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Names like Ryan Wingo and Trevor Goosby are familiar to most Texas football fans by now.
Having already made an impact in 2024, they look set to be part of the next wave of stars primed to move into more prolific roles following the departures of key players.
But the Longhorns, who are losing at least 13 starters between offense and defense, will have to dig a little bit deeper into their reserves of young talent to replenish their depth and fill holes vacated players.
Texas will be coming off a College Football Playoff appearance and looking to top a 13-3 season that ended in the Cotton Bowl. It’s already been an active 2025 for the Longhorns with plenty of transfer portal activity and a reported new extension for head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Here’s a look at some under-the-radar breakout candidates for next season:
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Alex January, sophomore DT
It was telling that the Longhorns turned to Alex January, a true freshman, to play seven big snaps in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State.
Listed at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, January already has a similar size profile to the departing Alfred Collins, who went down injured in that Ohio State game. Collins isn’t the only Longhorns defensive tackle who will be moving on — the top four interior defensive linemen on the Texas depth chart all exhausted their eligibility.
January will have a pair of transfers to compete with for playing time. The Longhorns added Cole Brevard from Purdue and Travis Shaw from North Carolina early in the transfer portal window. But January’s youth gives him a higher upside than both of those players.
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Justus Terry, freshman DT
Defensive tackle isn’t typically a position where true…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-longhorns-5-under-radar-110159097.html
Author : Austin American-Statesman
Publish date : 2025-01-19 11:01:00
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