Texas NT Keondre Coburn announces return for 2022 season

Texas Longhorns rising senior nose tackle Keondre Coburn is returning for the 2022 season, he announced on Monday via Twitter.

The 6’2, 346-pounder was initially listed by the school as a participant on Senior Day against Kansas State, but Coburn eventually decided against receiving recognition with the seniors, presaging his Monday announcement.

A consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 123 player and the No. 11 defensive tackle in the 2018 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite, Coburn committed to Texas in August 2017. Alabama and Miami continued their pursuit of Coburn late into the cycle, but the Houston Westfield product ultimately decided to stick with his pledge and signed with Texas.

Coburn appeared in three games as a freshman in 2018 to maintain his redshirt status and then emerged as a starter in 2019 with 26 tackles, including 18 solo stops, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble. In 2020, Coburn racked up 25 tackles (13 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups, and one quarterback hurry. Under new defensive line coach Bo Davis, Coburn’s production fell off this season with 15 tackles (nine solo), two tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hurry.

As Coburn prepares for what is likely his last season on the Forty Acres, reaching his 2021 offseason goal of dropping weight could help him maximize his quickness and improve his conditioning to ensure his effort level doesn’t drop on long drives — he was extremely disruptive at times this season, but struggled to maintain his intensity during games.