AUSTIN, Texas — Charles Omenihu could have decided to not return to Texas for his senior season and few could have blamed him.

The 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive lineman has the length and measurables NFL scouts find highly desirable. With the ability to be comfortable in either a three or four-man front, Omenihu has the kind of versatility and production (53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two forced fumbles over the last two seasons) that easily could have made him a pick in the middle to late rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Then there’s the fact that six signees from the 2015 class Omenihu was a part of — Michael Dickson, DeShon Elliott, Holton Hill, Malik Jefferson, Chris Warren III and Connor Williams — are getting ready to begin their NFL careers as soon as the draft determines their next destination. Tie it all together and Texas could easily be going through spring practice right now trying to replace yet another starter on defense.

Thankfully, for Tom Herman and Todd Orlando, Omenihu decided to put off pro football for another year.

“I had that feeling,” Omenihu said recently of his decision-making process leading up to the NFL’s early-entry deadline in January. “I decided I was going to be back.”

Not only is Omenihu looking to show the NFL more of what he can do, he entered spring practice as one of the faces of Texas defense that has a chance to once again be one of the better units in the Big 12. Leaving that kind of impression, that kind of legacy is what drove Omenihu to return to a team where he’ll team with Breckyn Hager, Chris Nelson, Ta’Quon Graham and the rest of the Longhorns up front to form arguably the backbone of the 2018 defense.

“I felt like I could give more to the university,” Omenihu said. “I felt like I could put out more on film. I feel like this team is good enough to do big things.”

Omenihu’s presence and production could definitely lead to some of those big things the Longhorns do in the second season of the Herman era. After coming to Texas as a natural pass rusher, Omenihu showed last season playing closer to the ball that not only can he provide the splash plays a player of his ilk is expected to (career-high marks in tackles with 28, tackles for loss with seven and sacks with four were set), he was consistently good against the run.

Not only did Omenihu play a big role in Texas finishing eighth nationally against the run (106.8 yards per game allowed) with what he did playing as a 4i shade, he had a good season individually. According to Pro Football Focus, Omenihu had the eighth-best run defense grade on the team, a 78.6 grade that’s the fourth-best score among returning Longhorns behind only Hager (81.8), linebacker Gary Johnson (81.5) and Nelson (79.0).

Evolving as a well-rounded player is something Omenihu said will continue to happen as long as he continues to play within Orlando’s defense.

“That’s all I really can do,” Omenihu said. “Everything will fall into place if I’m doing my job and my teammates are doing their job. Everybody’s going to eat and everybody’s going to work to what they want to do.”

Omenihu returned to a team he said hit the field for spring practice defined by its hunger and having no tolerance for complacency. The year it took Herman and his staff to establish a culture and a standard to be met on a daily basis was worth it, Omenihu said, due to players returning from the holiday break off of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl win over Missouri knowing what to expect when winter conditioning began in January.

Having embraced the role of being a veteran leader, Omenihu said it’s his job as well as that of the other seniors on the roster to make sure that they continue to set the establish tone in order for his last ride on the Forty Acres to be a memorable one.

“We have to get those young guys to come along and know how the culture is here,” Omenihu said. “Make sure they follow through just like we do.”

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