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Texas Offseason 2026 - "All In" On A Few Things

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Well folks, it is that time of year and the offseason cycle is officially upon us once again. There was some good and bad this year, let's start with the good:

Arch Manning grew into the player that we all knew he was going to be. Granted, it took more time than we hoped and at times looked like a baby giraffe trying to learn to walk in the midst of a pride of fuck lions, but it did happen. The last half of the season was the start of what will be a true Heisman campaign. Collin Simmons has been everything we could have hoped for and has firmly established himself as the best pass rusher in the country heading into next season, and under PK's defense... his pass coverage skills improved significantly, because that's what you do with a great pass rusher. Too bad he was the only one. Will Muschamp makes his triumphant return to Austin to lead a defense full of pissed off demons in the front 7, and gone are the head scratching defensive secondary play calls with the return of Muschamp's hand picked protege, Mr. Blake Gideon. I am sure Blake will catch up quickly, and probably catch up with old friends, catch some of his old favorite places in town, maybe catch up with family.. I hear Denny's is still open. Jabbar Juluke also joins the staff in what is going to be a fantastic upgrade from Chad Scott, who seemed to be slightly less popular in the running back room than chlamydia.

And now the bad:

Kyle Flood is back after mismanaging his position room so poorly for three years that he almost managed to fuck up Arch Manning. After turning our noses up at the portal, at one point this season we had Conner Stroh single handedly tripping the entire left side of the line with his beached whale technique while Brandon Baker was in a dead ass sprint to be the most penalized player in Texas history. The fact that Neto or Nate Kibble couldn't unseat Stroh was equally alarming. Chris Jackson returns after being reportedly out with a not 1 but 2 year extension. Why? Because fuck you that's why. We have massive attrition and holes at LB, OL, RB, and Safety. But trust us... we got this.

Offense Positional Outlook

Quarterback - Arch Manning will be a Heisman favorite heading into next season, maybe sign a few more national brand deals, and probably pull more tail than the entirety of this board combined. It's good to be the king. Behind him we have an equally exciting KJ Lacy as the clear #2, who has been steadily climbing the ranks with real buzz behind him. Dia Bell joins the fray as a highly touted incoming freshman who will be on the stash and develop plan for a year. I expect us to head to the portal for a fourth scholarship QB in the Matthew Caldwell mold.

Running Back - This room is full of questions with very few answers as of today. With CJ Baxter, Tre Wisner, and Jerrick Gibson hitting the portal, Chad Scott cleaned out this room more effectively than drinking a bottle full of magnesium. Coming off of a quality bowl game performance versus Michigan, Christian Clark looks to see an expanded role next season. My biggest question is why did we not see James Simon versus Michigan? Was there some internal team discipline happening, is he a portal candidate, or did he just piss off Juluke? Inquiring minds want to know. We have reason for optimism in 5 star incoming freshman Derek Cooper, but he certainly can't be counted on as a day 1 bellcow. We seem to have whiffed on our first two big portal swings in Jayden Baugh and Isaac Brown, but we will need two solid options here, and at least one with some real size as an inside zone runner.

Wide Receiver - Wingo had some big moments this year, but proved he may not be a reliable WR1 with continued questions around his hands. Emmett Mosley turned out to be a great pickup last season and really started to assert himself in the back half of the season. With Parker Livinstone spit spit headed to our hated rival after trashing Texas on the way out the door, it is time for some of us to all admit that @closetojumping was right. Goddamnit. Kaliq Lockett made the most of his opportunities in the bowl game, and hopefully that gets him into the mix a bit more but I still have some big questions about McCutcheon and Ffrench. Can they or can't they play? Time will tell, but we also need to find another impact guy in the portal. Cam Coleman is the target, and as of this moment has not made a decision, but even if it is not him it needs to be someone. I also have a feeling that Jermaine Bishop might come in and start climbing the depth chart quickly.

