It’s difficult to believe, but Texas football players and head coach Steve Sarkisian will report for preseason camp in a few weeks. There are a few weeks remaining in Texas’ summer strength and conditioning program for athletes to get ready for autumn camp.
Which underappreciated Texas football players have the potential to be SEC starters in 2024?
SEC For the first time since the Longhorns formally exited the Big 12 earlier this month, Media Days are also quickly approaching. Training camp is quickly approaching, and media days are frequently seen as a sign of impending college football season.
Texas is eager to make a good impression in its first SEC season in 2024. The excitement surrounding the Longhorns’ SEC debut this autumn has been spurred by key returning starters like sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., junior offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., and third-year starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, among others.
However, there’s more reason to believe in the Longhorns’ 2024 hype because of the depth and unadulterated skill on the two-deep depth chart. Texas have the depth necessary to compete with the top teams in the SEC this season at most positions, particularly on the offensive end of the ball.
The players who don’t receive as much attention from the media but perform well on gameday are a major factor in Texas’ ability to compete with the greatest college football teams this season.
Prior to the 2024 season, these three Longhorns players are the most underappreciated and misunderstood.
This offseason, Gavin Holmes, CB Texas, strengthened the cornerback position with a combination of youthful, growing skill and experience from the transfer portal. One of the best spring transfers in the SEC on the defensive end of the ball, Jay’Vion Cole, a junior cornerback from the San Jose State Spartans, was acquired by the Longhorns.
In addition, Terry Joseph and his staff have a wealth of young talent in the cornerback room, which will guarantee that this position group is well supplied in terms of depth for a very long time in the SEC.
This autumn, Cole is anticipated to compete with Wake Forest graduate and fellow former cornerback Gavin Holmes for the starting position at field corner opposite sophomore Malik Muhammad. Holmes is a reliable cornerback who showed growth in the offseason following a respectable rookie campaign in 2023.
During the beginning of the previous season, Holmes’ man coverage skills have improved the most. In man coverage in the spring game and late in the previous campaign, he demonstrated improved technique and recuperation.
Holmes has a strong chance of starting at field corner for Texas in Week 1 against Colorado State if he keeps developing at the pace he has since late autumn and into spring training.
JAILBAU, DB: During spring camp, junior defensive back JAILBAU outmuscled senior Jahdae Barron for starting reps at the star position. Guilbeau’s return, having at last made it through a spring camp completely healthy, surprised the Longhorns’ nickel secondary.
Guilbeau battled a variety of lower and upper-body injuries for the most of his first two seasons with the Forty Acres, which limited his time on the field during live games and practice sessions. Guilbeau, though, is one of Texas’s most talented and adaptable two-deep defensive backs when healthy.
Guilbeau is a strong player who can play nickel and cornerback, just like Barron. During the spring and in 7-on-7 drills this summer, he demonstrated to the coaching staff and his teammates that he is back up to speed and prepared to make plays for the secondary.
Barron was cross-training at field corner for the defensive staff, which contributed to Guilbeau getting more first-team nickel reps during spring ball. They both need to be healthy and at the top of their game this fall since Barron and maybe even Guilbeau might play snaps at corner and be featured in live games this upcoming season.
Guilbeau may find himself mentioned in the NFL Draft conversation for the following two years if he performs well as the Longhorns’ probable starting secondary option this season.
Receiver DeAndre Moore Jr.
Since the beginning of spring ball, we have discussed a lot this offseason about how Texas’s wide receiver room is arguably the deepest position on the offense. Texas’s receiving corps might be the best in the SEC in 2024 thanks to the tremendous quality and instant impact starters Chris Jackson and Sarkisian received via the transfer portal during the winter window, as well as the young, talented wideouts who are currently on campus.
However, this group still has a lot of work to do before chemistry and camaraderie with Ewers can be established as preseason camp approaches. This coming season, Texas’ top five or six wideouts will compete to be in the starting lineup for the in-game rotation.
The receiving corps needs new leaders to step up this fall, as the Longhorns are replacing all three of their starters. Senior Silas Bolden and junior DeAndre Moore Jr. are two names to keep an eye on as they prepare for training camp as possible rising stars in the receiving corps.
The only wideouts from the Longhorns’ roster who are back are sophomore wideout Johntay Cook II and Moore. Both players are expected to see a lot of playing time in the SEC this coming season. Out of the slot for this fall camp, Moore is vying for a starting position in the receiving corps.
Entering the autumn, Bolden, Cook, and Matthew Golden are also difficult to get reps out of the slot in Sarkisian’s wide receiver rotation. However, Moore has demonstrated that he can carry the weight as a playmaker in small windows after the catch, a willing blocker, and a vertical threat.
Without a doubt, this year presents Moore with his best chance to lock down the starting slot receiver position before another gifted wideout claims it for the upcoming season.
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