Position changes, new coaches will be key to Texas football spring workouts

By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — There are changes aplenty surrounding the Texas football team in the run-up to its 2020 spring drills, with new coaches on board, new players already on campus, returning players moving to new positions and the construction on the new South End Zone complex at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in high gear.

Given the flurry of changes, it would be understandable to think that there is a sense of urgency around the Longhorns, even after an 8-5 season, a top-25 finish and a Valero Alamo Bowl victory over Utah in their respective hip pockets.

Texas coach Tom Herman [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]met with the media Tuesday for the first time since that win over the Utes and spent 37 minutes giving a general update on his players, his new coaches and the program’s push forward.

“(I am) excited about the building that’s going on in our program, figuratively and specifically, with the South End Zone complex coming together,” Herman said. “It feels like every day I look out there, it’s more and more that’s been done to it, and it’s certainly exciting. Then you know what we’re building in the offseason with our players too.”

Herman gave a final wrap-up of the 2020 recruiting class that finished on a high note Feb. 5.

“This is our third straight top-10 class,” Herman said. “Eighteen of our 19 signees are from the state of Texas, and I do want to show my appreciation for the straight-line recruiting model that they’ve implemented. There are 62 scholarship players on our roster from the state of Texas. So, really proud of the job that our staff did finding and signing some of the very best in our state.”

There are seven new football coaches on the Forty Acres and position changes and updates abound, with the most significant likely being the move of Joseph Ossai and Byron Vaughns to a new hybrid defensive end/linebacker spot. From that position they will be able to rush the passer off the edge as a down lineman and occasionally drop into pass coverage.

Herman also announced that Anthony Cook will get practice time this spring at the nickel spot while incumbent B.J. Foster recovers from a shoulder surgery that will be performed in the near future. The shoulder injury dogged Foster throughout the 2019 campaign.

“It’s something we had to wait until his nerve calmed down enough to have a successful rehab,” Herman said of Foster’s surgery.

Safety DeMarvion Overshown has been moved to weakside linebacker to get more playing time – it’s the position most NFL scouts predict Overshown will play at the next level.

“When scouts come around, and they talk about him, that’s probably where his position in that league is going to be,” Herman said. “It’s a pretty significant move for DeMarvion, but one that he’s excited about. I know that when he approached myself and (defensive coordinator Chris) Ash, he just said, ‘I want to see the field. I want to play.’”

Ash, new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and the other five new members of the Texas staff met with the media in Austin for the first time. Ash said he likes what he has seen from Overshown.

“I watched DeMarvion play last year,” Ash said. “He was in a lot of different positions. I love the way he runs. I love the way he hits. I think he has great position versatility, to where he can do a lot of different things.”

Quarterback-turned-running back Roschon Johnson will stay at the latter for the “for the foreseeable future,” according to Herman. Johnson finished second on the team with 649 rushing yards last year.

Jordan Whittington will return to slot receiver after working at running back last season before a hernia injury kept him out of all but one game. At the slot, he will compete with Jake Smith for the starting job in one of the Longhorns’ most vital positions.

Herman also said that Malcolm Epps, who goes at 6-foot-6, will start practicing with the tight ends.

Both Ash and Yurcich said they were happy to be in Austin and looking ahead rather than back in evaluating this year’s group of Longhorns.

“We’re not concreted about looking back and evaluating what’s been done in the past,” Ash said. “The past is behind us. We’re just focused on the future. We’re focused on the process to get this defense to where everyone would like it to be.”

Yurcich seems stoked about calling plays for quarterback Sam Ehlinger and the Texas offense and welcomes the praise and criticism that goes with that role.

“To me, in my job, that’s a heck of a responsibly but it’s something that gets me off, you know what I mean?” he said. “We will tweak, we will add and delete. That is a process that is going to be continuous until we get to spring ball. Sam’s a hell of a player and a big part of why I chose this position.”

Spring practice is set to begin March 24 and will culminate April 25 with the Orange-White Spring Game.
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