Man In The Middle? Luke Brockermeyer Ready For Opportunity With Texas
Luke Brockermeyer might be as Texas as they come. After all, when born into a family that spent time on the Forty Acres, do you really have a choice?
Luke's father, Blake, was an All-American offensive tackle during the 1994 season with the Longhorns. His Grandfather, Kay, played tackle during his the 1959 season.
The word tackle is a part of Luke Brockermyer's game, it just comes on the defensive side of the ball. As Saturday approaches, Luke will have the chance to send a message to No. 23 Louisiana.
Come his way, and get ready for the horns.
"He's ready," linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said. "I get this asked a lot about him. Luke's been working since he got here. He busted his butt all spring, summer fall camp."
When the Longhorns kicked off spring football, linebacker might have been the weak point. Overshown underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason. Fellow starter Juwan Mitchell elected to transfer to Tennessee following the firing of Tom Herman.
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Every player was asked to step up at the position. Brockermeyer, who in three years mainly saw reps on special teams, seemed to be a natural fit in new coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski's 4-2-5 system.
Day by day and rep by rep, things became comfortable. It soon was second nature for Brockermeyer to fill in for Mitchell as the team's new MIKE linebacker. Once Overshown return, Kwiatkowski elected to keep him working with the first-team defense.
Hard work pays off it seems. Brockermeyer is expected to start in the middle moving forward, winning out over the likes of David Gbenda and Jaylan Ford.
"He's probably the most pumped in the locker room to get out there Saturday," Overshown said.
Whoever won the starting job opposite Overshown would need to pick up the production. Mitchell recorded a team-high 62 total tackles in 10 games during the 2020 season. Combined, the trio fighting for first-team reps finished with 21 — 19 of which came from Gbenda.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has talked in the past about trusting his gut. Difficult decisions that could dictate the outcome of the season sometimes are best decided by intuition.
When camp began, Sarkisian said that everyone would have a fair opportunity to win the job. Brockermyer's camp stood the strongest throughout the course of four months.
How could Sarkisian not trust his gut again?
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"What Luke did was just play really sound, good football," Sarkisian said Thursday. "I think he learned our scheme very well. I think he has a very high football IQ. He's a savvy player."
One of Brockermeyer's best traits is his leadership according to Sark. The MIKE linebacker usually is the "voice" of the defense, helping players get in the right formation before the snap.
Some players can't handle the responsibilities that come with setting up a play. Brockermeyer isn't one of those people.
"I hate saying a guy's an overachiever because we achieve what we're capable of," Sarkisian said. "but, if you want to label him an overachiever, I think there's something to be said about that kind of personality in the middle of your defense that it starts to permeate to the rest of those guys on defense."
From being a preferred walk-on to starting up the middle, the burnt orange blood runs through his veins. Overshown said he's ready for what comes next.
The two now head to work with a new season on the horizon.
"I just can't wait to see him play beside me, with me," Overshown said. "It's going to be a show."
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