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Texas safety Earl Thomas leaving early for NFL

Posted January 9th, 2010 by Brian
Filed under: Feature, Football

Earl Thomas had a Texas record 8 interceptions this season. (Image: Getty)

Redshirt sophomore safety [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] won’t be back in 2010 for the Texas Longhorns. The Thorpe Award finalist out of West Orange-Stark has announced he is leaving school early for the NFL. The news is not unexpected but didn’t think we’d get confirmation so soon.

Earl is projected to be drafted in the middle of the 1st round so this is a good decision for him and for his family. You go to college to prepare yourself for your future career and Thomas has done that (and then some) in his three years at Texas. Athletically he seems ready to play in the league and his biggest negative is his size which wouldn’t improve with more time on campus.

Thomas’ departure leaves the Horns a little thin on experience in the secondary for 2010. At safety, starter [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] is returning as is the promising [tag]Christian Scott[/tag] but neither has man coverage skills Thomas does. Someone else from the group of guys including [tag]Kenny Vaccaro[/tag] and [tag]Nolan Brewster[/tag] will also need to step up.

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Tags: Depth Chart, Earl Thomas, NFL, Safety

Depth chart thoughts: Defense

Posted August 30th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Depth Chart, Football

3 comments

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.

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