The 2023 season will be a make or break year for Steve Sarkisian and this Texas Longhorns staff. The offense must be more consistent throughout the year and that starts upfront along the line of scrimmage. With all five starters returning from the 2022 season, there is a position battle that will determine the starting five for 2023. Cole Hutson versus DJ Campbell for the starting right guard spot.
Cole Hutson started at right guard for every game of the 2022 season. However, towards the end of the season we saw DJ Campbell work his way into the rotation. Heading into the 2023 season, Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood will have to make every position along the offensive line an open competition, or else they risk losing incredibly talented young players and their depth.
Cole Hutson versus DJ Campbell
The Case for Cole Hutson
Cole Hutson was my personal favorite offensive lineman in the 2022 season. Coming in as a four-star interior offensive line (iOL) prospect and a top-50 recruit in the state of Texas, Hutson had some expectations. However, with Hutson sharing the recruiting class with five-star iOL prospect DJ Campbell, it looked like Hutson would be a backup in his first season on the Forty Acres.
Cole Hutson enrolled early at the University of Texas and was able to participate in Texas’ spring practices and game. With injuries to several players along the offensive line, Hutson found himself starting at right guard for the Spring game. Hutson would never relinquish that starting right guard spot again.
Cole Hutson is special. Standing at 6’5” and weighing roughly 315 pounds, he is able to run and move his feet incredibly well. His movement along the line of scrimmage on pulls is his superpower, something he does better than anyone else on the team.
Cole Hutson does have weaknesses, however. He was pretty poor in pass protection throughout the season and was sometimes over powered by stronger defensive linemen. Hutson allowed 24 pressures through 422 pass blocking snaps, roughly one pressure every 18 snaps played.
The Case for DJ Campbell
As mentioned earlier, DJ Campbell is a former five-star iOL prospect and a top-ten overall recruit. He is the second highest rated offensive line recruit in Texas Longhorns history (according to 247sports, dating back to 2000) and is the highest rated offensive line recruit since 2007.
Aside from his recruiting pedigree, DJ Campbell offers overall power and strength that no one else on this offensive line possesses, his superpower. Campbell had a slow start to his college football career start because he was not an early enrollee, which is admittedly unfair to say but that is the landscape of college football right now.
As Campbell continued to grow, weight train, and learn the playbook he continued to play more as the season went on. Campbell played 94 snaps across the final three games of the 2022 season, that’s 47% of the total snaps. Campbell showed that he is already a great pass blocker when he was in the game, allowing only one sack and three pressures in the final three games.
DJ Campbell did struggle as a run blocker at times. His movement skills and ability to pull were clearly a peg below what Cole Hutson could do as a puller and when moving to the second level of the defense.
Conclusion
Honestly, I hate titling this “Cole Hutson versus DJ Campbell”. Both of these players are incredibly special in their own way and both bring something unique to this young (but now veteran) offensive line.
A great way to see both of these players on the field in 2024 in my opinion would be to transition Cole Hutson to the center spot and let DJ Campbell take the starting spot at right guard. Jake Majors (Texas’ starting center) will be gone after the 2023 season, Cole Hutson could use his incredible movement skills at the center spot. Additionally, Hutson’s lack of overall power will be minimized at center.
Again, Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood cannot just “give” anyone the starting spot along this offensive line. However, if everyone is improving and playing well I think Cole Hutson being the center in waiting and D.J. Campbell being the premier right guard will set up the Texas Longhorns well for the future. It would also provide them with incredible depth along the offensive line.
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