Offensive Line - Offensive is the right term, what the fuck are we doing here people. We got some huge news in the return of Trevor Goosby, who is going to be a first round pick next season. Brandon Baker seems to have turned the corner into a quality starter after a nightmarish early season. Beyond that, we need a massive overhaul here. Gone are some dudes that can't cut it in Stroh, Kibble, and Neto. I have heard good things about the Coleman brothers, but we also heard good things about Kibble and Neto last year. I am not discounting a returning Andre Cojoe being in the mix for a spot on the two deep, but we need some true starters in the portal. Will the Michigan guys make it official and make it to Texas? That would be the ideal scenario, but if it doesn't happen we are going to be hunting for some SEC caliber starting quality players in a sea full of hungry sharks. Even if it does happen, we need a total of 4 or 5 guys in my opinion to shore up Flood's 3 year long experiment in the school for giants who don't football good.

Tight End - Endries was a good addition last year, but unfortunately I think we didn't really get to utilize him well until late in the season. I am very high on Nick Townsend, I feel like he is the true future of that room. Emaree Winston also played very well last year before injury and figures to factor heavily into the mix. Surprisingly, Jordan Washington was a bit meh. Same goes for Spencer Shannon. I expect us to add another guy here, but I like where the room is headed.

Defense Positional Outlook

Defensive Ends - The best room on the entire team outside of Quarterback. Collin Simmons is a top 5 pick and the leading pass rusher in the nation. Lance Jackson decided to not wait until Ethan Burke graduated and just planted himself as the starter on the other side. Zina also looked like a future star player and pulled some go go gadget arms on a sack against Michigan that looked super human. Who just reaches over an offensive tackle and yanks a quarterback to the ground? Smith Orogbo also played really well in his limited action. With Muschamp coming in, his scheme will ultimately put another defensive end on the field with two true Edge backers and 5 technique ends. This bodes especially well for Lance Jackson and Justus Terry. It also bodes well for Zina, Orogbo, and incoming freshman Richard Wesley. Not to mention the ever feisty Colton Vasek on the 5 plays per year that he is healthy. Thoroughbreds don't go backwards. Oh yeah, and we may also bring in another guy from the portal.

Defensive Tackle - This room is also in good shape with the return of Hero Kanu and Maraad Watson to pair with the rising Alex January and high ceiling redshirt freshmen Josiah Sharma and Myron Charles. Yet, we still went out and got a mammoth over the ball 0 technique in Ian Geffrard from Arkansas. It wouldn't surprise me to see us take one more. I have no complaints about this room and look forward to taking for granted that teams just aren't going to run the ball well on us next season. Admittedly, we had a disappointing recruiting cycle in this room, but the year ahead looks just fine.

Linebacker - Thank you Ant Hill, go make your money. TyAnthony Smith emerged as a true game breaker last season, and he will step very comfortably into Hill's role as the leader of the defense. Bo Barnes also seemed to make the most of his opportunity during the Michigan game and have heard a few nuggets that Muschamp really likes him. I thought he played pretty well during the game for his first action against a big time opponent. Behind that, there are some real questions. Tyler Atkinson seems to be a guy who could make immediate impact, and I expect him to do just that. But holy forkballs does it get dicey after that. Brad Spence is not a natural stand up linebacker, but there is talk of moving him there. I don't think my eyes will ever get over seeing him let Ruben Owens pancake him on the goal line on a lead block in the A&M game. We need at least two impact dudes out of the portal in my opinion.

Cornerback - The emergence of Kade Phillips gives me a lot of optimism headed into the year for our CB room. I still believe we will bring in another guy to start opposite of Phillips in the portal, or potentially move Graceson Littleton to the outside, but either way we should be fine. I am not sold on Warren Roberson or Kobe Black being long term starters, but they both proved that they can make plays when called upon and provide quality depth in the room. I also have a sneaky suspicion that Samari Matthews is going to come in and displace someone by the beginning of the season, the kid can play and looks a little bit like a Kade Phillips clone with ultra long arms and fluid hips.

