The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
08.21.2014 | Football
Highlights of head coach Charlie Strong’s Thursday meeting with the media.
• 2014 Texas Football ticket information: Season tickets | Individual game tickets
• Quotes from Thursday's news conference
AUSTIN -- Nine days from Texas' season opener vs. North Texas, head coach Charlie Strong on Thursday said he has a good grasp of who will be starting for the Longhorns.
On the defensive line, senior Cedric Reed and junior Shiro Davis will be the starting ends while senior Desmond Jackson and junior Malcom Brown will occupy the tackle positions.
At linebacker, senior Steve Edmond will be the middle backer, with senior Jordan Hicks and junior Peter Jinkens on the outside.
In the secondary, senior Quandre Diggs and junior Duke Thomas will anchor the corner positions with senior Mykkele Thompson occupying one of the safety spots. Freshman Jason Hall and walk-on sophomore Dylan Haines are battling for the other starting safety position.
On the offensive side of the ball, Strong expressed confidence in his backfield with junior David Ash at quarterback and junior Johnathan Gray and senior Malcolm Brown as the running backs.
Due to Jaxon Shipley's hamstring injury, which has kept the senior out of practice, the receiver position is a bit of a question mark beyond junior Marcus Johnson. Senior John Harris, sophomore Jacorey Warrick, sophomore walk-on Ty Templin and a host of freshmen will battle for playing time.
Though there is still some shuffling along the offensive line, Strong did say senior Dominic Espinosa will be at center, the guards will likely be junior Sedrick Flowers and sophomore Kent Perkins and junior Kennedy Estelle will be manning one of the tackle positions.
The other tackle position is uncertain due to senior Desmond Harrison's suspension, but Strong mentioned junior Marcus Hutchins and freshman Darius James as potential players to take over the spot.
At tight end, senior Geoff Swaim will be joined by junior M.J. McFarland and freshman Andrew Beck.
Nick Rose will handle the place-kicking duties while William Russ will do the punting.
Harris, making a jump
One receiver that could be ready to step in is senior John Harris. Though he had just five receptions last year, Harris had a knack for making big plays. He averaged 28.2 yards per catch and had a pair of touchdowns, including a 54-yarder in the season opener against New Mexico State. Strong praised Harris for "having an unbelievable camp."
As a redshirt freshman, Harris battled a foot injury that caused him to miss most of the season. In 2012 he played mostly on special teams and saw limited time at receiver – making one TD catch – but he'll have a chance for an increased role in his final season at UT.
Haines, Hall battling at one safety spot
Though 10 positions on defense are set, the one undetermined spot is safety -- up for grabs between Dylan Haines and Jason Hall.
Haines is a walk-on sophomore from Lago Vista High School where he was a versatile player, playing safety, center, wide receiver, and kicker in his time there. Haines was named special teams Player of the Year, first-team all-district for safety, wide receiver and kicker as a senior in 2011. He did not appear in a game as a redshirt freshman in 2013, but did earn scout team player of the week honors leading up to the Oklahoma game. Dylan's brother Dakota, is a walk-on wide receiver for the Longhorns.
Hall is a true freshman from South Grand Prairie High School where he was named honorable mention All-State 5A by the Associated Press in 2013 and was a two-time all-district honoree. He was ranked as the No. 49 safety nationally and No. 82 player in Texas by Rivals.com. As a senior, Hall registered 57 tackles, six interceptions, six pass breakups, one pressure and two defensive TDs and was once named Defensive Player of the Week by the Dallas Morning News after grabbing three interceptions, including a 62-yard return for a TD against Duncanville. Strong said Hall is "very athletic, has a lot of range, and is very physical."
Both players will see time in the opener against UNT.
Swoopes to back up Ash
Tyrone Swoopes has cemented his role as the backup to starting QB David Ash, beating out freshman Jerrod Heard. "Tyrone is the clear No. 2 quarterback," said Strong. "I don't know when he's going to play. It's going to depend on the flow of the game and how we're playing offensively and how well David [Ash] is playing.
Hard work from the running back duo of Gray and Brown
Junior Johnathan Gray and senior Malcolm Brown will be relied upon heavily to lead the offense, a role Strong knows both are ready for. "I don't even know if it would matter to them who's the starter because they know they're going to get their touches and the reps that they need," Strong said. "Those two guys are just so fun to watch go practice and go compete each and every day. They're the two hardest workers on the team.
Gray's work ethic has been key in enabling a return to full strength from a torn Achilles he suffered last November, and the Texas duo is one of only six in the nation returning after rushing for over 750 yards last season (Brown-904, Gray-780).
Brown's 904 rushing yards earned him second-team All-Big 12 honors, and were the most by a Longhorn since Jamaal Charles rushed for 1,619 in 2007. Gray's 780 yards rushing was still the 10th most in the Big 12 despite him missing the final four games of the season.
The tandem are both spotted on the preseason All-Big 12 team and could form one of the most formidable rushing duos in the nation in 2014.
Mock scrimmage Saturday
Fall camp draws to a close on Saturday with a mock scrimmage at the stadium, as Strong says, "to let [the players] know on game day where each position lines up and how we're going to stretch and go through the game routine just making sure we cover every situation."
Strong went on to say that the team will go through every phase of the kicking game and any other phase that they have not yet focused on during the mock scrimmage.
