2014 Texas Longhorns Football Roster Height & Weight Updates

Some dramatic changes in roster composition.

LINEBACKER

Some of our LBs gained while others slimmed up...

Hicks - 6-1, 234

Jinkens - 6-1, 237!!!

Edmond - 6-3, 258

Hicks was 245+ back in the Spring and his weight loss is a natural outgrowth of a very smart player and position coach understanding the tools he'll need in his WLB role.  Reducing some load on his joints is also a good idea.  I want an injury-free season for Jordan as much as he does.

Petey J done growed up and blowed up.  The former Big 12 hybrid spread LB is now full-sized, equipped to handle the rigors of SLB.  He's a good 20+ pounds heavier than last year.  You can see the difference in practice video.

Steve Edmond is a giant MLB, but the requirements of the 4-3 Under Strong-Bedford defense allow this because, well, just read our book.  :)

Santos (252), Cobbs (221) and Cole (236) are our primary back-ups.

DEFENSIVE BACK

Quandre Diggs - 5-10, 195

Duke Thomas - 5-11, 178

Mykkele Thompson - 6-2, 191

Dylan Haines - 6-1, 194

Bryson Echols - 5-11, 184

Josh Turner - 5-11, 175

Adrian Colbert - 6-1, 206

The important takeaway here is that Little Giant Quandre Diggs, listed at an optimistic 5-10, has dropped 10 pounds. Word is that he played last year in the mid 200s, which is totally unacceptable.  His strength is instinctive ball breaks, lateral movement and short area burst - this weight loss will help unleash that.

The rest of the primary DB group doesn't have great size and sure tackling will be important.  Interesting to note that John Bonney's height appears to have been exaggerated while freshman Jason Hall is already a plus-sized college safety headed to 220 pounds.  Huhn, Freeman and Colbert are all big boys.  It will be interesting to see how they challenge for playing time in the nickel and dime and at future LB spots.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Malcom Brown shrank two inches while reapportioning his  320 pounds into more muscle.  Tank Jackson now listed at a more accurate 6-0 even and a biscuit under 300.  Hassan Ridgeway is a 6-4, 307 pound man-child.  Poona measured on the Quandre height chart at 6-2 and a svelte 280.  Chris Nelson checks in at a doo-doo bodied 6-0, 307.  Reed- 272, Bluiett - 261, Shiro - 252, Cottrell - 247.  That's a solid 4 DE group.  Skinny Derick Roberson is 219 - putting weight on him is going to take time and hopefully a redshirt.  Jake McMillon solved his tweener status with a 6-3, 290 frame.  Next stop DT.  Or OL.

OFFENSE

QB

Ash - 6-3, 230

Swoopes - 6-3, 243

Heard - 6-2, 199

Ash is a big boy.  While we're clearly going to scale back on his running, his ability to stand strong in the pocket will be an asset.  Swoopes is huge.  That size will serve him well at DE or TE. Ducks from incoming.

Heard is big enough.

RB

Malcolm Brown - 5-11, 222

Johnathan Gray - 5-11, 210

Duke Catalon - 5-10, 195

D'onta Foreman - 6-2, 215

*Daje Johnson - 5-11, 178

Not exactly a large depth chart is it?  Brown is in 25 carries a game shape.  It caught my eye that Daje is listed at WR/RB.  More slight than imagined.  I thought he'd be in the 190s by this stage of his career.

TE

No surprises.  Everyone is between 6-3 and 6-5, 245-250. Greg Daniels dropped a little weight from his historical norm.

WR

No real surprises though Warrick (172) and Bernard (170) aren't exactly built for durability yet.  The freshman WR class has some size.  Armanti Foreman checking in at 6-0, 189 is encouraging.  The opportunity for a big-body WR to step up is right there for John Harris.

OL

Harrison - 6-8, 313

Estelle - 6-6, 285

Espinosa - 6-2, 308

Flowers - 6-3, 320

Perkins - 6-5, 330

Harrison and Estelle are built like power forwards after a week of buffets and Espinosa/Flowers/Perkins form a big, dense interior.  Perkins carries 330 pounds incredibly well.  Blalockian.  Espinosa got in a good S&C offseason.  Key inside reserves like Doyle, Hammad, Riser are definitely big enough, but Riser's 327 strikes me as less-than-ideal for his frame and Wickline's mobility requirements.  Back-up center Raulerson is now 281.  Darius James checks in at a svelte 6-5, 304 - lighter than he was as a high school senior.

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My biggest takeaways were the modifications to Jinkens and Hicks, our OL size inside and the slightness of our secondary and the transformation of our DL bodies.  How about you?

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If you want to understand how this roster will be deployed and schemed and its strengths and weaknesses, read the most comprehensive Longhorn preview on the market.  We're three weeks from kickoff.  It's time to know your stuff.

The 2014 Longhorn Football Prospectus: Thinking Texas Football