Nickel - This position has a bit of intrigue, but mainly due to where we decide to deploy Littleton. If we keep him at nickel, than we are set. If we decide to move him to the outside, then things could get a bit more interesting. Wardell Mack has played well there and could be the heir apparent, or Muschamp may seek to deploy Jelanie McDonald as a big nickel on occasions. Either way, I think we could use another guy here as an insurance policy.

Safety - The impact of the return of Jalanie McDonald cannot be overstated. He could be one of the best safeties in the country next season. But behind him it is a bit of a mystery. Xavier Filsaime has played well in spots this season, and I have heard good things about Zelus Hicks, but haven't really seen much of him to date. He reclassified so he could sign early last year and needed a year of development. Then there is the mercurial Jonah Williams, who I am starting to think may be an All American baseball player instead of an All American football player. If he decides he wants to do some stuff and go hit people, he is the obvious dude that you would want next to McDonald if he can pick up the mental aspect. But he will miss yet another spring, and so we should not assume anything. I feel like we will need one or perhaps two guys out of the portal here depending on how they feel about Hicks and Filsaime.

Kicker/Punter/Special Teams - If Day one of the portal has taught us anything, it is that we are ALL IN on specialists.

Edited by Vertigo

2 hours ago, Vertigo said:

Well folks, it is that time of year and the offseason cycle is officially upon us once again. There was some good and bad this year, let's start with the good:

Arch Manning grew into the player that we all knew he was going to be. Granted, it took more time than we hoped and at times looked like a baby giraffe trying to learn to walk in the midst of a pride of fuck lions, but it did happen. The last half of the season was the start of what will be a true Heisman campaign. Collin Simmons has been everything we could have hoped for and has firmly established himself as the best pass rusher in the country heading into next season, and under PK's defense... his pass coverage skills improved significantly, because that's what you do with a great pass rusher. Too bad he was the only one. Will Muschamp makes his triumphant return to Austin to lead a defense full of pissed off demons in the front 7, and gone are the head scratching defensive secondary play calls with the return of Muschamp's hand picked protege, Mr. Blake Gideon. I am sure Blake will catch up quickly, and probably catch up with old friends, catch some of his old favorite places in town, maybe catch up with family.. I hear Denny's is still open. Jabbar Juluke also joins the staff in what is going to be a fantastic upgrade from Chad Scott, who seemed to be slightly less popular in the running back room than chlamydia.

And now the bad:

Kyle Flood is back after mismanaging his position room so poorly for three years that he almost managed to fuck up Arch Manning. After turning our noses up at the portal, at one point this season we had Conner Stroh single handedly tripping the entire left side of the line with his beached whale technique while Brandon Baker was in a dead ass sprint to be the most penalized player in Texas history. The fact that Neto or Nate Kibble couldn't unseat Stroh was equally alarming. Chris Jackson returns after being reportedly out with a not 1 but 2 year extension. Why? Because fuck you that's why. We have massive attrition and holes at LB, OL, RB, and Safety. But trust us... we got this.

Offense Positional Outlook

Quarterback - Arch Manning will be a Heisman favorite heading into next season, maybe sign a few more national brand deals, and probably pull more tail than the entirety of this board combined. It's good to be the king. Behind him we have an equally exciting KJ Lacy as the clear #2, who has been steadily climbing the ranks with real buzz behind him. Dia Bell joins the fray as a highly touted incoming freshman who will be on the stash and develop plan for a year. I expect us to head to the portal for a fourth scholarship QB in the Matthew Caldwell mold.

Running Back - This room is full of questions with very few answers as of today. With CJ Baxter, Tre Wisner, and Jerrick Gibson hitting the portal, Chad Scott cleaned out this room more effectively than drinking a bottle full of magnesium. Coming off of a quality bowl game performance versus Michigan, Christian Clark looks to see an expanded role next season. My biggest question is why did we not see James Simon versus Michigan? Was there some internal team discipline happening, is he a portal candidate, or did he just piss off Juluke? Inquiring minds want to know. We have reason for optimism in 5 star incoming freshman Derek Cooper, but he certainly can't be counted on as a day 1 bellcow. We seem to have whiffed on our first two big portal swings in Jayden Baugh and Isaac Brown, but we will need two solid options here, and at least one with some real size as an inside zone runner.

