The Perfect Defensive Back: Muschamp's Formula Revealed | Texas Football | Steve Sarkisian

Summary

On Texas Football — Episode Summary

Episode Title: The Perfect Defensive Back: Muschamp's Formula Revealed
Host: Jeff Howe
Co-hosts: Jerry Hamilton, Hank South
Theme: A deep dive into Will Muschamp's blueprint for recruiting and developing elite defensive backs at Texas, including physical and intangible traits, evaluation philosophy, and a review of Texas's latest DB recruits.

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Episode Overview

In this Recruiting Breakdown, the On Texas Football crew unpacks the “perfect defensive back” formula detailed by Texas defensive backs coach Will Muschamp during his recent clinic at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention. Drawing parallels to NFL standards and Nick Saban's Alabama checklist, the team discusses the nuances of DB evaluation, why certain traits trump others, and how Texas’s current and future classes stack up against Muschamp’s demanding criteria.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Will Muschamp’s Defensive Back Checklist (02:00-04:56)

• Core Physical Measurables:

  • Height: Ideal target is ~6 feet.
  • Arm length: 32-inch arms preferred for man coverage/line of scrimmage battles.
  • Weight: Flexible based on body type and developmental upside.
  • Speed: Sub-11 second 100m; sub-4.6 second 40-yard dash “on his clock.”
  • Explosiveness: 34”+ vertical jump, 10’+ broad jump to measure “twitchiness.”
  • Flexibility: Measured on campus — Twitter-reported measurements not trusted.

• Elite Traits that Trump Measurables: High-level performance or trait in one area can compensate for a deficiency elsewhere.

  • “If you’re deficient in any of these areas, you better be elite elsewhere. I think that kind of covers, that allows him to cover all bases…” — Jeff Howe (02:45)

• NFL and ‘Saban-Style’ Roots: Muschamp’s formula mirrors Nick Saban (Alabama), Bill Parcells, and Bill Belichick's standards for secondary play.

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2. Intangibles & the Right-Side Traits (03:03-10:15)

• Instincts & Versatility:

  • “Quandre is elite in a lot of areas outside of height and maybe long speed… he was so instinctive, he was so physical. He checked every box except height and speed.” — Hank South (03:12)
  • Intangibles, football IQ, and physical toughness are vital.
  • Willingness to “stick your face in the fan”—critical for SEC-mandated DB physicality.

• Physicality & Tackling:

  • “The number one goal is take away the run. Make a team one-dimensional.” — Jerry Hamilton (08:02)
  • “Knockback” tackling ability, a quality Muschamp insists on for his DBs.

• Quarterback Experience in High School:

  • “He loves traits of guys who played quarterback in high school—athleticism, decision making, having the ball in your hands, communication, all that goes into it.” — Jeff Howe (09:47)
  • Malachi Starks (Georgia), Adrian Phillips, Quandre Diggs: All cited as examples.

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3. Translatability to Texas Recruiting (12:42-14:33)

• John Meredith Case Study:
  • Meredith reclassifies to 2026 and exemplifies Muschamp's checklist.
  • “He's a guy who will add 10, 12, 14 pounds... If he cared about track, he'd run a sub-11... He’s a willing tackler and he'll stick his face in the fan.” — Hank South (12:57)
  • Comparison to former Texas DBs (Shocky Brown, but “much more athletically gifted, little taller”).

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4. 2027 Defensive Back Class Evaluation (15:36-18:35)

• Key Names: Montre Jackson, Brandon Sherrard, Junior Tupo

  • All check length/speed boxes; all display high-level coverage skills.
  • “If you can’t cover, you don’t really have a place in the Texas secondary.” — Jeff Howe (15:49)

• Standout Recruit—Brandon Sherrard:

  • Physical “bust you in the mouth” style.
  • Great coverage, position versatility (corner, nickel, safety).
  • “He checks every box so much, I could see him working at almost every position in the secondary until Texas finds his home.” — Hank South (17:27)
  • Coveted by Muschamp, Brent Venables, and Corey Raymond—“that’ll do it.”

• Late Additions Possible?

