Here is TFB on the Spring OL (noting Braun doesnt arrive until Summer)
My 2 cents -- This is as much OL depth as I can remember going back to the last few seasons of Mack Brown. It seems like every season all this time we were always one injury away from disaster. Not anymore.
Offensive Line
Starters
LT: Samuel Cosmi (6’6 295) Sophomore
LG: Tope Imade (6’5 340) Junior OR Junior Angilau (6’6 300) Freshman
C: Zach Shackelford (6’4 305) Senior
RG: Derek Kerstetter (6’5 305) Junior
RT: Denzel Okafor (6’4 315) Junior
Projected Backups:
LT: Reese Moore (6’6 300) Freshman OR Tyler Johnson (6’6 315) Freshman
LG: Junior Angilau (6’6 300) Freshman OR Tope Imade (6’5 340) Junior
C: Rafiti Ghirmai (6’5 300) Freshman
RG: J.P. Urquidez (6’6 300) Junior OR Tyler Johnson (6’6 315) Freshman
RT: Christian Jones (6’5 305) Freshman
What We Know: Texas has eleven scholarship Offensive Linemen at the start of spring practices and they’re all healthy. They return two starters from an Offensive Line that was the best that Texas has had in recent years. The bad news is Texas lost LT Calvin Anderson, LG Patrick Vahe, and RT Elijah Rodriguez to graduation. The good news is that Texas has one of the best Offensive Line Coaches in the country in Herb Hand. Senior Center Zach Shackelford has played in 40 games (27 starts) in his career and will be looking to build off of a Junior season that earned him First Team All-Big XII honors from the Associated Press. Redshirt Sophomore Samuel Cosmi was a Freshman All-American selection and will transition over to the left side, where he should have no issues with his excellent feet. Junior Derek Kerstetter has played in 24 games (15 starts) and has experience at both Guard and Tackle. Junior Denzel Okafor redshirted in 2018, but has played in 24 games (4 starts) in his career and will get the first opportunity with the first-team at Right Tackle.
What We Hope: Kerstetter wasn’t a full time starter last season and Okafor wasn’t a part of the rotation at all, but the two Juniors are far from inexperienced. Both players are also possibly interchangeable with their flexibility to play Guard and Tackle, meaning that there are ways that Coach Hand can tinker with his line without necessarily having to remove or replace anyone. The hope is that Kerstetter and Okafor can develop some chemistry on the right side together this spring. Redshirt Freshmen Reese Moore and Christian Jones have been acclimating very well. The hope is that they can provide some depth at the Tackle positions and possibly even push for playing time if there were to be any injuries or if Okafor struggles.
What to Watch for: Texas was able to redshirt their entire 2018 Freshman class and they are joined by a consensus top-100 2019 national recruit, Tyler Johnson, this spring as an early enrollee. Redshirt Freshman Junior Angilau was an All-American coming out of High School and has drawn positive reviews all offseason. The Left Guard position is one that is unsettled and will likely remain that way until the fall. Fourth-year Junior Tope Imade has yet to participate in any live action for Texas. The expectation is that the massive road grader will be a contributor in the Texas rotation in 2019. He has an opportunity to earn the starting job this spring, but will have to beat out some talented younger players, not to mention Georgia Tech grad transfer Parker Braun, a 2-time All-ACC selection, who will arrive in the summer and is expected to contribute immediately
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