Wide Receiver - Wingo had some big moments this year, but proved he may not be a reliable WR1 with continued questions around his hands. Emmett Mosley turned out to be a great pickup last season and really started to assert himself in the back half of the season. With Parker Livinstone spit spit headed to our hated rival after trashing Texas on the way out the door, it is time for some of us to all admit that @closetojumping was right. Goddamnit. Kaliq Lockett made the most of his opportunities in the bowl game, and hopefully that gets him into the mix a bit more but I still have some big questions about McCutcheon and Ffrench. Can they or can't they play? Time will tell, but we also need to find another impact guy in the portal. Cam Coleman is the target, and as of this moment has not made a decision, but even if it is not him it needs to be someone. I also have a feeling that Jermaine Bishop might come in and start climbing the depth chart quickly.

Offensive Line - Offensive is the right term, what the fuck are we doing here people. We got some huge news in the return of Trevor Goosby, who is going to be a first round pick next season. Brandon Baker seems to have turned the corner into a quality starter after a nightmarish early season. Beyond that, we need a massive overhaul here. Gone are some dudes that can't cut it in Stroh, Kibble, and Neto. I have heard good things about the Coleman brothers, but we also heard good things about Kibble and Neto last year. I am not discounting a returning Andre Cojoe being in the mix for a spot on the two deep, but we need some true starters in the portal. Will the Michigan guys make it official and make it to Texas? That would be the ideal scenario, but if it doesn't happen we are going to be hunting for some SEC caliber starting quality players in a sea full of hungry sharks. Even if it does happen, we need a total of 4 or 5 guys in my opinion to shore up Flood's 3 year long experiment in the school for giants who don't football good.

Tight End - Endries was a good addition last year, but unfortunately I think we didn't really get to utilize him well until late in the season. I am very high on Nick Townsend, I feel like he is the true future of that room. Emaree Winston also played very well last year before injury and figures to factor heavily into the mix. Surprisingly, Jordan Washington was a bit meh. Same goes for Spencer Shannon. I expect us to add another guy here, but I like where the room is headed.

Defense Positional Outlook

Defensive Ends - The best room on the entire team outside of Quarterback. Collin Simmons is a top 5 pick and the leading pass rusher in the nation. Lance Jackson decided to not wait until Ethan Burke graduated and just planted himself as the starter on the other side. Zina also looked like a future star player and pulled some go go gadget arms on a sack against Michigan that looked super human. Who just reaches over an offensive tackle and yanks a quarterback to the ground? Smith Orogbo also played really well in his limited action. With Muschamp coming in, his scheme will ultimately put another defensive end on the field with two true Edge backers and 5 technique ends. This bodes especially well for Lance Jackson and Justus Terry. It also bodes well for Zina, Orogbo, and incoming freshman Richard Wesley. Not to mention the ever feisty Colton Vasek on the 5 plays per year that he is healthy. Thoroughbreds don't go backwards. Oh yeah, and we may also bring in another guy from the portal.

Defensive Tackle - This room is also in good shape with the return of Hero Kanu and Maraad Watson to pair with the rising Alex January and high ceiling redshirt freshmen Josiah Sharma and Myron Charles. Yet, we still went out and got a mammoth over the ball 0 technique in Ian Geffrard from Arkansas. It wouldn't surprise me to see us take one more. I have no complaints about this room and look forward to taking for granted that teams just aren't going to run the ball well on us next season. Admittedly, we had a disappointing recruiting cycle in this room, but the year ahead looks just fine.

