as a junior. Brown might be the team’s toughest player pound-for-pound and has emerged as a key leader.

— On special teams, Texas recently brought in a walk-on kicker from Mexico in Erwin von Nacher and will otherwise rely heavily on junior cornerback D’Shawn Jamison to serve as the playmaker on return units. The presence of Robinson is also intriguing on kickoff return as another way to potentially get him the football.