Texas Longhorns Special Teams Preview: Who Will Fill Xavier Worthy Void?

Texas Longhorns special teams coordinator Jeff Banks has a tough challenge ahead of him in 2024.

Texas Longhorns special teams coach Jeff Banks coaches his group during their first pre-season practice at the Denius Fields on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. / Ricardo B. Brazziell / Austin

In one of the most volatile position groups in the entire sport of football, Texas Longhorns special teams coordinator Jeff Banks has found consistency with his ever-changing group of players.

In just three years with the team and three NFL drafts, Banks has lost a bountiful amount of important special teams talent. Kicker Cameron Dicker is now starting for the Chargers, Brendan Schooler is one of the most impactful special teams players for the New England Patriots, and names like Roschon Johnson, DeMarvion Overshown, Xavier Worthy, Kielan Robinson, Jordan Whittington and even last years punter Ryan Sanborn have all gone through the NFL draft process and are no longer Texas Longhorns.

But Banks keeps finding ways to make Texas one of the most efficient special teams rosters in the nation, year in and year out. 

Expected points added, or EPA is an advanced stat that measures a team's performance play-by-play, with each play having a point-based impact on the overall score. Teams with higher EPA during the game, or EPA per play, are often the best in college football. It can be hard to statistically quantify the success of a special teams unit, but EPA allows one to do just that.

Banks’ group was one of the most impactful units on the team in the back half of the year, and the EPA supports it. In eight of the Longhorns' nine final games in 2023, Texas’ special teams generated more estimated points added than its opponents. The sole game where they didn’t was the routing of Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship, a game in which the Longhorns were putting in backups by the end of the third quarter. 

In the Sugar Bowl game that the Longhorns lost to Washington, Texas proved why the special teams was so vital to its success. Early in the second quarter, a Sanborn punt resulted in a muffed return and a recovery by the Longhorns, keeping them in the game with the high-powered Washington offense as they would go on to score a few plays later. If not for the kicking of junior Bert Auburn and the penalty game won by the Longhorns special teams, Texas wouldn’t have even had a chance of making a late comeback, nearly winning on a clock-expiring throw from Quinn Ewers.

Jan 1, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; Texas Longhorns place kicker Bert Auburn (45) kicks an extra point against the Washington Huskies during the first quarter of the 2024 Sugar Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas special teams group still has some continuity as it enters the 2024 season. Auburn returns for his senior season at Texas and will likely remain the top kicker in college football. Auburn’s 29 field goals made in 2023 led the nation, and an extra year to work out his shaky 83% field goal percentage will hopefully add a new element to his game.

Texas also returns some of its best special teams tacklers and playmakers. Freshman Liona Lefau, Tre Wisner and sophomore Jaylen Guilbeau return as some of the most important and talented role players on the special teams unit. Wisner in particular found himself in what felt like every play last year, even as a running back. All three will see more snaps on regular downs which could take away from their special teams snaps, but all three have been so vital that its hard to imagine they will be taken off units like kickoff and punt coverage. 

Texas will also lean on many newcomers to anchor the special teams group. Expect lower four and three-star recruits like Aaron Butler, Wardell Mack, Ty'Anthony Smith and Jordan Washington to get early snaps at roles like gunner and blocking specialists on defense. Freshman and general underclassmen often get the majority of their early playing time on the special teams unit, and Banks has a plethora of athletic options to utilize early on. Sanborn will also be replaced by a freshman punter, Florida product Michael Kern, whose booming leg should make up for his inexperience early on.

The transfer portal will also impact the unit, but mostly in the return game. Houston transfer wide receiver was one of only five players to score multiple kickoff return touchdowns in 2023, while Silas Bolden was by far the most electric returner on Oregon State last season, taking one of his three punt returns to the house while contributing in the kick return game. Alongside the two newcomers, elite athletes like junior Jaydon Blue, freshman Jerrick Gibson, sophomore Johntay Cook and even Wisner will all get chances to have the ball in their hands.

Banks has found ways to add to his own unit while also allowing head coach Steve Sarkisian to bring in talent on both sides of the ball. For a group that changes year over year, its easy to expect Banks is able to have another stellar season coaching the special teams squad.