Lance Jackson names three freshman defenders who have surprised

As the Texas Longhorns moved into full pads this week for the first time during preseason camp, a more clear picture has emerged about the offensive and defensive fronts, affording defensive end Lance Jackson the opportunity to share three young defenders who have surprised early — defensive end Richard Wesley and linebackers Kosi Okpala and Rocky Cummings.

“Richard Wesley in our room, gonna be a dog for us in the future,” Jackson said on Thursday.

Although Jackson is only a sophomore, he’s already stepped into a leadership role in LaAllen Clark’s position room, development evidenced by the fact that the Texarkana Pleasant Grove product was one of the first players to meet with the media this month.

And Wesley is one of Jackson’s new mentees. A 6’4, 258-pounder from Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon, Wesley is young for a freshman after reclassifying from 2027, but has a remarkable amount of physical and emotional maturity that made him a consensus five-star prospect ranked as the No. 32 player overall and the No. 6 edge in the 2026 cycle.

Those attributes allowed the initial surge in Wesley’s recruitment to happen three years ago when he was offered by Georgia, Washington, and USC. The following May, Oregon became a contender, offering Wesley and hosting him in Eugene for multiple visits before landing a pledge from the talented edge in May of last year.

The Longhorns were late to offer, in late January, but got Wesley on campus during spring practice and kept pressing, ensuring that the commitment to the Ducks only lasted 17 days, and closed on an official visit in June. Ohio State was able to secure an official visit during the fall, although it wasn’t enough to keep Wesley from signing with Texas.

After a strong performance in the spring-ending open practice, Wesley faces significant expectations this year as the projected backup to star edge Colin Simmons.

“He’s gonna be a really good pass rusher this year,” Jackson said. “He’s gonna get to play a lot.”

The pass-rushing ability Wesley has shown on the Forty Acres fits with his high school evaluations, but becoming more than a situational player in 2026 will require some improvement, and represents a point of emphasis for new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

“Definitely focus on the run a lot right now. Champ wants us to focus on the run a lot, so really our whole edge room hasn’t even gotten to our full bag with pass rush — we’re just focused on stopping the run right now, and then when we get that down, we’re gonna start focusing on our pass rush more and try to get into that,” Jackson said.

Expect Wesley to make an instant impact on passing downs.

Like Wesley, Okpala was also impressive during the open practice as a sure tackler capable of fitting gaps effectively.

One of the major risers for Texas late in the cycle, Okpala played on the edge at Katy Mayde Creek — and was still classified as an edge prospect, with 247Sports ranking the 6’3, 235-pounder No. 60 nationally — but impressed the Longhorns coaching staff playing linebacker at a summer camp two years ago enough to shift his projection.

Like former consensus five-star prospect Anthony Hill Jr., Okpala will start his career playing strong-side linebacker, a position that sees little usage in modern football, while adding depth on the weak side behind senior Rasheem Biles.

So Okpala is another potential specialty player working off the edge on pass-rushing downs, like Hill was early in his freshman season, but his quick feet and strong instincts mean that Okpala could be slightly ahead of where Hill was as an inside linebacker.

“Don’t be surprised if he plays this year,” co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Johnny Nansen said during the spring.

With Okpala taking advantage of his offseason developmental opportunities, Jackson was even more adamant about the freshman contributing.

“Kosi, I think, is going to be really good — he’s not really talked about enough,” Jackson said. “He’s going to have to play a lot. He’s got to step up. Special teams, too.”

Look for Okpala on both coverage units early in the season as the presence of senior edge/linebacker Brad Spence blocks the potential for playing time on defense.

Like Okpala, Cummings spent a lot of time playing off the edge in high school at Carlsbad (Calif.), especially as a senior. The 6’4, 227-pounder has prototypical size at the position that belied his relatively modest rankings as the No. 33 linebacker and the No. 397 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Unlike Okpala, Cummings had a recruitment that was slow to develop with most of his offers coming during the spring of his junior season. Texas entered late, when Cummings was committed to Cal, and won a whirlwind recruitment that featured an early November offer, official visit for the Arkansas game, and a flip to the Horns in the week after the trip to Austin.

Among the lower-rated recruits in the 2026 class for Texas, Cummings is one of the strongest bets to overachieve compared to his rankings thanks to that prototypical physical profile.

“He’s a stud,” Nansen said. “He can run, he’s rangy, he can rush the passer. He’s got it all, and he’s a very smart football player.”

According to Jackson, Cummings is already making plays, confirmed by a clip from practice showing a tackle for loss against freshman running back Jett Walker.

Although that burgeoning playmaking ability is unlikely to result in significant playing time on defense this year, Cummings could compete for a spot on special teams, and all signs point towards a promising career on the Forty Acres, a trait he shares with the other two players cited by Jackson.