2021 Texas Longhorns football team

2021 Texas Longhorns football
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Head coach	Steve Sarkisian (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Kyle Flood (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread Offense
Defensive coordinator	Pete Kwiatkowski (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Jeff Choate (1st season)
Home stadium	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 100,119)
Uniform

2021 Big 12 Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 7 Oklahoma State y		8	–	1					12	–	2
No. 5 Baylor y$		7	–	2					12	–	2
No. 10 Oklahoma		7	–	2					11	–	2
Iowa State		5	–	4					7	–	6
Kansas State		4	–	5					8	–	5
West Virginia		4	–	5					6	–	7
Texas		3	–	6					5	–	7
TCU		3	–	6					5	–	7
Texas Tech		3	–	6					7	–	6
Kansas		1	–	8					2	–	10
Championship: Baylor 21, Oklahoma State 16
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Texas Longhorns football team represents the University of Texas at Austin during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Longhorns play their home games at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. They are a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. They are led by first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Previous season

The Longhorns finished the 2020 season with a 7–3 record, 5–3 in Big 12 play, defeating Colorado 55–23 in the Alamo Bowl to end their season ranked No. 19 overall.

Offseason

Coaching changes

At the conclusion of the 2020 season, head coach Tom Herman was dismissed from his head coaching role. Immediately afterwards, University of Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte announced that Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will be the new head coach for the Longhorns in 2021.

Position key

Back

B

Center

C

Cornerback

CB

Defensive back

DB

Defensive end

DE

Defensive lineman

DL

Defensive tackle

DT

End

E

Fullback

FB

Place Kicker

PK

Guard

G

Halfback

HB

Kicker

K

Kickoff returner

KR

Offensive tackle

OT

Offensive lineman

OL

Linebacker

LB

Long snapper

LS

Split end

SE

Punter

P

Punt returner

PR

Quarterback

QB

Running back

RB

Safety

S

Tight end

TE

Wide receiver

WR

Players

2021 Texas offseason departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Sam Ehlinger	11	QB	6’3	225	Senior	Austin, TX	Graduated
Caden Sterns	7	DB	6’1	207	Junior	Cibolo, TX	Declared for NFL Draft
Chris Brown	15	DB	5’11	187	Senior	Houston, TX	Graduated
Joseph Ossai	46	LB	6’4	253	Junior	Conroe, TX	Declared for NFL Draft
Tarik Black	0	WR	6'3	217	Senior	Hamden, CT	Graduated
Brennan Eagles	13	WR	6'4	229	Junior	Houston, TX	Declared for NFL Draft
Gabriel Watson	31	RB	6'2	219	Senior	Piedmont, CA	Graduated
Daniel Young	32	RB	6'0	215	Senior	Houston, TX	Graduated
Jack Geiger	40	P	5’11	205	Senior	San Jose, CA	Graduated
Marqez Bimage	42	DL	6'2	251	Senior	Brenham, TX	Graduated
Ta’Quon Graham	49	DL	6’4	294	Senior	Temple, TX	Graduated
Tope Imade	67	OL	6'6	355	Senior	Arlington, TX	Graduated
Denzel Okafor	78	OL	6'4	317	Senior	Lewisville, TX	Graduated
Cade Brewer	80	TE	6'4	252	Senior	Austin, TX	Graduated
John Lily	90	DL	6’1	262	Senior	Houston, TX	Graduated
Tristan Bennett	96	DL	6'3	235	Senior	Irving, TX	Graduated

Transfers

Outgoing

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Hometown	Year	New school
Keontay Ingram	26	RB	6’0	235	Carthage, TX	Junior	USC
Jalen Green	3	DB	6’1	197	Houston, TX	Junior	Mississippi State
Ja’Quinden Jackson	3	QB	6’2	232	Dallas, TX	Freshman	Utah
Daniel Carson	88	DL	6'4	276	Kansas City, MO	Sophomore	Western Illinois
Xavion Alford	4	DB	6'0	190	Pearland, TX	Freshman	USC
Kenyetta Watson	2	CB	6’1	190	Loganville, GA	Redshirt Freshman	Georgia Tech
Byron Vaughns	50	LB	6’3	216	Fort Worth, TX	Redshirt Junior	Utah State
Willie Tyler	55	OL	6'7	335	Racine, WI	Redshirt Sophomore
Ayodele Adeoye	40	LB	6'1	251	St. Louis, MO	Sophomore

