5 young Horns poised to break out
AUSTIN — No one asking questions at Monday’s press conference inside Royal-memorial Stadium seemed interested in Friday’s season finale against Kansas State.
A few reporters sprinkled in queries about the starting quarterback situation, relevant injury updates and how Texas will handle the Wildcats’ scatback, Deuce Vaughn. But most of the questions coach Steve Sarkisian handled pertained to the future.
Everyone inside the athletic department is eager to move past this season. The future is unwritten, so it feels safer there, starrier and more optimistic.
Even sitting 4-7 overall, with a chance to finish last in the Big 12 for the first time, Texas believes success is lurking just beyond the horizon. But if the Longhorns are ever going to make headway toward that far-off destination, they’ll need some underclassmen to evolve into starting-caliber player in the offseason.
A look at five first- and second-year Longhorns who could elevate themselves in 2022:
CB Jahdae Barron, soph.
A former four-star cornerback out of Pflugerville Connally, Barron has seen his playing time increase the last few weeks after senior starter Josh Thompson suffered a season-ending fibula fracture.
The defense has still been a mess, getting torched for a combined 503 passing yards and six receiving touchdowns in losses to Kansas and West Virginia. But Barron has looked like a capable cover man at times and he’s actually tied for the team lead with three pass breakups despite playing a reserve role for most of the season.
Barron could make his second straight start against Kansas State in what could be an early audition for this role next year.
DT Vernon Broughton, Rs-fr. In April, senior nose tackle Keondre Coburn said Broughton was “probably the best pass rusher we’ve got on the defensive line.”
In August, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski sounded optimistic about Broughton’s growth, saying he’s “coming on.”
But the 6-foot-4, 306-pound Broughton hasn’t been too visible this season. He has appeared as a reserve in all 11 games, recording five total tackles and half a sack.
Coburn is set to graduate and enter the NFL draft, as are senior edge defenders Ray Thornton and Ben Davis. Broughton, a four-star graduate from Houston Cypress Ridge, possesses the size and athleticism to play on the outside or inside, though he’s probably better suited for the interior. And with some attrition coming, he’ll have a chance to compete for a starting role.
Another name to watch in the trenches: freshman Byron Murphy II, who has 15 tackles, 3½ for loss and two sacks in 11 games.
LB Jaylan Ford, soph.
Ford has recorded at least five tackles and one tackle for loss in three of his past five games.
That stretch began with a career-best performance in a 32-24 loss to Oklahoma State, when he racked up a game-high 12 tackles after starting weakside linebacker Demarvion Overshown exited with an injury in the first quarter.
Like the rest of this team, Ford has mixed in glimpses of greatness with bouts of inconsistency. But the former Frisco Lone Star three-star recruit amassed 247 tackles over his final two high school seasons, and he has shown a knack for tracking the ball — he just needs to finish better and improve his angling.
“I think Jaylen has really, really played a lot better in in not just in game but in practice,” Sarkisian said Oct. 28. “I mean, that’s where you earn your opportunities.”
TE Ja’tavion Sanders, fr.
Denton Ryan’s Sanders was the No. 1 athlete and No. 13 recruit in the 2022 signing class, per the 247Sports composite rankings. Capable of playing as a defensive lineman or tight end, Texas opted to train him on offense this season.
Sanders has not recorded a target in 10 games while playing a limited role behind senior Cade Brewer and junior Jared Wiley. He has also been competing with two other freshmen tight ends, Gunnar Helm and Juan Davis.
But Sanders carries astronomical potential as a playmaking tight end. He pulled in 63 receptions for 1,161 yards and 16 touchdowns during his final season in high school, a campaign that featured some ridiculous highlights from the 6-4, 256-pound matchup nightmare.
If Sanders improves as a blocker, he could become a vital piece of Sarkisian’s offense in 2022.
OL Hayden Conner, fr.
Texas has a truckload of problems, but offensive line might be the most glaring.
Despite some solid seasonlong offensive numbers, that unit has been unsteady all year. Reforming the line, which will graduate starters Derek Kerstetter, Tope Imade and Denzel Okafor, will be the biggest offseason priority.
Enter Conner, a 6-5, 332pound freshman tackle who has appeared in six games. The physics major should compete for a starting role this offseason.
Redshirt freshman Logan Parr should also be in the mix.