Surpassing the halfway mark on the regular season, Texas football has yet to be satisfied with a consistent lineup, but that’s not a bad thing.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian continues to capitalize on the versatility of his team by shuffling players on snaps, most notably shifting younger guys to positions that they’ve shown to execute well at.
As a result, some veterans have been seeing less reps as their underclass counterparts begin to take the reins. The dynamic duo of sophomore linebackers Anthony Hill Jr. and Liona Lefau has most recently caused a rift in the production of senior linebacker David Gbenda, as Lefau replaced Gbenda in the starting lineup against Vanderbilt.
While this situation could be seen as a downgrade for someone that has spent six years with the program, Gbenda takes it as an opportunity to make every snap count, and has even seen an increase in efficiency, Sarkisian said.
“I think there’s a level of versatility to what Liona brings. He can play multiple positions. He communicates well with Anthony. I think Anthony trusts him that way to go do that,” Sarkisian said. “But on the flip side, in the production that David has now, maybe with some limited reps, but when he goes in, his production has been really high. And so I think it’s been a win on both ends for us.”
Now garnering extended time on the field, Hill, a headliner for the Longhorns defense, leads the entire team with 58 total tackles, 10 tackles for a loss of 29 yards and 5.5 sacks. Lefau has 25 total tackles and two sacks on the season, and recorded his first interception for a return of six yards against the Commodores.
Gbenda has the second-most total tackles with 42, including five for a loss of nine yards and one sack. Already this season, he’s nearly surpassed his total tackle count from the 14 games he played in during the 2023 season.
This combination of an experienced senior and two rising sophomores could become dangerous for the Texas defense, and there’s no doubt that Gbenda has been a key role model for Hill and Lefau. Known for his ability to lead by example, Gbenda has remained humble, whether he’s making every tackle or not even getting the chance. He serves as the perfect representation for both the underclassmen just now getting their foot in the door and the upperclassmen who may not be utilizing every chance they get on the field.
“David’s such a positive guy. No outcome deters David from how he performs,” junior defensive back Michael Taaffe said. “He’s such a guy that no matter what’s going to happen to him, he’s going to be the same guy every single day. I haven’t seen his mindset, his attitude, change one bit, no matter if he gets 100 snaps a game or no matter if he gets zero snaps a game. And so that’s just who David is.”
With just four games left before a potential SEC Championship and College Football Playoff berth, the chemistry between classes, shown by Gbenda, Hill and Lefau, will be crucial to standing out as the most dominant defense in college football.
