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WILL PLAY ON OFFENSE OR DEFENSE IN 2019
WR/ATH Jordan Whittington
WR Jake Smith
WR Bru McCoy
- These are players you are very likely to only have for three years, so why not plan on getting them going early and often? What a WR room Texas is developing. The Horns will likely find a million different creative ways to get the ball in the hands of all three of these guys.
LB De'Gabriel Floyd
DE Jacoby Jones
LB Caleb Johnson
- These three players on defense are easily the easiest to project as coming in to big roles. Floyd is an early enrollee and will likely have a whole spring playing the role of a starter on defense barring unforeseen struggles. Johnson is still up in the air about his health for the spring, but clearly fits the mold of an near-instant Gary Johnson replacement in theory. Jacoby Jones is expected to play immediately per a program source.
MIGHT PLAY ENOUGH IN 2019 TO BURN REDSHIRT (Special Teams Included)
S Tyler Owens
CB Kenyatta Watson
S Chris Adimora
- All three of these guys have crazy tape and are uber-athletic. While all of their primary positions look to be log-jammed currently (moreso for the safeties than Watson, who has two highly touted but unproven prospects above him at the corner positions and little else) this is the group I see as the type of tier where they still work their way onto the field somehow on special teams in nothing else -- sort of in the mold of Jalen Green circa 2018.
DE Peter Mpagi
- I was on the fence about where to slate Mpagi but after running it by some folks, it looks like he's up to 235 pounds and is shooting for 250 by the end of summer. Given the depth at the DE positions, Mpagi could be a candidate to get run as a developmental type in the mold of a young Charles Omenihu. Even if he doesn't fill out in the same way, you could certainly see him getting work in the mold of a Joseph Ossai.
LB David Gbenda
LB Marcus Tillman Jr.
- I stick these two guys in the same bucket because Texas clearly has needs at the linebacker positions following the losses of Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler, as well as Demarco Boyd seemingly being persona non grata around Moncrief at the moment until we hear otherwise. There will be opportunities at the LB spots, and before seeing all these guys together on a college football field, it's only fair to assume these guys should have a chance to push the two players who conventional wisdom would indicate have the inside track in DeGabriel Floyd who is an early enrollee and Caleb Johnson who comes in with JUCO experience and a profile somewhat similar to that of the aforementioned Johnson when he came to Texas.
UNLIKELY TO PLAY ENOUGH IN 2019 TO BURN REDSHIRT
First, let me say that I really like to wait to make lists like this until I see all players live on a college football field, but clearly I don't have that luxury from our current vantage point. There will almost certainly be a player in the list below that makes me look stupid some 10 months out from now when he's the breakout true freshman for the Longhorns, but such is the nature of the business. All we can do is analyze the situations, the depth chart and the tendencies of the coaching staff with player usage and combine those takeaways with the film evaluation to try and gauge what he have on our hands as we wrap up the 2019 recruiting cycle. You have to remember, some of these guys could still get relatively significant action in 2019, I'm just projecting (at this very early point) that it is likely to be under 4 games' worth.
TE Jared Wiley
TE Brayden Liebrock
- With the way the TE rotations go under Warehime, one player has gotten nearly 100% of snaps at the TE position with few substitutions. So, even if Cade Brewer doesn't get the 97% of snaps "Andrew Beck treatment" in 2019, we still have Reese Leitao who's been in the program for a season already capable of picking up the scraps as well as Max Cummins.
DL T'Vondre Sweat
- Conventional wisdom would say that Texas lacks depth along the defensive line, so why shouldn't Sweat at least project as a "maybe" to have a major impact in 2019? It's just really hard to see him overtaking guys like Graham, Ojomo, Chisolm, Coburn, Carson, etc.; not to mention Jacoby Jones.
QB Roschon Johnson
- What an interesting year we have ahead in 2019 if Johnson doesn't redshirt.
OT Javonne Shepherd
OT Tyler Johnson
OL Isaiah Hookfin
- Out of all three of these guys, Johnson has the best chance to move up in tiers as he's an early enrollee and you never know what might happen in the spring. With this said, Texas has a lot of really good developmental depth at the tackle positions and we've seen that the staff, when possible, likes to redshirt those types of guys. I think it would mean trouble if Texas found itself in position to start one of these players, not only because it would mean that injuries occurred to projected starters, but also because it means that depth players who have optimism surrounding their situations couldn't beat out a true freshman to get on the field.
WR Marcus Washington
WR Kennedy Lewis
- Same bucket for these two guys. It's really a numbers thing. Point me to a WR position that remotely needs either of them given the other additions in this class and 2018 studs like Joshua Moore and Al'Vonte Woodard also waiting for their own seats at the table.
CB Marques Caldwell
- From what I can tell, he doesn't bring the same physical attributes to the table as the other DBs in the class like Owens, Adimora and Watson who seem likely to get on the field for at least special teams due to their athleticism outrageous physical tools.
DE Myron Warren
- He brings a lot to the table from a tools standpoint, and the position is one that does need depth, but he comes from a 2A school in Louisiana and will likely need some time to acclimate. McComas quibbled with me over his slotting, so I wouldn't hate having him in the tier above, either.
* RB Derrian Brown
- Out of respect to the young man and his medical situation, I don't feel like it is prudent to speculate about how early he could contribute on a college football field, and would rather focus on wishing him well in his continued recovery.