Linebacker - Thank you Ant Hill, go make your money. TyAnthony Smith emerged as a true game breaker last season, and he will step very comfortably into Hill's role as the leader of the defense. Bo Barnes also seemed to make the most of his opportunity during the Michigan game and have heard a few nuggets that Muschamp really likes him. I thought he played pretty well during the game for his first action against a big time opponent. Behind that, there are some real questions. Tyler Atkinson seems to be a guy who could make immediate impact, and I expect him to do just that. But holy forkballs does it get dicey after that. Brad Spence is not a natural stand up linebacker, but there is talk of moving him there. I don't think my eyes will ever get over seeing him let Ruben Owens pancake him on the goal line on a lead block in the A&M game. We need at least two impact dudes out of the portal in my opinion.

Cornerback - The emergence of Kade Phillips gives me a lot of optimism headed into the year for our CB room. I still believe we will bring in another guy to start opposite of Phillips in the portal, or potentially move Graceson Littleton to the outside, but either way we should be fine. I am not sold on Warren Roberson or Kobe Black being long term starters, but they both proved that they can make plays when called upon and provide quality depth in the room. I also have a sneaky suspicion that Samari Matthews is going to come in and displace someone by the beginning of the season, the kid can play and looks a little bit like a Kade Phillips clone with ultra long arms and fluid hips.

Nickel - This position has a bit of intrigue, but mainly due to where we decide to deploy Littleton. If we keep him at nickel, than we are set. If we decide to move him to the outside, then things could get a bit more interesting. Wardell Mack has played well there and could be the heir apparent, or Muschamp may seek to deploy Jelanie McDonald as a big nickel on occasions. Either way, I think we could use another guy here as an insurance policy.

Safety - The impact of the return of Jalanie McDonald cannot be overstated. He could be one of the best safeties in the country next season. But behind him it is a bit of a mystery. Xavier Filsaime has played well in spots this season, and I have heard good things about Zelus Hicks, but haven't really seen much of him to date. He reclassified so he could sign early last year and needed a year of development. Then there is the mercurial Jonah Williams, who I am starting to think may be an All American baseball player instead of an All American football player. If he decides he wants to do some stuff and go hit people, he is the obvious dude that you would want next to McDonald if he can pick up the mental aspect. But he will miss yet another spring, and so we should not assume anything. I feel like we will need one or perhaps two guys out of the portal here depending on how they feel about Hicks and Filsaime.

Kicker/Punter/Special Teams - If Day one of the portal has taught us anything, it is that we are ALL IN on specialists.

I'm not reading all that but rep for the effort.

Good recap. Thanks.

We need big time help at RB, WR and OL

  • Author
15 hours ago, futureman said:

is tyler atkinson expected to start?

I doubt it, but I would bet he gets on the field quite a bit next year.

17 hours ago, ztejas said:

I'm not reading all that but rep for the effort.

I am going to pay attention to this when the portal closes. That is when we can start pretending, we know everything again. That said, appreciate the effort

Edited by Codaxx

20 hours ago, Vertigo said:

Well folks, it is that time of year and the offseason cycle is officially upon us once again. There was some good and bad this year, let's start with the good:

Arch Manning grew into the player that we all knew he was going to be. Granted, it took more time than we hoped and at times looked like a baby giraffe trying to learn to walk in the midst of a pride of fuck lions, but it did happen. The last half of the season was the start of what will be a true Heisman campaign. Collin Simmons has been everything we could have hoped for and has firmly established himself as the best pass rusher in the country heading into next season, and under PK's defense... his pass coverage skills improved significantly, because that's what you do with a great pass rusher. Too bad he was the only one. Will Muschamp makes his triumphant return to Austin to lead a defense full of pissed off demons in the front 7, and gone are the head scratching defensive secondary play calls with the return of Muschamp's hand picked protege, Mr. Blake Gideon. I am sure Blake will catch up quickly, and probably catch up with old friends, catch some of his old favorite places in town, maybe catch up with family.. I hear Denny's is still open. Jabbar Juluke also joins the staff in what is going to be a fantastic upgrade from Chad Scott, who seemed to be slightly less popular in the running back room than chlamydia.

