Texas Football: 5 best players on the 2017 roster

Junior inside linebacker Malik Jefferson has been the leader of the Texas defense since he first took the field in Austin in his freshman season in 2015. Since then, he’s showed that he is capable of competing at the highest level, even when the Horns cannot keep up with their opponent overall.

If Texas sees a return to national relevance and a return to the top of the Big 12 standings, it should largely be thanks to Jefferson and his leadership on defense. He is the returning sacks leader, with 6.5, and second in tackles.

The vaunted linebacker trio that Texas has between Jefferson, Anthony Wheeler, and Breckyn Hager gives the defense hope to put up respectable numbers, once again, in 2017. They’re solidified at that level on defense and that should help ease an experienced defensive line and a secondary in flux to be more successful as well.

Next: Could Shea Patterson transfer to Texas?

Jefferson might not be the first picked Longhorn football player in the 2018 NFL Draft but he is surely the heart and soul of the team this year.