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WILL PLAY ON OFFENSE OR DEFENSE IN 2019
WR/ATH Jordan Whittington
WR Jake Smith
WR Bru McCoy
- These are players you are very likely to only have for three years, so why not plan on getting them going early and often? What a WR room Texas is developing. The Horns will likely find a million different creative ways to get the ball in the hands of all three of these guys.
LB De'Gabriel Floyd
DE Jacoby Jones
LB Caleb Johnson
- These three players on defense are easily the easiest to project as coming in to big roles. Floyd is an early enrollee and will likely have a whole spring playing the role of a starter on defense barring unforeseen struggles. Johnson is still up in the air about his health for the spring, but clearly fits the mold of an near-instant Gary Johnson replacement in theory. Jacoby Jones is expected to play immediately per a program source.
MIGHT PLAY ENOUGH IN 2019 TO BURN REDSHIRT (Special Teams Included)
S Tyler Owens
CB Kenyatta Watson
S Chris Adimora
- All three of these guys have crazy tape and are uber-athletic. While all of their primary positions look to be log-jammed currently (moreso for the safeties than Watson, who has two highly touted but unproven prospects above him at the corner positions and little else) this is the group I see as the type of tier where they still work their way onto the field somehow on special teams in nothing else -- sort of in the mold of Jalen Green circa 2018.
DE Peter Mpagi
- I was on the fence about where to slate Mpagi but after running it by some folks, it looks like he's up to 235 pounds and is shooting for 250 by the end of summer. Given the depth at the DE positions, Mpagi could be a candidate to get run as a developmental type in the mold of a young Charles Omenihu. Even if he doesn't fill out in the same way, you could certainly see him getting work in the mold of a Joseph Ossai.
LB David Gbenda
LB Marcus Tillman Jr.
- I stick these two guys in the same bucket because Texas clearly has needs at the linebacker positions following the losses of Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler, as well as Demarco Boyd seemingly being persona non grata around Moncrief at the moment until we hear otherwise. There will be opportunities at the LB spots, and before seeing all these guys together on a college football field, it's only fair to assume these guys should have a chance to push the two players who conventional wisdom would indicate have the inside track in DeGabriel Floyd who is an early enrollee and Caleb Johnson who comes in with JUCO experience and a profile somewhat similar to that of the aforementioned Johnson when he came to Texas.
UNLIKELY TO PLAY ENOUGH IN 2019 TO BURN REDSHIRT
First, let me say that I really like to wait to make lists like this until I see all players live on a college football field, but clearly I don't have that luxury from our current vantage point. There will almost certainly be a player in the list below that makes me look stupid some 10 months out from now when he's the breakout true freshman for the Longhorns, but such is the nature of the business. All we can do is analyze the situations, the depth chart and the tendencies of the coaching staff with player usage and combine those takeaways with the film evaluation to try and gauge what he have on our hands as we wrap up the 2019 recruiting cycle. You have to remember, some of these guys could still get relatively significant action in 2019, I'm just projecting (at this very early point) that it is likely to be under 4 games' worth.
TE Jared Wiley
TE Brayden Liebrock
- With the way the TE rotations go under Warehime, one player has gotten nearly 100% of snaps at the TE position with few substitutions. So, even if Cade Brewer doesn't get the 97% of snaps "Andrew Beck treatment" in 2019, we still have Reese Leitao who's been in the program for a season already capable of picking up the scraps as well as Max Cummins.
DL T'Vondre Sweat
- Conventional wisdom would say that Texas lacks depth along the defensive line, so why shouldn't Sweat at least project as a "maybe" to have a major impact in 2019? It's just really hard to see him overtaking guys like Graham, Ojomo, Chisolm, Coburn, Carson, etc.; not to mention Jacoby Jones.
QB Roschon Johnson
- What an interesting year we have ahead in 2019 if Johnson doesn't redshirt.
OT Javonne Shepherd
OT Tyler Johnson
OL Isaiah Hookfin
- Out of all three of these guys, Johnson has the best chance to move up in tiers as he's an early enrollee and you never know what might happen in the spring. With this said, Texas has a lot of really good developmental depth at the tackle positions and we've seen that the staff, when possible, likes to redshirt those types of guys. I think it would mean trouble if Texas found itself in position to start one of these players, not only because it would mean that injuries occurred to projected starters, but also because it means that depth players who have optimism surrounding their situations couldn't beat out a true freshman to get on the field.
WR Marcus Washington
WR Kennedy Lewis
- Same bucket for these two guys. It's really a numbers thing. Point me to a WR position that remotely needs either of them given the other additions in this class and 2018 studs like Joshua Moore and Al'Vonte Woodard also waiting for their own seats at the table.
CB Marques Caldwell
- From what I can tell, he doesn't bring the same physical attributes to the table as the other DBs in the class like Owens, Adimora and Watson who seem likely to get on the field for at least special teams due to their athleticism outrageous physical tools.
DE Myron Warren
- He brings a lot to the table from a tools standpoint, and the position is one that does need depth, but he comes from a 2A school in Louisiana and will likely need some time to acclimate. McComas quibbled with me over his slotting, so I wouldn't hate having him in the tier above, either.
* RB Derrian Brown
- Out of respect to the young man and his medical situation, I don't feel like it is prudent to speculate about how early he could contribute on a college football field, and would rather focus on wishing him well in his continued recovery.