Coaching staff departures

Name	Position	New Team	New Position
Tom Herman	Head Coach
Chris Ash	Defensive Coordinator	Jacksonville Jaguars	Defensive Backs
Mike Yurcich	Offensive Coordinator	Penn State	Offensive Coordinator
Jay Valai	Cornerbacks coach	Houston
Oscar Giles	Defensive Lines coach
Coleman Hutzler	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers coach	Ole Miss	Special teams coordinator
Herb Hand	Co-Offesnive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach	Charlotte	Offensive line coach
Jay Boulware	Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams/Tight Ends Coach

Recruits

See also: American football positions, Glossary of American football, and Recruiting (college athletics)

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ja’Tavion Sanders ATH	Denton, TX	Billy Ryan High School	6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sep 8, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 90
JD Coffey S	Kennedale, TX	Kennedale High School	6 ft 0.5 in (1.84 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 15, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Jamier Johnson CB	Pasadena, CA	John Muir High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jul 3, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 81
Derrick Harris Jr. OLB	New Caney, TX	New Caney High School	6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Aug 3, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Jordon Thomas DE	Port Arthur, TX	Memorial High School (Port Arthur, Texas)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	May 2, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Terrence Cooks OLB	Pearland, TX	Shadow Creek High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Nov 14, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Morice Blackwell OLB	Arlington, TX	Martin High School (Arlington, Texas)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	May 10, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 81
Jaden Alexis WR	Pompano Beach, FL	Monarch High School (Florida)	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Aug 8, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Hayden Conner OT	Katy, TX	Taylor High School	6 ft 5.5 in (1.97 m)	317 lb (144 kg)	Jul 23, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 82
Byron Murphy II DT	DeSoto, TX	DeSoto High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Nov 18, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Jonathon Brooks RB	Hallettsville, TX	Hallettsville High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	May 15, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Juan Davis ATH	Fort Worth, TX	Everman High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	Jul 26, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Gunnar Helm TE	Englewood, CO	Cherry Creek High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jul 27, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Barryn Sorrell DE	New Orleans, LA	Holy Cross School (New Orleans)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Dec 16, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Charles Wright QB	Austin, TX	Austin High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	Aug 22, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 75
Casey Cain WR	New Orleans, LA	Warren Easton High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	May 15, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76
Max Merril OT	Houston, TX	Strake Jesuit High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	273 lb (124 kg)	Sep 25, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 77
Isaac Pearson P	Melbourne, Australia	Pro Kick Australia	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	May 29, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 74
Ishmael Ibraheem CB	Dallas, TX	Kimball High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 15, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Keithron Lee WR	Bryan, TX	James Earl Rudder High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Dec 25, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Ovie Oghoufo OLB	Farmington, MI	Notre Dame	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jan 26, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 77
Bert Auburn K	Flower Mound, TX	Flower Mound High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Jan 24, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Michael Taaffe CB	Austin, TX	Westlake High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jan 31, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
David Abiara DE	Mansfield, TX	Mansfield Legacy High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	248 lb (112 kg)	Feb 3, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 16  247Sports: 17  ESPN: 3
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021. "ESPN commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021. "247Sports commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021.

2021 NFL Draft

Main article: 2021 NFL Draft

The following Longhorns have announced their plans to enter their names into the 2021 NFL Draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Team
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Returning starters

Offense

Player	Class	Position
Junior Angilau	Junior	Offensive Line
Christian Jones	Junior	Offensive Line
Roschon Johnson	Junior	Running Back
Bijan Robinson	Sophomore	Running back
Joshua Moore	Junior	Wide Receiver
Jake Smith	Junior	Wide Receiver
Reference:

Defense

Player	Class	Position
Moro Ojomo	Junior	Defensive End
Keondre Coburn	Junior	Defensive Line
Juwan Mitchell	Senior	Middle Line Backer
DeMarvion Overshown	Senior	Linebacker
D’Shawn Jamison	Senior	Linebacker
Josh Thompson	Senior	Cornerback
Chris Adimora	Junior	Safety
Reference:

Special Teams

Player	Class	Position
Cameron Dicker	Senior	Kicker
Ryan Bujcevski	Senior	Punter
Reference:

Preseason

Big 12 media poll

Big 12 media poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Oklahoma
2	Oklahoma State
3	Texas
4	Iowa State
5	Baylor
6	TCU
7	Kansas State
8	West Virginia
9	Texas Tech
10	Kansas

