Position Rating: B+
Starter: Brian Orakpo, Henry Melton
Reserves: Eddie Jones, Sam Acho, Russell Carter, Aaron Lewis
Even after moving two of the position’s best players inside to defensive tackle, defensive end is still one of the team’s greatest strengths heading into the season. There’s a possible dominant pass rusher in [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] and on the other side there’s an interesting battle brewing for the power end. The talent and depth at the position may be the strongest of any position on the team.
Orakpo has all the tools to be a disruptive force off the edge. He had a solid 9 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks despite only appearing in nine games and not being 100% last season due to a knee injury in the season opener. After an impressive Holiday Bowl performance (4.5 tackles behind the line and 2 sacks) Texas fans are hoping for the same thing for an entire healthy season.
At the power end former running back [tag]Henry Melton[/tag] is currently expected to be the starter but is being pushed by young and extremely talented players behind him. At 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds, if he can play hard every down Melton could play himself into a lot of NFL money this season. If he stumbles there’s a lot of talent ready to step up behind him.
Sophomore [tag]Eddie Jones[/tag] is a former five-star recruit and will split time with Melton to start the year. Jones is the future at the position and I expect him to get a larger and larger share of the snaps as the season progresses regardless of how well Melton performs. Behind Orakpo is exciting sophomore [tag]Sam Acho[/tag]. He didn’t play a ton last year but he showed incredible flashes of ability and a knack at getting after the quarterback during his true freshman season.
Overall defensive end should be a position well stocked with talent for the next several years. This season there’s talent and depth and if guys fulfill their promise it will make a huge difference to the entire defense. If the line can put pressure on the quarterback everyone else’s job gets a lot easier.
Update: Official depth chart for FAU is out and [tag]Aaron Lewis[/tag] is listed as a co-starter with Melton so I’ve added him to the list of reserves.
Related Links
Update: Download named rosters for NCAA Football 10. (7/23/2009)
NCAA Football 09 is less than a month away, the demo is up on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, and player ratings are starting to make their way on to the Internet. EA Sports released the team top 25 and player ratings for all those teams.
I went through the list and put the players’ real names in where possible. I had trouble with a lot of the true freshmen in the game so if you know who any of the blank names are or if I made any mistakes please let me know in the comments. It really looks like EA did a poor job this year on the roster and depth chart. Hopefully it’s a little more accurate when the game is released.
You can download Excel files of the player ratings at the bottom of this post or check out the overall ratings for the Texas team below:
| Real Name | Name | Year | Position | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [tag]Buck Burnette[/tag] | C #66 | Soph(RS) | C | 78 |
| C #60 | Fresh | C | 72 | |
| [tag]Deon Beasley[/tag] | CB #7 | Junior | CB | 85 |
| [tag]Ryan Palmer[/tag] | CB #13 | Senior(RS) | CB | 84 |
| [tag]Curtis Brown[/tag] | CB #3 | Soph | CB | 83 |
| [tag]Aaron Williams[/tag] | CB #26 | Fresh | CB | 80 |
| [tag]Chykie Brown[/tag] | CB #8 | Soph(RS) | CB | 80 |
| [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] | CB #12 | Fresh(RS) | CB | 78 |
| [tag]DJ Monroe[/tag] | CB #27 | Fresh | CB | 76 |
| [tag]Roy Miller[/tag] | DT #99 | Senior | DT | 90 |
| [tag]Jarvis Humphrey[/tag] | DT #96 | Fresh | DT | 80 |