And now the bad:

Kyle Flood is back after mismanaging his position room so poorly for three years that he almost managed to fuck up Arch Manning. After turning our noses up at the portal, at one point this season we had Conner Stroh single handedly tripping the entire left side of the line with his beached whale technique while Brandon Baker was in a dead ass sprint to be the most penalized player in Texas history. The fact that Neto or Nate Kibble couldn't unseat Stroh was equally alarming. Chris Jackson returns after being reportedly out with a not 1 but 2 year extension. Why? Because fuck you that's why. We have massive attrition and holes at LB, OL, RB, and Safety. But trust us... we got this.

Offense Positional Outlook

Quarterback - Arch Manning will be a Heisman favorite heading into next season, maybe sign a few more national brand deals, and probably pull more tail than the entirety of this board combined. It's good to be the king. Behind him we have an equally exciting KJ Lacy as the clear #2, who has been steadily climbing the ranks with real buzz behind him. Dia Bell joins the fray as a highly touted incoming freshman who will be on the stash and develop plan for a year. I expect us to head to the portal for a fourth scholarship QB in the Matthew Caldwell mold.

Running Back - This room is full of questions with very few answers as of today. With CJ Baxter, Tre Wisner, and Jerrick Gibson hitting the portal, Chad Scott cleaned out this room more effectively than drinking a bottle full of magnesium. Coming off of a quality bowl game performance versus Michigan, Christian Clark looks to see an expanded role next season. My biggest question is why did we not see James Simon versus Michigan? Was there some internal team discipline happening, is he a portal candidate, or did he just piss off Juluke? Inquiring minds want to know. We have reason for optimism in 5 star incoming freshman Derek Cooper, but he certainly can't be counted on as a day 1 bellcow. We seem to have whiffed on our first two big portal swings in Jayden Baugh and Isaac Brown, but we will need two solid options here, and at least one with some real size as an inside zone runner.

Wide Receiver - Wingo had some big moments this year, but proved he may not be a reliable WR1 with continued questions around his hands. Emmett Mosley turned out to be a great pickup last season and really started to assert himself in the back half of the season. With Parker Livinstone spit spit headed to our hated rival after trashing Texas on the way out the door, it is time for some of us to all admit that @closetojumping was right. Goddamnit. Kaliq Lockett made the most of his opportunities in the bowl game, and hopefully that gets him into the mix a bit more but I still have some big questions about McCutcheon and Ffrench. Can they or can't they play? Time will tell, but we also need to find another impact guy in the portal. Cam Coleman is the target, and as of this moment has not made a decision, but even if it is not him it needs to be someone. I also have a feeling that Jermaine Bishop might come in and start climbing the depth chart quickly.

Offensive Line - Offensive is the right term, what the fuck are we doing here people. We got some huge news in the return of Trevor Goosby, who is going to be a first round pick next season. Brandon Baker seems to have turned the corner into a quality starter after a nightmarish early season. Beyond that, we need a massive overhaul here. Gone are some dudes that can't cut it in Stroh, Kibble, and Neto. I have heard good things about the Coleman brothers, but we also heard good things about Kibble and Neto last year. I am not discounting a returning Andre Cojoe being in the mix for a spot on the two deep, but we need some true starters in the portal. Will the Michigan guys make it official and make it to Texas? That would be the ideal scenario, but if it doesn't happen we are going to be hunting for some SEC caliber starting quality players in a sea full of hungry sharks. Even if it does happen, we need a total of 4 or 5 guys in my opinion to shore up Flood's 3 year long experiment in the school for giants who don't football good.

Tight End - Endries was a good addition last year, but unfortunately I think we didn't really get to utilize him well until late in the season. I am very high on Nick Townsend, I feel like he is the true future of that room. Emaree Winston also played very well last year before injury and figures to factor heavily into the mix. Surprisingly, Jordan Washington was a bit meh. Same goes for Spencer Shannon. I expect us to add another guy here, but I like where the room is headed.

