Revamped and Restocked: New Faces Set To Bolster Texas Longhorns Defensive Line

How was Sarkisian able to fill the holes that Murphy and Sweat left?

Texas defensive lineman Alfred Collins (95) runs down the field during the Senior Night celebration / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

By the time T’Vondre Sweat was drafted 38th overall to the Tennessee Titans in the 2024 NFL draft, an early second-round pick, just five interior defensive linemen had fallen off the board. Texas had two of them and was the only team with two drafted until LSU’s second defensive tackle, Jordan Jefferson, 78 picks after Sweat. 

Between Sweat winning the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation's top linemen, and Byron Murphy II being the first defensive lineman taken in the draft, it’s clear that Texas had the best defensive line duo in college football. But both are gone and despite the quality of players having been produced, recruiting the position has been a struggle for the Longhorns.

Former defensive line coach Bo Davis, who has since accepted the same job at LSU to work with his son, did wonders in developing the likes of Sweat and Murphy but was a step behind in the recruiting process. Though Murphy and Sweat turned into superstars, neither of the two were top 350 recruits according to 247Sports. In fact, since 2020 when five-star and current Longhorn defensive lineman was recruited, the Longhorns haven’t recruited a single top 200-ranked player on the defensive line. 

So when defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and head coach Steve Sarkisian began the offseason, the biggest need within the defense was obvious. Though players like Collins and redshirt senior Vernon Broughton had shown flashes in playing time behind Sweat and Murphy, it was obvious that the Longhorns either needed another star, or more depth at one of the most physically demanding positions on the field.

Jan 1, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) runs away from Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Vernon Broughton (45) / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest targets in the portal were obvious. Walter Nolen, a former five-star and top recruit in the 2022 class, was leaving Texas A&M alongside teammate LT Overton, another top 20 recruit in the 2022 class. Nolen, the crown jewel of the transfer portal at the time, decided on Ole Miss, while Overton took his talents to Alabama. Soon it became clear that star talent couldn’t be found on the defensive line, so Kwiatkowski and Sarkisian went for the other approach; quantity over star talent.

Its first recruit on the defensive line was Tiaoalii Savea, brought over from Arizona by Texas’ new co-defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, who was the defensive coordinator at Arizona the past two seasons. Savea was productive in his second season, his first starting, at Arizona, accumulating six tackles for loss. But it was obvious that more was needed. 

Texas went quiet, however, after bringing in Savea in late January. Not a single change was made to the defensive room until April. Jermayne Lole, a seventh-year player who played with Arizona State and most recently Louisville, was brought in as the second body in the room. Another player who added five tackles for loss last season. Lastly, just five days later, the Longhorns brought in another Wildcat via Nansen, this time Bill Norton.  Norton will play in a similar position to Sweat, standing at 6’6 325 pounds and being able to plug and play in the nose tackle position.

 Altogether, the Longhorns didn’t bring in a single 4-star or higher transfer on the defensive line, but Sarkisian and the rest of the defensive staff added 940 pounds of weight on the interior, allowing for Collins and Broughton to find breakout seasons late in their career. 

Though the Longhorn defensive line looks to be a weaker group than the season before, it's also important to note the context of Sweat’s stardom. Sweat nearly doubled his tackle-for-loss production in his last year at Texas, a fifth-year breakout that mostly came out of nowhere.

For players like Collins or Broughton, an unexpected late breakout could definitely be in the cards, and the ability to cycle through five or more defensive linemen in a given game will be key in keeping the group fresh and impactful throughout the entire season.