| [tag]Brian Ellis[/tag] | DT #90 | Soph(RS) | DT | 78 |
| [tag]Ben Alexander[/tag] | DT #92 | Junior | DT | 76 |
| [tag]Kheeston Randall[/tag] | DT #88 | Fresh | DT | 76 |
| [tag]Chris Ogbonnayya[/tag] | FB #3 | Senior(RS) | FB | 93 |
| [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag] | FB #31 | Fresh(RS) | FB | 72 |
| [tag]Ben Wells[/tag] | FS #5 | Fresh(RS) | FS | 84 |
| [tag]Christian Scott[/tag] | FS #6 | Fresh(RS) | FS | 77 |
| [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] | FS #21 | Fresh | FS | 77 |
| [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] | HB #2 | Soph(RS) | HB | 85 |
| [tag]DeSean Hales[/tag] | HB #30 | Fresh | HB | 80 |
| [tag]Antwan Cobb[/tag] | HB #24 | Soph(RS) | HB | 79 |
| [tag]Fozzy Whittaker[/tag] | HB #22 | Fresh(RS) | HB | 78 |
| [tag]Jeremy Hills[/tag] | HB #32 | Fresh | HB | 76 |
| [tag]Tre Newton[/tag] | HB #23 | Fresh | HB | 73 |
| [tag]Hunter Lawrence[/tag] | K #15 | Junior | K | 82 |
| [tag]Justin Tucker[/tag] | K #9 | Fresh | K | 69 |
| [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag] | LE #33 | Junior | LE | 91 |
| [tag]Aaron Lewis[/tag] | LE #95 | Senior | LE | 85 |
| [tag]Henry Melton[/tag] | LE #37 | Senior | LE | 80 |
| [tag]Charlie Tanner[/tag] | LG #52 | Junior(RS) | LG | 86 |
| [tag]Tray Allen[/tag] | LG #70 | Soph | LG | 82 |
| [tag]Chris Hall[/tag] | LG #71 | Junior(RS) | LG | 81 |
| [tag]Aundre McGaskey[/tag] | LG #76 | Fresh(RS) | LG | 74 |
| [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] | LOLB #2 | Junior | LOLB | 85 |
| LOLB #16 | Fresh | LOLB | 80 | |
| LOLB #57 | Fresh | LOLB | 76 | |
| [tag]David Snow[/tag] | LT #78 | Fresh | LT | 78 |
| [tag]Britt Mitchell[/tag] | LT #72 | Soph(RS) | LT | 78 |
| [tag]Rashad Bobino[/tag] | MLB #44 | Senior(RS) | MLB | 90 |
| [tag]Jared Norton[/tag] | MLB #11 | Junior | MLB | 85 |
| [tag]Trevor Gerland[/tag] | P #17 | Junior(RS) | P | 83 |
| [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] | QB #12 | Junior(RS) | QB | 89 |
| [tag]Sherrod Harris[/tag] | QB #17 | Soph(RS) | QB | 81 |
| [tag]John Chiles[/tag] | QB #7 | Soph | QB | 79 |
| [tag]Eddie Jones[/tag] | RE #32 | Soph(RS) | RE | 92 |
| [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] | RE #98 | Senior(RS) | RE | 90 |
| [tag]Russell Carter[/tag] | RE #97 | Fresh(RS) | RE | 77 |
| [tag]Cedric Dockery[/tag] | RG #55 | Senior(RS) | RG | 89 |
| [tag]Michael Huey[/tag] | RG #63 | Soph | RG | 81 |
| [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] | ROLB #38 | Junior(RS) | ROLB | 87 |
| [tag]Keenan Robinson[/tag] | ROLB #53 | Fresh(RS) | ROLB | 82 |
| ROLB #4 | Fresh | ROLB | 75 | |
| [tag]Adam Ulatoski[/tag] | RT #74 | Junior(RS) | RT | 85 |
| [tag]Mark Buchanan[/tag] | RT #54 | Fresh | RT | 74 |
| [tag]Ishie Oduegwu[/tag] | SS #19 | Junior(RS) | SS | 88 |
| [tag]Nolan Brewster[/tag] | SS #36 | Fresh | SS | 79 |
| [tag]Peter Ullman[/tag] | TE #86 | Senior(RS) | TE | 81 |
| [tag]Ahmard Howard[/tag] | TE #13 | Fresh(RS) | TE | 74 |
| [tag]Blaine Irby[/tag] | TE #19 | Soph | TE | 73 |
| [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] | WR #6 | Senior | WR | 89 |
| [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] | WR #8 | Senior(RS) | WR | 84 |
| [tag]Montre Webber[/tag] | WR #14 | Soph(RS) | WR | 83 |
| [tag]Dan Buckner[/tag] | WR #4 | Fresh | WR | 79 |
| [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag] | WR #9 | Fresh(RS) | WR | 78 |
| [tag]DJ Grant[/tag] | WR #80 | Fresh | WR | 75 |
| [tag]Antoine Hicks[/tag] | WR #81 | Fresh | WR | 75 |
| [tag]James Kirkendoll[/tag] | WR #87 | Soph | WR | 74 |
Downloads
The Texas Longhorns held their annual football banquet Friday night (photos) where they honored team members for their accomplishments on and off the field. Though fans and recruits do attend, the event is definitely a night for the players to look back on the season and to honor the careers of the outgoing seniors.
Quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and running back [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] were deservedly named the team MVPs. McCoy didn’t have as good of a season as he did his freshman year but he definitely is the player that made this team go (when it went anywhere). Charles was also named Darrell K. Royal Most Valuable Offensive Player while the Mike Campbell Most Valuable Defensive Players were [tag]Brandon Foster[/tag] and [tag]Marcus Griffin[/tag].
In a team vote [tag]Dallas Griffin[/tag], [tag]Tony Hills[/tag], and [tag]Derek Lokey[/tag] were honored with the D. Harold Byrd Leadership Award. Also, in a shocking development quarterback McCoy was given the Outstanding Quarterback Award.
In a move that infuriated Internet Coaching and Motivational Experts [tag]Rashad Bobino[/tag], [tag]Scott Derry[/tag], and [tag]Robert Killebrew[/tag] shared the honor of being the team’s Outstanding Linebackers. I’m not sure what else you can really do though as no linebacker really deserved the honor and it would be pretty embarrassing to not hand out an award for the position.
A list of all the award winners is after the jump.
Today’s matchup for the Longhorns against [tag]Iowa State[/tag] should be a rout, but there’s been lots of games like that this season and Texas only took care of business against Rice. The Horns need to continue the solid play from last week against Oklahoma and if they can they should be able to come home with a comfortable win.
Follow with me and my random thoughts during the game below:
First Quarter
- I wonder when FSN Southwest will be in high definition on DirecTV? It looks like the game is being shot in HD and if I had FSNMW I could be watching it in HD. Oh well.
- Ryan Bailey kicking off, is Hunter Lawrence hurt?
- Same starting lineup on defense that we’ve seen all year.
- Texas is only 7th in the Big 12 in punt returns? [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] is solid back there so I don’t really blame him for that number. With Limas Sweed out for the year it might be time to protect Cosby and put one of the young WR/DB’s back there.
- Long bomb from [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] to [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] on Texas’ first offensive play. McCoy does nice job buying time in a collapsing pocket and finds Shipley wide open. 58-yard touchdown for the Horns.
Texas 7, Iowa State 0
- FSN’s wonderful coverage continues. They take a TV timeout and miss both the kickoff and the first ISU play after it. Sad.
- FSN announcers are apparently using an OU roster instead of Texas.
- On third down play it looks like defensive line slants to the field and [tag]Robert Killebrew[/tag] lets the ISU runner get wide for the first down. Might have been Lamarr Houston’s fault. Terrible defensive fundamentals.
- I was just going to complain about the lack of pressure from the Texas defense then [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag] comes untouched off the end for the sack.
- Face raped? Yikes. Not sure you should say that on TV. That was a definite face mask but the reason the helmet comes off is that it’s not fitted correctly. Your helmet should never come off that easy. He said face rape again.
- Is our defense really this poorly coached? We’ve got guys flying inside to avoid blockers on every play. If you’re a defensive end and have a linebacker blitzing to your inside you can’t try to get in the same gap. Ugh.
- [tag]Derek Lokey[/tag] playing defensive end on that play. He got whipped man on man and gave up a big run.
- Texas holds on third down and forces a field goal. Field goal is wide right. Break for Texas as Iowa State had put together a very solid drive.
- Mental mistake by wide receiver covered up Jermichael Finley. FSN announcers are morons.