Personnel

Coaching staff

Coach	Title	Year at Texas	Previous job
Steve Sarkisian	Head Coach	1st	Alabama (OC)
Pete Kwiatkowski	DC/OLB	1st	Washington (DC/OLB)
Kyle Flood	OC/OL	1st	Alabama (OL)
Jeff Banks	AHC/TE/ST	1st	Alabama (TE/ST)
A. J. Milwee	QB	1st	Alabama (Offensive Analyst)
Andre Coleman	WR	3rd	Kansas State (OC/WR)
Stan Drayton	RGC/RB	5th	Chicago Bears (RB)
Jeff Choate	Co-DC, ILB	1st	Montana State (HC)
Bo Davis	DL	1st	Detroit Lions (DL)
Terry Joseph	DB	1st	Notre Dame (DB)
Blake Gideon	S	1st	Ole Miss (ST)
Torre Becton	S&C	1st	California (S&C)
Drew Hughes	DPP	1st	South Carolina (DPP)
Jeff Crosby	ST Analyst	1st	Washington (ST Analyst)
Chris Gilbert	Director of High School Relations	1st	Lancaster High School (HC)

Roster

Source:

2021 Texas Longhorns football
Quarterback  1 Hudson Card – Freshman (6'2, 193)  8 Casey Thompson – Junior (6'1, 197) 16 Ben Ballard – Sophomore (5'11, 195) Running Back  2 Roschon Johnson – Junior (6'2, 227)  5 Bijan Robinson – Sophomore (6’0, 222) 23 Jarrett Smith – Junior (5'7, 200) 24 Derrian Brown – Sophomore (5'10, 180) 27 Skyler Bonneau – Senior (6'1, 212) 37 Jaren Watkins – Senior (5'5, 175) Wide Receiver  4 Jordan Whittington – Sophomore (6'1, 209)  6 Joshua Moore – Sophomore (6'1, 169)  7 Jake Smith - Junior (6'0, 200)  9 Al’Vonte Woodard - Sophomore (6'2, 214) 14 Dajon Harrison – Sophomore (5’10, 170) 15 Marcus Washington – Junior (6'2, 191) 16 Kelvontay Dixon – Sophomore (6'0, 180) 21 Troy Omeire – Sophomore (6'3, 230) 82 Kartik Akihal – Junior (6'2, 195) 83 Kai Money – Junior (6'0, 183) 84 Kennedy Lewis – Sophomore (6'3, 200) 85 Stacy Brown Jr. – Sophomore (6'1, 190) 86 Paxton Anderson – Sophomore (6'4, 211) 87 Parker Alford – Sophomore (5’10, 186) 89 Travis West – Sophomore (6'0, 180) Tight End 18 Jared Wiley – Junior (6'7, 254) 19 Malcolm Epps - Junior (6'6, 244) 42 Nathan Hatter – Sophomore (6'2, 265) 81 Reese Leitao – Freshman (6'4, 245) 89 Brayden Liebrock – Sophomore (6'4, 234) Kicker/Punter  8 Ryan Bujcevski – P – Senior (6'0, 183) 17 Cameron Dicker – K – Senior (6'1, 204) 38 Erwin Von Nacher - K - Sophomore (6'1, 160)		Offensive Line 64 Michael Balis – Sophomore (6'5, 299) 65 Jake Majors – Sophomore (6'3, 298) 66 Chad Wolf – Sophomore (6'3, 279) 67 Tope Imade – Senior (6'5, 355) 69 Andrej Karic - Sophomore (6'4, 294) 70 Christian Jones – Junior (6'6, 310) 71 Logan Parr – Sophomore (6'4, 294) 72 Tyler Johnson – Sophomore (6'6, 324) 73 Isaiah Hookfin – Senior (6'5, 314) 74 Rafiti Ghirmai – Junior (6'5, 291) 75 Junior Angilau – Junior (6'6, 294) 76 Reese Moore – Junior (6'7, 304) 77 Jaylen Garth – Sophomore (6'5, 299) 78 Denzel Okafor – Senior (6'4, 317) 79 Matt Frost – [[Sophomore (6'4, 256) Defensive Line 45 Vernon Broughton – Sophomore (6'4, 290) 45 Peter Mpagi – Sophomore (6'5, 260) 63 Troy Torres – Junior (6'0, 281) 81 Reese Leitao – Senior (6'4, 248) 88 Daniel Carson – Junior (6'4, 276) 91 Sawyer Goram-Welch – Sophomore (6'4, 295) 92 Myron Warren – Sophomore (6'2, 290) 93 T'Vondre Sweat – Junior (6'4, 348) 95 Alfred Collins – Sophomore (6'5, 305) 97 Patrick Bayouth – Sophomore (6'4, 273) 98 Moro Ojomo – Sophomore (6'3, 276) 99 Keondre Coburn – Sophomore (6'2, 348) Deep Snapper 43 Zach Edwards – Junior (5’11, 209) 43 Chandler Kelehan – Junior (6’1, 195) 54 Justin Mader – Senior (6'2, 238)		Linebacker  0 DeMarvion Overshown – Senior (6'4, 217)  6 Juwan Mitchell – Senior (6'1, 230) 13 Marcus Tillman, Jr. – Sophomore (6'1, 240) 29 Jaden Hullaby – Sophomore (6'2, 217) 32 Prince Dorbah – Sophomore (6'3, 220) 33 David Gbenda – Sophomore (6'0, 228) 33 Anton Simiou – Sophomore (5’11, 203) 35 Russell Hine – Senior (6'2, 205) 41 Jaylan Ford – Sophomore (6'2, 223) 43 Chris Hannon – Junior (6'3, 229) 47 Luke Brockermeyer – Junior (6'3, 226) 48 Jake Ehlinger – Sophomore (5'11, 227) 52 Jett Bush – Junior (6'2, 235) 57 Cort Jaquess – Senior (6'0, 239) Defensive Back  1 Chris Adimora – Junior (6'1, 214)  5 D’Shawn Jamison – Senior (5'10, 184)  9 Josh Thompson – Senior (6’0, 198) 11 Anthony Cook – Senior (6’1, 185) 17 Myles Mass – Sophomore (5'11, 184) 18 Tremayne Prudhomme – Sophomore (6'1, 185) 21 Kitan Crawford – Sophomore (5’11, 185) 23 Jahdae Barron – Sophomore (5’11, 183) 24 Derrian Brown – Sophomore (5’10, 180) 24 Marques Caldwell – Sophomore (6'1, 197) 25 B.J. Foster – Senior (6'2, 195) 26 Christian Tschauner – Sophomore (5'11, 185) 28 Jerrin Thompson – Sophomore (6’0, 190) 30 Turner Symonds – Junior (6’1, 176) 37 Doak Wilson – Sophomore (6'0, 202) 39 Montrell Estell – Senior (6'1, 196) 44 Tannahill Love – Sophomore (5’11, 213) 44 Tyler Owens – Junior (6'2, 205) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Depth chart

