Texas Football: Herman Expects Young O-Linemen to Compete For Playing Time

The Texas head coach expressed optimism that some of his young, talented linemen may be ready to compete sooner rather than later

Despite returning four players with starting experience up front, the Texas offensive line depth chart appears to be far from set. 

And that may be a good thing for Texas fans. 

In a recent interview with 247Sports, Tom Herman was asked which young players he expected to step up and contribute in the 2020 season. It was obvious that many of the players he named were part of the same position group. 

“There's a few O-linemen, probably, that have a chance that maybe we're not talking about,” Herman told 247Sports. “Christian Jones, Willie Tyler, Reese Moore, Rafiti Ghirmai, Tyler Johnson. All those guys are going to have an opportunity to compete.”

The Longhorns have been stockpiling offensive line talent since Herb Hand took over as o-line coach a couple of years ago and those talented classes are starting to bear fruit. 

Incumbents Denzel Okafor, Junior Angilau, Sam Cosmi and Derek Kerstetter looked like early favorites to occupy four of the five starting positions on the o-line, but Herman's comments make it look like at least a few of those positions might be up for grabs. 

Johnson's name has come up previously. the 6-foot-5, 308-pounder was the No. 8 offensive tackle in the 2019 class and may have been too talented to keep off the field. 

Many thought Moore was going to serve as a backup to Cosmi this year at left tackle and provide valuable depth, but Herman's comments could mean he and Jones could both push Okafor at the right tackle spot. 

An emergence from Ghirmai at center could allow Kerstetter to shift over to either right tackle or left guard and solidify one of those two positions. 

Herman was on record during practices before last fall saying there were only six players he believed were ready for significant playing time on the offensive line. This year this group could have the potential to go two-deep across the board. 

The Longhorns struggled at times with pass protection last year and a solid offensive line would not only help Sam Ehlinger make a run at a potential Heisman trophy, but would also allow Texas' group of talented to surge to a big season on the ground in 2020.