  • Coaches keep tabs on senior evaluations for late-rising prospects.
  • “It’s not a huge pressing need... but I think they will... circle back.” — Jerry Hamilton (18:57)

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5. Muschamp’s Evaluation and Recruiting Philosophy (19:53-22:22)

• Hands-On Recruiting:
  • Muschamp is “the exception to the rule” with P4 coordinators seldom personally evaluating or recruiting prospects on the road.
  • “He holds everybody accountable. He holds himself accountable... That’s who he is. If my getting out on the road and evaluating these guys gives us a better chance, I'm going to do it.” — Hank South (20:28)
  • Notable story: “I was watching Leroy Scott and [Muschamp] said, ‘that kid’s gonna have flexibility issues. He’s a toes-up guy.’ He was right.” — Hank South (21:22)
  • Past success stories: Duke Thomas and Hassan Ridgeway — “two guys that ended up playing in the NFL.” — Jeff Howe (21:54)

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6. Final Thoughts & Notable Quotes

• Will Muschamp’s formula heavily values physical tools, but even more so, it prioritizes instincts, football IQ, and physicality.
• Track record proves that Muschamp’s hands-on approach yields NFL talent—making his personal evaluation a major asset for Texas.

Notable Quotes

• On trade-offs in evaluation:
  “If you’re deficient in any of these areas, you better be elite elsewhere.” — Jeff Howe (02:45)

• On physicality in the SEC:
  “In the SEC, you have to be a willing tackler.” — Jerry Hamilton (06:50)

• On QB experience for DBs:
  “He loves traits of guys who played quarterback in high school—athleticism, decision making...communication.” — Jeff Howe (09:47)

• On Sherrard’s value:
  “Will Muschamp wanted you, Brent Venables wanted you and Corey Raymond wanted you. That'll do it.” — Hank South (17:19)

• On Muschamp's evaluation style:
  “He holds everybody accountable. He holds himself accountable... If my getting out on the road and evaluating these guys gives us a better chance... then I'm going to do it.” — Hank South (20:28)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 02:00–04:56 — Muschamp’s DB checklist and philosophy
• 06:26–10:15 — Physicality, tackling, and QB backgrounds
• 12:42–14:33 — John Meredith case study, current recruits
• 15:36–18:35 — 2027 DB class, strengths and versatility
• 19:53–22:22 — Muschamp's approach to evaluation and recruiting

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Conclusion

This episode provides a comprehensive look at how Will Muschamp researches, evaluates, and recruits defensive backs—the balance of measurable athleticism and intangible qualities that set apart future pros. The hosts tie Muschamp’s philosophy directly to Texas’s recent and future DB classes, providing Longhorn fans insight into what traits Texas coaches truly value, why some prospects are prioritized, and how hands-on old-school evaluation continues to build elite secondary units on the Forty Acres.

Transcript

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[Jeff Howe]

What does Will Muschamp look for when he's recruiting defensive backs? We'll get to his checklist here on this edition of the Recruiting Breakdown. Welcome back to On Texas Football. I'm Jeff Howe, joined by Jerry Hamilton and Hank South. Guys, I was I was at the Texas High School Coach association convention recently. Will Muschamp did a and he talked about, hey, he didn't know what he wanted to talk about. He's already got his fall install done. So basically he did a defensive back clinic for an hour, which was awesome. And I thought it was really interesting, guys, that he got into what he values in a defensive back. And producer Matt's got a graphic for us to kind of lays everything out for those of you watching, for those of you not watching. And again, preface all this, Jerry, I think it's key before we get into this because you can look at the guys, you know, an Earl Thomas, for instance, I know Mushroom didn't recruit him but coach him at Texas. He recruited quandary Diggs. If you're deficient in any of these areas, you better be elite elsewhere. I think that kind of covers. That allows him to cover all bases, doesn't it Jerry?

[Hank South]

It does. I mean, yeah, when you think about a quandary Diggs.

[Mark Cameron]

Right.

[Hank South]

Quandary is five, eight and change. Okay. He didn't. He did. I'm not sure he would have run a sub 11 second hundred meter.

