Star LB leaves
UT junior Joseph Ossai heads to NFL.
AUSTIN — For about three hours on New Year’s Eve 2019, Joseph Ossai looked like the second coming of DeMarcus Ware.
Channeling the former Dallas Cowboys star, Ossai dominated as an omnipresent wrecking ball in Texas’ 38-10 shellacking of No. 11 Utah at the Valero Alamo Bowl. The decision by interim defensive coordinator Craig Naivar to have Ossai operate as a hybrid linebacker/edge rusher resulted in the then-sophomore’s claiming Valero Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP honors after registering nine tackles, six tackles for loss, and three sacks.
Nearly a year later, the seeds Ossai planted that night in San Antonio have sprouted in life- and program-altering ways. The Conroe Oak Ridge graduate’s stock skyrocketed so much that the junior linebacker felt it best to leave behind college football and declare for the forthcoming NFL draft as an early entrant, opting out of the Longhorns’ bowl game.
“Now that our regular season has ended, I have made the tough decision to go ahead and begin to prepare for the 2021 NFL draft,” Ossai said Monday in a statement.
“As a kid, I dreamt of playing at Texas and going on to play in the NFL. I feel the time is now right, and even though it is bittersweet, I am excited to face this new challenge.”
A team captain in 2020, Ossai logged 165 tackles, 30½ tackles for loss, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles, three pass breakups and two interceptions during his three-year career at Texas. This season, he leads the Big 12 with 16 tackles for loss and leads Texas with five sacks and three forced fumbles, in addition to 55 total tackles.
Ossai’s statement game came in Stillwater, Okla., on Halloween. He feasted against undefeated No. 6 Oklahoma State, amassing 12 total tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
And when Texas needed a game-winning stop, it was Ossai who came to the rescue in overtime. He chased Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders on the final play of the game, slamming through the barricade of blockers to trip the fleeing quarterback for sack No. 3.
“Joseph Ossai, he plays so hard,” Texas coach Tom Herman said Oct. 12. “I don’t know what kind of justice the TV copy that most of America sees gives Joseph and his effort level. But I know that the coach’s copy of the video that we watch is phenomenal. Phenomenal. Not good, not great — phenomenal.
“Joseph Ossai plays his ever-livin’ you-know-what off for this university and this program. He is a guy that I know the entire defense really, really looks to and feeds off of because of his effort level, tenacity, physicality and his being in the right place at the right time.”
Ossai could sneak into the first round of next year’s draft. Pass rushers of his caliber have grown more valuable than ever amid the offensive explosion at the pro level.
The 6-4, 253-pound junior has appeared as a first-round selection in several recent mock drafts, including one released in early November by NFL draft scout Matt Miller.
“He’s earned this,” Miller tweeted Monday. “Big 12’s best defensive player this year. Outside of (Iowa State running back) Breece Hall he’s been the Big 12’s best overall player.”
Ossai and redshirt junior left tackle Sam Cosmi — another 2021 NFL draft entrant — are the two biggest success stories of the Herman Era at Texas.
Though Ossai was a four-star linebacker at Oak Ridge, he exceeded expectations by transforming into a legitimate earlyround pick after three seasons, including one spent learning an unfamiliar position.
Losing Ossai is a considerable blow for Texas and Herman, who knows he needs to deliver in 2021 to remain on the Forty Acres. But with so much uncertainty and tension still clouding the program, there was no reason for Ossai to remain and risk severe injury without the comfort of a contract and a paycheck.
“2020 has been a trying year for everyone,” Ossai said. “As a team, we have endured many challenges both on and off the field, but I couldn’t be prouder to be a Texas Longhorn. Growing up in Texas, football is everything, and there is no bigger stage to play the game I love than here in Austin. I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to wear the Burnt Orange for the last three years now and wouldn’t trade that time for anything in the world.
“I may have worn the Burnt Orange on the football field for the last time, but I will always bleed orange. Hook ’em!”