Projected Depth Chart 2021:

Defense
FS Montrell Estell Jerrin Thompson ⋅		JACK WILL MIKE SAM Reese Leitao De’Marvion Overshown Juwan Mitchell Chris Adimora Jett Bush David Gbenda Cort Jaquess Anthony Cook ⋅ ⋅ Jaylan Ford ⋅					SS B.J. Foster ⋅ ⋅
CB Josh Thompson ⋅ ⋅		DE NT DE Moro Ojomo Keondre Coburn Jacoby Jones ⋅ T’Vondre Sweat ⋅ ⋅ Sawyer Goram-Welch ⋅						CB Kitan Crawford ⋅ ⋅
Offense
WR Joshua Moore Al’Vonte Woodard ⋅	WR Jake Smith Kai Money ⋅	LT LG C RG RT Andrej Karic Junior Angilau Jake Majors Tyler Johnson Christian Jones Reese Moore Logan Parr Rafiti Ghirmai Tope Imade Tope Imade ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ Jaylen Garth					TE Jared Wiley Malcolm Epps Brayden Liebrock	WR Jordan Whittington ⋅ ⋅
				QB Casey Thompson Hudson Card ⋅
Key reserves Season-ending injury Suspension					RB Bijan Robinson Roschon Johnson ⋅		Special teams PK Cameron Dicker P Ryan Bujcevski KR D’Shawn Jamison PR D’Shawn Jamison LS Justin Mader H Zach Edwards

True Freshman
Double Position : *

Schedule

Regular season

The 2021 schedule consists of 6 home games, 5 away games, and 1 neutral-site game in the regular season. The Longhorns are scheduled to host 3 non-conference games, against Louisiana, Arkansas, and Rice. Texas is scheduled to host Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Oklahoma State, and Texas is scheduled to travel to West Virginia, Baylor, TCU, and Iowa State in regular season conference play.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 4	Louisiana*	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX
September 11	at Arkansas*	D.W.R. Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR
September 18	Rice*	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX
	at Baylor	McLane Stadium Waco, TX
	at Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA
	at TCU	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX
	Kansas	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX
	Kansas State	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX
	vs. Oklahoma	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX
	Oklahoma State	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX
	Texas Tech	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX
	at West Virginia	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings Source: Texas Sports

Rankings

Further information: 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP
Coaches
CFP																Not released