[Ardlo Hanlon]

Right.

[Hank South]

But he has all the rest of it. And what he has is instincts, intangibles, physical toughness and versatility. I mean quandary is elite in a lot of different areas outside of height and maybe long speed. And that's the reason that Quandary is able to go on and have a great and long NFL career is because he was so instinctive, he was so physical. He, he, he, he checked every single box except height and probably speed.

[Jeff Howe]

You know, it's interesting, Muschamp said people can say, well you coached at Texas and Florida and lsu. You've had access to great defensive backs. You should get the pick of the litter. But he did point out JC Horn didn't have that many offers at South Carolina. Ended up leaving South Carolina as the number seven pick in the draft. So Will Musham knows how to identify dbs. So just a quick rundown in terms of the measurables. Want a defensive back around 6 foot tall, ideally 32 inch arms. We know Will Mushroom's really big on playing physical man coverage, winning at the line of scrimmage and we'll get into that here in a little bit. Weight's going to depend on body type. He talked about, hey, let's get you on campus. I don't know your hydration levels, I don't know your growth potential. That's a lot of that's going to do with Tory Beckton, the work he does. Sub 1100 meter time is ideal. Sub 46 40. And that's on his personal clock, the 40 yard dash, 34 inch or more vertical broad jump at least 10ft. Hank you before you started covering Texas, you covered Alabama recruiting under Nick Saban for a long time. And you hear much champ talk about his defensive back philosophy. It's still very much rooted in what Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick and Nick Saban believe wins in the secondary. Hank, how much of this checklist would line up with, with a Nick Saban checklist at Alabama?

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah, first of all is, is Will Muschamp's 40 yard dash clock, is that more accurate Than laser. I would like to see, to see

[Hank South]

the clock in his mind. It is.

[Jerry Hamilton]

No, but I think if you opened up, in fact, I think there's a guidebook somewhere that Nick Saban has put together critical measurements of every position on the field. And I, I would be pretty confident that this matches word for word in that. And you know, I, I look as you look at this, I just think about Will Muschamp coming back to Texas in December and, and walking Phillips and just seeing like, I mean that that kid has and checks every box on that list for the most part. He was probably really excited to see that. But. No, absolutely. And this isn't, you know, with evals and, and scouting and going on the road. This is why I think he likes to go and see the kids. But why Texas likes to put guys through their own workouts too. Because first of all, you know, kids are always going to kind of embellish their, their, their height, weight, their, their stats on their Twitter. Like kill say four, three. Like that's, you know, on his Twitter bio. They like to get these kids in person and work them out, put them through their own kind of test to see if they can, they can handle the pressures and also obviously get the measurements. That's why you always see these kids. They go on these unofficial visits and they always weigh in. They get their height, weight, they get everything they can get. So they have this accurate information and they can see that the growth or where that kid's going to be. But no, I mean, to go to circle back to your original question, I, I would think this is pretty word for word what, what Saban would want,

[Jeff Howe]

Jerry, when you look at that list of, of measurables and again with the, the vertical jump and the broad jump. Must. Champ said explicitly that's how he measures twitchiness and explosiveness is those two jumps. Those two things will tell you a lot. The vertical and the broad jump. Anything specifically jump out to you, Jerry? As. Yeah, this is maybe something underrated that we don't think about when you're, when evaluate defensive backs.

[Hank South]

