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In this edition of “Four Downs” I’m answering questions from the Horns247 community. Among the topics being tackled are the ongoing safety battle, the key figures in what the Texas defensive front can show and who might be the best candidate to break out at wide receiver and have a monster year.

First Down: Any update on DeShon Elliott? -- 2000horn

Elliott has gotten some work with the No. 1 defense throughout camp thus far, but if the season started today it sounds like Jason Hall would still be the starter. That might not be what a lot of folks want to hear at this point but there’s a couple of things at play.

One is that Clay Jennings, Vance Bedford and the defensive staff have made it a point to say this preseason they’re not going to ask the starters to play upwards of 80 snaps per game on average. The backups will play, so even if Elliott isn’t starting he’s going to see the field.

The second thing is that Jennings and Bedford have both talked about Elliott needing to be a guy who can play better assignment-sound football and needs to keep working on grasping the nuances of the defense before they put him on the field in a bigger role.

Furthermore, everybody is focused on the defensive line and linebackers when talking about improving a run defense that gave up 219.2 yards per game in 2015. It starts with those guys, but the safeties have to be better tacklers and make more secure plays to prevent decent gains from becoming those that will allow the opponent to strike up the band.

Elliott (6-foot-1, 202) had a great spring, he’s listed 13 pounds lighter than he was last fall and he’s got a spring practice where took a lot of reps with the ones under his belt. He’s come a long way and even if he’s not on the field with the No. 1 group against Notre Dame he’s put himself in a position to play a lot if Hall (6-foot-3, 219), who the coaches are asking to take a big step as a junior, struggles.

Second Down: Do you foresee this being the year Naashon Hughes finally makes a big push or do you think he has met his ceiling? He looks to be putting in the work this offseason. -- calypsovert

It’s going to be tough because the coaches moved Breckyn Hager to the Fox end and started off Malcolm Roach there for a reason. With Erick Fowler having qualified, there’s going to be plenty of young, hungry talent pushing Hughes on a daily basis.

With that said, by no means should anyone write him off yet.

After playing last year in the low 230-pound range Hughes was right around 250 pounds at the start of camp. This will be his third season where he’s been asked to play with his hand on the ground a good chunk of the time, so he’s truly coming into his own physically and in terms of understanding what he’s being asked to do at his position within this defense.

Hughes reminds me a lot of former Texas Tech All-Big 12 defensive end Pete Robertson, who like Hughes came up as a skill position player and was a safety before he spun down. Robertson, who at 6-foot-2, 233 pounds is smaller than Hughes is right now, had 29 tackles for loss and 18 sacks over his final two seasons with the Red Raiders. He also possessed some of the same natural explosiveness and playmaking ability Hughes has flashed.

It’s not crazy to think Hughes can make a similar jump, especially since things seem to be lining up for him to be primed for a big year.

Third Down: Can you project who will start at linebacker? Seems like Wheeler and Malik are in for sure. Any chance Texas runs a 3-4 to get all the LB talent on the field? Not sure who the three guys on the line might be other than Charles Omenihu as one of the ends. Probably don't have the one-technique to run this system but just curious. -- elnimo

Yes, Malik Jefferson (MIKE) and Anthony Wheeler (WILL) are the two starters. When the Longhorns have to bring the SAM linebacker onto the field Edwin Freeman will be the guy who enters the game at that position.

One thing to keep in mind about the defense is that the Longhorns will base out of a nickel defense in order to meet the demands that come with defending the wide-open, up-tempo offenses that populate the Big 12. Rather than having a third linebacker on the field or four true defensive linemen, the Fox and nickel positions are what makes the defense a multiple attack in the true sense of the word.

In that sense, depending on what the Longhorns have dialed up, Naashon Hughes and P.J. Locke could show pre-snap looks or carry out their assignments that gives the look and feel of Texas running a traditional 3-4. The ability to maximize personnel comes down to those two positions being filled.

That’s also why Charlie Strong wanted to recruit size at defensive tackle. The five true freshmen average 6-foot-2, 324 pounds when it comes to height and weight. Furthermore, Chris Daniels, Jordan Elliott and Gerald Wilbon are guys who can play over the ball while Elliott, D’Andre Christmas and Marcel Southall have the pass rush ability and versatility to play various shades, which means two tackles and Omenihu, who’s now up to 270 pounds, could give the look of and play like an effective three-man line.

So in the traditional sense you won’t see Texas go to a 3-4 to maximize personnel. Instead they’ll do it the base nickel package and the pieces are there for the Longhorns to be able to throw multiple looks at opponents.

Fourth Down: Do we have a receiver this season that emerges as the go-to guy (i.e Corey Coleman for Baylor last season)? -- jrc13

I think the guy is going to be John Burt. Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson will be on the field as true freshmen and Armanti Foreman is an experienced, proven commodity, but Burt (6-foot-3, 189) has a chance to be the complete receiver Texas hasn’t had since Mike Davis was locked in and playing at his best in spurts in 2012 and 2013.

Burt has enough acceleration and the ability to start quickly that makes him a threat in the screen game, a throw that’s going to be a staple of the offense as it is for other program’s who run the veer-and-shoot.

Swoopes to Burt on the outside. Ball out quickly. Expect to see the #Longhorns do this quite a bit in 2016. #Believe pic.twitter.com/RLFhmeH2wX — Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247) August 7, 2016



But with the deep ball being very much in play in this offense the route tree the outside receivers are required to know and will utilize consistently is right up his wheelhouse. That’s not to say the other receivers won’t have chances to shine. It’s just that Burt has a year under his belt and has a tremendous amount of confidence following his successful track season that I like him to be the one who breaks out and carries the banner for the group.

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