- Looks like [tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag] is seeing increased playing time already over Jamaal Charles. If we’re going with the wide open offense that’s a good idea since he’s a better blocker and pass catcher than Charles.
- Looks like McCoy is growing a sweet mustache. Couple more weeks and that might be thick enough to show up on camera.
- Ogbonnaya and [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] get the two Texas redzone rushing attempts. Hope Charles can keep his head up, figure out the issue, and earn these attempts back.
- Not sure that was a well advised throw by McCoy but man did Cosby get up and get that one. No good camera angle but I think that might have come out a little when he hit the ground. Another good scramble to buy time and find a receiver by Colt.
Texas 14, Iowa State 0
- Hunter Lawrence kicking off on this one. Wonder why it wasn’t him in there on the first one?
- Young linebackers in there for this series.
Posted August 30th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Depth Chart, Football
With the first official depth chart released for the [tag]Arkansas State[/tag] we can officially do our first second guessing of the 2007 season. Let’s complain examine the defensive side of the ball first:
| Position | Player | Player | Player | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE (Quick) | Brian Orakpo |
|
|
Eddie Jones | ||
| I think everyone is expecting a big sack total from [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] this season, I’m thinking he could be our breakout defender. I’m excited to see [tag]Eddie Jones[/tag] play, kid is a future star. | |||||
| Nose Tackle | Derek Lokey |
or
|
Roy Miller |
|
|
Ben Alexander |
| If [tag]Derek Lokey[/tag] doesn’t get hurt, Texas wins the Big 12 and ends up in the Fiesta Bowl last year. A healthy Lokey helps the entire defense. | |||||
| Tackle | Frank Okam |
or
|
Roy Miller |
|
|
Thomas Marshall |
| There were all-world expectations for [tag]Frank Okam[/tag] when he arrived in Austin and he’s yet to perform at that level. He’s still got a chance to be a high draft pick if he can be healthy and active this year. | |||||
| DE (Power) | Aaron Lewis |
|
|
Lamarr Houston | ||
| Maybe the weakest spot on the defensive line but a couple of guys that impressed in limited time last season. [tag]Aaron Lewis[/tag] and [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag] are both about a biscuit short of becoming defensive tackles. | |||||
| Strongside LB | Robert Killebrew |
|
|
Dustin Earnest | ||
| Any chance [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] comes in and takes this position over after his suspension? [tag]Robert Killebrew[/tag] needs to make more plays. | |||||
| Middle LB | Rashad Bobino |
|
|
Jared Norton | ||
| [tag]Rashad Bobino[/tag] is consistent but has trouble getting off blocks, [tag]Jared Norton[/tag] will knock your teeth out but is inexperienced. We’ve got to find the right mix of heady guys and playmakers at linebacker. | |||||
| Weakside LB | Scott Derry |
or
|
Roddrick Muckelroy |
|
|
Keenan Robinson |
| [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] was our best linebacker before he tore up his finger against Rice and this season he’s listed as a co-starter. I think Muck ends up being on the field as much as any of the other guys. | |||||
| Right CB | Ryan Palmer |
|
|
Deon Beasley |
or
|
Chykie Brown |
| Uh oh. Now we’re into the area where fans are making a little noise. [tag]Ryan Palmer[/tag] has the makings of a solid player but he hasn’t performed well when he had opportunities. [tag]Deon Beasley[/tag] has a chance to take the starter’s job if he wants it. | |||||
| Free Safety | Marcus Griffin |
or
|
Drew Kelson |
|
|
Tyrell Gatewood |
| Everyone knew [tag]Marcus Griffin[/tag] was the starter but I was surprised to see [tag]Drew Kelson[/tag] the number two guy here and not at strong safety. Maybe Kelson plays in likely running situations. | |||||
| Strong Safety | Erick Jackson |
or
|
Ishie Oduegwu | ||
| Glad to see [tag]Erick Jackson[/tag] earn himself a chance. Kid has some bad luck but he was has all the measureables and was highly rated coming out of high school. And [tag]Ishie Oduegwu[/tag] is named Ishie, you’ve got to root for him just for that. | |||||
| Left CB | Brandon Foster |
|
|
Curtis Brown |
or
|
Earl Thomas |
| Even more worrisome than the other corner spot. [tag]Brandon Foster[/tag] is about the same as Palmer but an inch and a half shorter. He’s got two true freshmen behind him so it looks like a experience versus potential battle. | |||||
It’s just Arky State so I’m not going to get to worked up over anything on this depth chart. It’s the first game of the year so I think guys who have been here longer are going to have the edge over the young guys who have only been on campus a month. It’ll be interesting to see if the freshmen and sophomores battling for spots can show enough against ASU to see increased time against TCU.
