Longhorns RG DJ Campbell To Start Over Cole Hutson
The Texas Longhorns will have a new starting right guard when they take the field against the Rice Owls.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian announced Thursday that DJ Campbell won the battle in preseason camp over incumbent Cole Hutson and will start Saturday against Rice. Sarkisian said Hutson, who started all 13 games last season, will also play in the game.
Campbell played in seven games in his first year in Austin. The Arlington, Texas, native was the top interior offensive lineman in the class of 2022.
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Between his freshman and sophomore seasons, Campbell added 20 pounds, weighing in at 323 to begin last year while checking in at 343 — the fifth-heaviest player on the Longhorns and the most of any of their starting offensive linemen.
From left to right, the Longhorns' offensive line will be left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., left guard Hayden Conner, center Jake Majors, right guard Campbell and right tackle Christian Jones.
Campbell having Jones to his right will certainly be a bonus, as Texas' right tackle has six years of college football experience under his belt — two years more than the next oldest member of the starting five.
Texas' offensive line will look to continue the success it had during the 2022 campaign in which the Longhorns allowed 19 sacks, which was the second-fewest of any Big 12 team a season ago.
Protecting Quinn Ewers and making his and the running backs' jobs "easier" is the offensive line's No. 1 priority in 2023. If they can give Ewers a comfortable pocket to deliver the ball to his weapons on the outside, the offensive should run smoothly.