Defense Positional Outlook

Defensive Ends - The best room on the entire team outside of Quarterback. Collin Simmons is a top 5 pick and the leading pass rusher in the nation. Lance Jackson decided to not wait until Ethan Burke graduated and just planted himself as the starter on the other side. Zina also looked like a future star player and pulled some go go gadget arms on a sack against Michigan that looked super human. Who just reaches over an offensive tackle and yanks a quarterback to the ground? Smith Orogbo also played really well in his limited action. With Muschamp coming in, his scheme will ultimately put another defensive end on the field with two true Edge backers and 5 technique ends. This bodes especially well for Lance Jackson and Justus Terry. It also bodes well for Zina, Orogbo, and incoming freshman Richard Wesley. Not to mention the ever feisty Colton Vasek on the 5 plays per year that he is healthy. Thoroughbreds don't go backwards. Oh yeah, and we may also bring in another guy from the portal.

Defensive Tackle - This room is also in good shape with the return of Hero Kanu and Maraad Watson to pair with the rising Alex January and high ceiling redshirt freshmen Josiah Sharma and Myron Charles. Yet, we still went out and got a mammoth over the ball 0 technique in Ian Geffrard from Arkansas. It wouldn't surprise me to see us take one more. I have no complaints about this room and look forward to taking for granted that teams just aren't going to run the ball well on us next season. Admittedly, we had a disappointing recruiting cycle in this room, but the year ahead looks just fine.

Linebacker - Thank you Ant Hill, go make your money. TyAnthony Smith emerged as a true game breaker last season, and he will step very comfortably into Hill's role as the leader of the defense. Bo Barnes also seemed to make the most of his opportunity during the Michigan game and have heard a few nuggets that Muschamp really likes him. I thought he played pretty well during the game for his first action against a big time opponent. Behind that, there are some real questions. Tyler Atkinson seems to be a guy who could make immediate impact, and I expect him to do just that. But holy forkballs does it get dicey after that. Brad Spence is not a natural stand up linebacker, but there is talk of moving him there. I don't think my eyes will ever get over seeing him let Ruben Owens pancake him on the goal line on a lead block in the A&M game. We need at least two impact dudes out of the portal in my opinion.

Cornerback - The emergence of Kade Phillips gives me a lot of optimism headed into the year for our CB room. I still believe we will bring in another guy to start opposite of Phillips in the portal, or potentially move Graceson Littleton to the outside, but either way we should be fine. I am not sold on Warren Roberson or Kobe Black being long term starters, but they both proved that they can make plays when called upon and provide quality depth in the room. I also have a sneaky suspicion that Samari Matthews is going to come in and displace someone by the beginning of the season, the kid can play and looks a little bit like a Kade Phillips clone with ultra long arms and fluid hips.

Nickel - This position has a bit of intrigue, but mainly due to where we decide to deploy Littleton. If we keep him at nickel, than we are set. If we decide to move him to the outside, then things could get a bit more interesting. Wardell Mack has played well there and could be the heir apparent, or Muschamp may seek to deploy Jelanie McDonald as a big nickel on occasions. Either way, I think we could use another guy here as an insurance policy.

Safety - The impact of the return of Jalanie McDonald cannot be overstated. He could be one of the best safeties in the country next season. But behind him it is a bit of a mystery. Xavier Filsaime has played well in spots this season, and I have heard good things about Zelus Hicks, but haven't really seen much of him to date. He reclassified so he could sign early last year and needed a year of development. Then there is the mercurial Jonah Williams, who I am starting to think may be an All American baseball player instead of an All American football player. If he decides he wants to do some stuff and go hit people, he is the obvious dude that you would want next to McDonald if he can pick up the mental aspect. But he will miss yet another spring, and so we should not assume anything. I feel like we will need one or perhaps two guys out of the portal here depending on how they feel about Hicks and Filsaime.

Kicker/Punter/Special Teams - If Day one of the portal has taught us anything, it is that we are ALL IN on specialists.

This should have an epigraph.

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