Improving offensive line big part of recruiting effort
Fifth in a position-by-position series looking at the 2022 Texas Longhorns after spring workouts.
Today: Offensive line
Who’s back: Junior Angilau, senior; Hayden Conner, sophomore; Jaylen Garth, sophomore; Isaiah Hookfin, junior; Andrej Karic, sophomore; Christian Jones, senior; Jake Majors, sophomore; Max Merril, redshirt freshman; Logan Parr, redshirt freshman; Sawyer Goram-welch, sophomore.
Who’s gone: Rafiti Girmai (transfer), Tope Imade, Tyler Johnson (transfer), Derek Kerstetter, Denzel Okafor.
2022 signees: Malik Agbo, Kelvin Banks, Devon Campbell, Cole Hutson, Neto Umeozulu, Connor Robertson, Cameron Williams.
What to expect: On paper, the Texas offense was downright respectable in 2021. It averaged 35.2 points and 199 rushing yards per game, sported the nation’s fourth-most efficient red-zone offense and scored 54 touchdowns in 12 contests.
The numbers were authentic. Their impact was misleading.
UT feasted on delectable defensive cupcakes like Rice, Texas Tech and Kansas — that Jayhawks confection wasn’t as tasty in defeat — and went limp against the more hawkish defenses of Oklahoma State, Iowa State and West Virginia.
A considerable chunk of the Longhorns’ problem resided with the five king-sized humans who are supposed to shield the quarterback at all costs, detonate blitzes, plow open running paths and demoralize their trench foils.
UT’S offensive line wasn’t great last year. In spots, yes. But the line lacked violence and athleticism and, too often, will. That’s why coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive line coach Kyle Flood spent this past recruiting cycle pursuing blue-chip offensive lineman like a bunch of football-minded bloodhounds. They brandished some heavy artillery, too: the Horns With Heart name, image and likeness (NIL) collective offers $50,000 in “annual financing” to every Texas scholarship lineman.
When the dust finally settled in February, UT had collected signed letters of intent from four of the top 28 interior linemen and three of the top 32 tackles in the nation. That group includes the top interior lineman, Arlington Bowie’s Campbell, and No. 3 tackle, Humble Summer Creek’s Banks.
One of those freshmen, Frisco’s Hutson, enrolled early. While the others were doing the normal thing, finishing high school and renting prom tuxes, he was off starting the Orange-white spring game at right guard.
The other first-team linemen in that glorified practice: left tackle Conner, left guard Angilau, center Majors and right tackle Jones.
That five isn’t set in stone, not even close. Texas only had seven scholarship offensive linemen available throughout winter and spring, so the depth chart should shift drastically this summer with the injection of high-caliber talents like Campbell, Banks and Allen four-star recruit Umeozulu.
“How far can this offensive line go to play the brand of football that we want to play,” Sarkisian said. “And that brand of football is very simple: We have to be able to run the ball when the other team knows we’re going to run the ball if we can do that. Then everything else comes to comes to light.”
As for the returning starters, Sarkisian believes Jones is “stepping up” at right tackle after starting all 12 games on the left edge last season. Majors has made 14 straight starts at center and has a stronger handle on the position entering year three. Angilau made six starts apiece at left and right guard last season, and the versatile fifth-year vet should hold down one of those interior spots again in 2022.
Hutson and sophomore Conner are among the early risers. Neither is locked into a starting spot, but they’ll at least have an initial leg up on the star-studded batch of freshmen set to arrive on campus in a few weeks.
“I think Hayden Conner’s had a good spring,” Sarkisian said. “I think Cole Hutson’s had a really good spring for a guy who just showed up (and) should still be in high school. He’s a big, physical guy, a quick learner — been impressed with him.”
Texas put up solid offensive numbers last season, even with an average offensive line. If Flood can coach this group to good-bordering-on-great, with quarterback Quinn Ewers and obscenely talented skill players like Bijan Robinson, Xavier Worthy and Isaiah Neyor, the Longhorns’ offense might go nuclear in 2022.
But if the same woes persist, well, UT might not do a repeat of 5-7, but it’ll probably end up watching the Big 12 championship game from home — again.
Projected depth chart
Left tackle
1. Hayden Conner
2. Andrej Karic
Left guard
1. Junior Angilau
2. Sawyer Goram-welch
Center
1. Jake Majors
2. Logan Parr
Right guard
1. Cole Hutson
2. Max Merrill Right tackle
1. Christian Jones
2. Jaylen Garth