Posted February 1st, 2006 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Recruiting
I’ll update this post from time to time today with any news on National Signing Day including who has sent in their letter of intent and any other rumors going around. Most of the guys should be signed by around noon and then we’ll just be waiting around for Jonas Mouton’s decision this evening.
Morgan shocks Aggies and Seminoles
4-star linebacker Michael Morgan was expected to choose between Florida State and Texas A&M last night and surprised everyone when he announced he’d be headed to USC next fall. While the Trojans were in his final three, most experts believed he was headed to FSU or possibly to the Aggies if he decided he wanted to stay closer to home.
The announcement sent the Aggie fans into meltdown mode. He was a critical recruit and one they had been very confident about landing for a while. The Aggies had a down year on the field this season and it’s been reflected in their lack of success in recruiting, Morgan would have been a very nice addition to an otherwise average class.
Latest on Mouton
Seems like most experts are predicting Jonas Mouton will pick Michigan tonight when he announces his decision on Fox Sports West. There’s still people predicting Texas or USC and Mouton has kept things pretty close to the vest, so these are all just guesses and gut feelings. I think in the end Texas just got in too late to have a chance to completely win him over.
Signed letters of intent as of 9 a.m.
According to Geoff Ketchum over at Orangebloods.com, 19 players have already signed their letter of intent to play for the Horns as of about 9 a.m. The following players have been confirmed by the Orangebloods staff:
- [tag]Ben Alexander[/tag]
- [tag]Chykie Brown[/tag]
- [tag]Buck Burnette[/tag]
- [tag]Antwan Cobb[/tag]
- [tag]Dustin Earnest[/tag]
- [tag]Brian Ellis[/tag]
- [tag]Sherrod Harris[/tag]
- [tag]Robert Joseph[/tag]
- [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag]
- [tag]Hunter Lawrence[/tag]
- [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag]
- [tag]Steven Moore[/tag]
- [tag]Jared Norton[/tag]
- [tag]Phillip Payne[/tag]
- [tag]Jevan Snead[/tag]
- [tag]Greg Smith[/tag]
- [tag]Roy Watts[/tag]
- [tag]JMarcus Webb[/tag]
- [tag]Montre Webber[/tag]
Steve Moore was the first one in this morning at around 7:30 and there’s been a steady flow since. I’m glad to see Ben Alexander‘s name already on the list as I had a slightly bad feeling about him. He’s out of state and several schools from the ACC and SEC have still been recruiting him since he committed back in June.
All letters of intent are in (11 a.m.)
The last six of the 25 man class are signed and Orangebloods has confirmation on them. Add the following names to the Class of 2006:
- [tag]Deon Beasley[/tag]
- [tag]James Henry[/tag]
- [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag]
- [tag]Eddie Jones[/tag]
- [tag]Josh Marshall[/tag]
- [tag]Britt Mitchell[/tag]
Now just waiting on Mouton…
Mouton to Michigan (4 p.m.)
His press conference isn’t for several more hours but it appears Jonas Mouton has already made his decision. Lloyd Carr’s official press release on the Wolverines’ signees confirms that Mouton has signed his letter of intent and makes tonight’s press conference just a formality.
That wraps up things for the Longhorns today as everybody we knew about is already in and no one new is really left out there. We’ll have an overview of the entire class soon as well as a position-by-position breakdown of next year including the new guys in the coming days/weeks.
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