With the 2018 season inching nearer, the Texas Longhorns still have some considerably sizable shoes to fill at boundary safety and just weeks to settle on a Sept. 1 starter. In 2017, that role was occupied by eventual Jim Thorpe Award finalist DeShon Elliott, but seemingly as soon as the junior emerged into a household name, his time at Texas reached its end and Elliott entered the NFL Draft.
Although Tuesday marks just the first full-pads practice of the fall and much can change between now and the Longhorns’ season-opening rematch with Maryland, the early returns point towards a true freshman filling the vacancy Elliott left behind at boundary safety.