Four Texas Longhorns Freshmen Who Could Become Year 1 Contributors

While the Texas Longhorns have certainly reached the point where they will never have to rely on a freshman to immediately contribute solely, it never hurts when some of those highly-rated prospects turn out to play right away as a true freshman.

Last season, the Longhorns had two of those, with wide receiver Ryan Wingo finding his way on the field while playing meaningful snaps along with freshman All-American edge rusher Colin Simmons on the other side of the ball.

After doing that with the No. 5 ranked class, it makes you wonder what will they do with the top-ranked class? As we dove through the list of incoming freshman for Texas, there were four names who really stood out as potential Year 1 contributors.

DL Justus Terry

After losing three of their four starting defensive linemen and several other contributors, the front line of Texas' defense has some question marks heading into the season. But that is exactly why Terry finds himself on this list.

Of the players on this list, the Manchester, Georgia, native may have the best chance to be an immediate contributor for the Longhorns. Even after the transfer portal additions of Travis Shaw (North Carolina), Cole Brevard (Purdue), and Maraad Watson (Syracuse), Terry will still have plenty of chances to work his way into the rotation at defensive tackle.

The former five-star prospect has already been a source of buzz given his performance in the offseason workouts.

WR Kaliq Lockett

Even after the losses of Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond, and Silas Bolden, Texas still has experienced returners in DeAndre Moore Jr. and Wingo. Yet, even with those two returning and the addition of Emmett Mosley V from Stanford, the room is still there for a freshman to make an impact.

Wingo found himself a role in the offense as a true freshman. He finished fourth on the team in receiving with 472 yards and two touchdowns on 29 receptions. That is the type of impact the Longhorns will be hoping they can see from at least one of their top incoming freshmen receivers.

Lockett could very well be that guy for Texas. 247Sports had him as the No. 2 receiver in the 2025 class, ranking only behind Oregon's Dakorien Moore. At 6-2 and 185 pounds, Lockett possesses the frame to contribute on the outside or even in the slot for the Longhorns.

WR Jaime Ffrench

Sticking in the receiver room, Ffrench is another former blue-chip prospect who will get his chances. Despite not having as high a rating as Lockett, he shouldn't be overlooked as a player who could contribute in Year 1.

The Jacksonville, Florida, native ran a 11.67 in the 100-meter dash as a freshman on the track team, and was a three-sport star playing basketball as well in addition football. The athleticism is obviously there, and given Texas's track record of development at receiver, Ffrench is a prime candidate.

DB Jonah Williams

The two-sport athlete is different from the other names on this list in the sense that he doesn't have the added benefit of going through a full spring practice. Given his time with baseball, Williams wasn't allowed to focus much on the 15 extra practices other early enrollees got.

But given his status as a former five-star prospect, that doesn't take away his potential to find his way on the field. The loss of Andrew Mukuba leaves a void in the Texas secondary that needs to be filled, and while they have no shortage of options, Williams will undoubtely get his chance at some point in the year.