Texas Cornerback Depth Chart After Jaylon Guilbeau Signs With Panthers

While one of the Texas Longhorns' longtime starters in the secondary is moving on to greener pastures, the cornerback room's loss of Jaylon Guilbeau, who signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers, should cause no concern on the Forty Acres.

The Longhorns return defensive pass game and secondary coach Blake Gideon after his one-year stint as defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, and he was one of the main contributors in Guilbeau’s success during his career at Texas.

Still, the Longhorns are loaded with talent at the cornerback position, specifically the right side of the field where Guilbeau made his home the past season after playing at nickel at the start of his career.

Who’s Up Next?

As one of the standout recruits in a loaded 2025 class, Kade Phillips is expected to take on a massive role in the secondary. The former No. 23-ranked player in the class of 2025, Phillips saw significant action on the field early in the Longhorns early season blowouts and made a couple of starts late in the season.

While Guilbeau experienced some struggles during the season, it gave the true freshman a couple of opportunities to see action in conference play. In Texas’ loss to Georgia, Phillips picked up two tackles and was able to impress head coach Steve Sarkisian.

"I was really proud of Kade on some plays," Sarkisian said after the loss to Georgia. "And there were some growing pains for Kade Saturday night. You know, they throw a hitcher out in front of him at the end of the first quarter, and he makes a tackle. It's about a gain of six yards. The very next play to start the second quarter, they tried him on a double move, a hitch and go. And he stayed on top. He defended it really well."

After Guilbeau sat out of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl to prepare for the draft, Phillips was able to shine on New Year's Eve in Orlando. Individually, Phillips racked up eight solo tackles, a pair of TFLs, and one pass breakup.

As a secondary, the Longhorns held the Wolverines to 199 passing yards, two touchdowns, and tested Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Phillips is projected to become the starter in 2026. Kobe Black, who has seen limited action the past two seasons, will challenge Phillips for the starting nod during fall camp.

Black entered his name in the transfer portal just after the Longhorns ' Citrus Bowl win, but quickly withdrew his name three days later, opting to return to Texas.

Black has been a solid depth piece for Texas. Across his two years, he’s accumulated 41 total tackles and one interception, which he recorded against Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed to seal the Longhorns' second straight victory over the Aggies.

The Longhorns will open up the season against the Texas State Bobcats on September 5, 2026, at Darell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

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