When it comes to that, texas longhorns This season, much of the attention has been focused on the quarterback situation with Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning at the helm.
However, the Longhorns' success in 2025 will depend on their defense being just as good, if not better, as Texas is allowing just 13.3 points per game, good for second in the nation. Deserves praise.
Additionally, they boast one of the best pass defenses in the country, allowing just 143.1 passing yards per game during the regular season, but giving up the ball 2.2 times per game, ranking seventh in the nation.
The Longhorns have elite playmakers at every level of the defense. Freshman pass rusher Colin Simmons took college football by storm with eight sacks in his first season with the Longhorns. Top linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. is one of the best players in the country at his position, regardless of age. And the secondary is loaded with talent, led by star cornerback Jahde Barron and safeties Andrew Mukuba and Michael Taaffe.
While the Longhorns are focused on the College Football Playoff, they are also looking ahead to the 2025 season, when they will need to replace many starters on their elite defense.
And that's where the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle comes into play.
The Longhorns have a strong overall roster this season, signing difference-makers at a number of key positions, including a key playmaker in the secondary, as well as five-star players on the defensive line and at wide receiver. acquired players.
During the 2024 season, we saw how top freshmen can crack the rotation. Simmons won the Shaun Alexander Rookie of the Year Award, and five-star wideout Ryan Wingo emerged as a contributor, catching 26 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns.
In addition, freshman running back Jerick Gibson moved into the rotation and had 377 yards rushing and four touchdowns due to an injury at the position, and linebacker Ty Anthony Smith saw good playing time as well. In 2024, he recorded 16 tackles and an interception.
Heading into next season, the Longhorns will likely again rely on some of their freshmen for early contributions, but it's very likely that it will be a second season for players who are expected to go on to the pros. .
So who can be considered as the early contributors to derivative works?
Things start with prize-winning player and five-star safety Jonah Williams. Jonah Williams was a top-10 recruit in his class and was considered the No. 1 player at his position in the cycle.
At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Williams is a versatile piece in the Longhorns' defense and could even move up into the box as a secondary linebacker if he continues to build up his size. However, the star safety could see both safety positions as well as nickel reps, opening up a lot of possibilities for him to play as a true freshman.
Five-star cornerback Cade Phillips was a great piece of land, as the Longhorns flipped him from the LSU Tigers late in the cycle, securing a top player at the position for the 2025 class. Overall, he was the highest-rated cornerback Texas acquired during the Steve Sarkisian era.
Phillips, 6-foot-0 and 175 pounds, was one of three cornerbacks taken by Texas, joining talented four-star Grayson Littleton and three-star Caleb Chester. He has good athleticism coming from his track background, so he could be a candidate to get some reps in the cornerback two-deep early on.
Another talented safety is four-star Zels Hicks. He is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound Georgia native who committed to Texas all the way back in September. He looks to continue the tradition of elite defensive backs and grow under the Longhorns' staff, which was a big factor in his hiring.
“Without a doubt, the coaches and the environment they provide allows these players to be like any other player,” Hicks said of why he committed to Texas early on. “So I think I can come in as a player and grow through coaching and develop a mentality like Jahadeh.” [Barron] and [Andrew] Mukuba, all of those guys, Coach Sark, it looks like he's building something really special here at Texas. ”
Like Williams, Hicks is expected to play a versatile role at Texas, and that seems to be the trend for the Longhorns in this class.
“I expect to end up playing free safety, but I want to be really versatile,” Hicks said at this week's Under Armor All-American Game. “If they want me to step back into the box to make a play, I'll do that. You have to be over-the-top to scare the quarterback into not throwing, and I'll do that. That's why I want to be an all-around player.”
Hicks expects to join the team as a true freshman and can trust his athleticism to make plays once he understands the playbook well.
“Their expectations for me are to come in early and make an impact and make plays, and the important thing is just to learn the playbook,” Hicks admitted. “Once you learn the playbook, you feel like you’re enough of an athlete to go out on the college field and make plays and make adjustments.
“There's no question they got an All-American as a freshman and I want to follow in that footsteps. So definitely I want to be an All-American as a freshman and compete for the Jim Thorpe Award as a freshman. I think some people may not understand this, but I'm trying to do things that people aren't paying attention to.
Hicks said Texas has room for freshmen in 2025, so the Longhorns could maintain their defensive stronghold and compete for the nation's No. 1 secondary next season, with the possibility of adding freshmen. I predict that.
The Longhorns showed early on that they are not afraid to play against freshmen. Well, that could very well happen in next year's secondary as well, and Texas could potentially reign supreme from its current mainstay and keep the Longhorns as a perennial SEC powerhouse for years to come. They brought in a lot of talented defensive backs. .
