Position Preview: Texas Offensive Line Heading in Right Direction?
Steve Sarkisian’s first season as the Texas Longhorns’ head coach was disappointing, as the Longhorns ended the season with a 5-7 record.
While Texas’s poor performance can be partly attributed to injuries in the quarterback and receiver rooms, it was the offensive line that plagued the Longhorns all season long. Now, with spring practice coming to a close, let’s examine the state of Texas’s offensive line and the work ahead for coach Kyle Flood.
Texas entered the spring with eleven scholarship offensive linemen, nine of whom were healthy for the Orange-White game. Texas’s first-team offense began the spring practice with five players who have all had starting experience.
However, experience doesn’t mean much when there is little room for development following a historically bad season. Those five include left tackle Andrej Karic, left guard Junior Angilau, center Jake Majors, right guard Hayden Connor, and right tackle Christian Jones.
Of that group, Hayden Connor has garnered the most buzz this spring, along with early enrollee Cole Hutson. When Andrej Karic went down toward the end of spring with an ankle sprain, Hutson was elevated to the first-team offense and remained in that role through the end of camp.
In a recent press conference, Sarkisian spoke highly of the two young linemen:
“Hayden Conner’s had a good spring, and I think Cole Hutson had a really good spring for a guy who just showed up and is still supposed to be in high school, going to the prom,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a big, physical guy and a quick learner. I’ve been impressed with him.”
Aaron E. Martinez, Austin American-Statesman
Aaron E. Martinez, Austin American-Statesman
Aaron E. Martinez, Austin American-Statesman
The group of six offensive linemen who will join the Longhorns’ roster includes Devon Campbell, Kelvin Banks, Neto Umeozulu, Malik Agbo, Cameron Williams, and Connor Robertson. Some of those newcomers will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact.
Although the state of the position seems concerning now, Texas fans should have confidence in coach Kyle Flood’s ability to fix the offensive line issues which have persisted in Austin for over a decade. Cole Hutson’s quick development, as well the incoming arrivals’ talent are indicative of that.
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