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Countdown to Kickoff: Mascoe, Phillips, Littleton lead CB room
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- Countdown to Kickoff: Mascoe, Phillips, Littleton lead CB room
We are 33 days away from Texas teeing the ball up against Texas State. Today, we have reached our penultimate depth chart Monday, with the cornerbacks taking center stage. The unit lost the likes of Malik Muhammad and Jaylon Guilbeau this offseason, but the addition of Bo Mascoe and the strong freshman season in 2025 has the optimism high. Along with the addition of Will Muschamp, this could be a very disruptive, turnover-happy unit.
Here's how I see the uniquely deep unit breaking down this season:
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Starters: Bo Mascoe, Kade Phillips & Graceson Littleton
It seems this trio has set their claim to the starting roles. Obviously, things can change during fall camp, but it seems these will be your starters. Mascoe and Phillips will be the "outside" corners while Littleton will hold down the nickelback position, as he did a year ago.
Mascoe is the sole transfer among the group, joining Rutgers after a season where he forced three turnovers and 4 PDs. Phillips and Littleton are the young players, but are both coming off remarkable freshman seasons. Littleton was a starter, a very good one, from Week One forward and Phillips took over the starting role from Guilbeau late last season. This trio, to me, is stronger than what Texas had a year ago and it'll show in the INT and PD numbers.
Consistent Contributors: Warren Roberson, Samari Matthews, Kobe Black, Wardell Mack, Xavier Filsaime
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It's hard to know where you draw the line between contributors and depth pieces in this group. Kobe Black and Xavier Filsaime are likely to split time between cornerback and safety early in the season, but will factor into the conversation. Warren Roberson is likely to backup Bo Mascoe, and it seems the coaching staff is incredibly bullish if he can limit the penalties. Samari Matthews will likely be the consistent backup for Kade Phillips, with Kobe Black factoring when needed. Finally, Wardell Mack and Xavier Filsaime are the duo that will fight for backup snaps behind Littleton. This group lacks consistent production but the overall talent level is incredibly high.
Depth Pieces: Hayward Howard Jr., Nick Hudson
These are the only two CBs I don't see finding the field this season barring injury. Howard Jr. enters as a very talented, but still young and raw prospect. Nick Hudson entered late in the process from Brown. He could be used on special teams throughout the season and has interesting ball skills, but I don't see him as a major factor.
Overall Take
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I'm incredibly bullish on this unit. I believe the starting trio of Mascoe-Littleton-Phillips could be as special a unit as Texas has had in recent memory. All of them have elite coverage and ball skills. On top of that, Will Muschamp's defense is based on playing the ball and taking it away. The starting trio should be able to do that at a very high level. Beyond them, there aren't many known commodities, but the talent level among players like Samari Matthews, Warren Roberson and Wardell Mack is off the charts. This unit has the talent and depth to be one of the most consistent and productive units for Texas this season.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Mascoe, Phillips, Littleton lead CB room