First thing that jumps out is I have none of that. And I don't think I ever had any of that. Maybe six feet tall. So I had one box check as a basketball player for one Mustang. All right. Didn't have the 34 word. Yeah. So I go to the right side. Okay. More than the left side. What sticks out to me is the physicality part because it's in the sec. Look, it's not a. And I'm not saying some Conferences aren't are soft, but there's certain conferences that haven't been as physical over the years or different type of football. But in the SEC you have to be a willing tackler. And he used the term knockback. That's an old Randy Rogers scouting report. It's an old school thing. Knockback tackler, I still use that sometimes with some guys. But to stick your face in the fan and be willing to stick your head in there and take on a Nick Townsend as a corner right, take on a pulling tackle, whatever that may be, that ability to be in the willingness to be super physical football player. Because Will Muschamp's goal is we're talking about DBs and they have to be able to cover man. But the number one goal is take away the rod as a team. Every game when you go in is take away the run, make a team one dimensional. And that, that is what stands out to me most, Jeff, is that physicality component. And again it goes back to what Will Muschamp said though if you maybe aren't quite as physical, he's got to be able to see that you're willing to be physical and we'll work on the rest. But then you have to be really elite in other areas. So you better be an elite, elite coverage guy with elite height and length if you're not going to be hit his physical requirement as far as being a guy that'll stick your face in the fan automatically and play the run. So that's what I really look at because the SEC is a physical league. You are not going to be on the field for ole must champ unless you're willing to be physical. And I think taking away the run is 1, 2 and 3 for, for this guy and his staff every single game.

[Jeff Howe]

Yeah, to your point, Jerry. Again, I'll go back to Earl Thomas. Earl on the left side of the screen doesn't check a lot of those boxes, but you go to the right side. Nobody would ever question Earl Thomas's physicality, his instincts, his man coverage ability. That's why Will Muschamp all the about all the great defensive backs Will Muschamp has coached. He's gone on the record saying if he had to pick one, Earl Thomas might be the best he ever coached. Hank, there is one thing and you again, you, you look at the right side. We, we talk about tackling. He handed to control the receiver at the line of scrimmage. Again, getting back to Jerry's point about physicality. Got to be able to cover in man. Whether you're a corner safety or star, got to have instincts and zone coverage. A good blitzer is a bonus. But Hank, that last one, and it's something that we don't see much anymore. He loves traits of guys who played quarterback in high school. Athleticism, decision making, having the ball in your hands, communication, all that goes into it. He mentioned Malachi Starks was a guy that played quarterback in high school that he coached at Georgia. It's kind of unfortunate, Hank, in a, in a spread world, we don't see that much anymore. But you think Adrian Phillips, Quandre Diggs, Blake Gideon, a lot of some really good defensive backs we've seen at Texas that either played for or were recruited by Will Muschamp did play quarterback in high school.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah, I mean it just goes back to football iq. You know, what better position to go play than to defend against a position you're familiar with? And you kind of know the tendencies, you know, what they're looking for. It already gives you a leg up. And if you add in, you know, the fact that you, you've got all the, the check measurables and the toughness, the physicality, the instincts, then you kind of already have an idea of what the other side of the ball is going to do or what he's looking for. And you know, you can, you can read it easier. So yeah, the, the dual or not dual sport, but you know, the both sides of the ball aspect of it is certainly, I think, yeah, you look back, Malachi Starch is a great example, a guy that played quarterback at the high school level and, and, and certainly has shown that he now can, you know, he's able to read a quarterback a little bit better. A lot, a lot better and be elite in that area in terms of playing and coverage. So yeah, it's, it's, it's a big, big thing to have.

[Jeff Howe]

Jerry, we'll get to the, to the 27 class here in just a second. But since John Meredith's no longer a part of the, of the 27 class, he's now reclassified to 26. Is going to be a part of, of this football team this year as musk champs. Running this down, the light bulb went off for me as I'm listening, I was like, man, this, this sounds like basically like.

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[Jeff Howe]

It's kind of like John Meredith scouting report is basically what Will Musham's reading me like. He, John Meredith checked a ton of these boxes and I think it's key to point that out, Jerry, because this is Will Muschamp's first group of defensive backs back at Texas that he has recruited, Meredith chief among them.

[Hank South]

Yeah, look, John Meredith does and the weight depends on body type. If you look at John Meredith in person, he. He appears thin, right? But he's six two and a quarter. I mean, he's a guy who's six two and change, whatever that ends up being, without shoes. But he's a guy who's still growing into his frame. He's a guy who will add 10, 12, 14 pounds. I think he's 178, but he looks like he weighs 170. But he weighs more than that. In actuality, he's a guy that's going to carry over 190 pounds long term. So that weight depends on body type. I can guarantee you he checks every other box here. If he cared about track, if he ran track, he'd run an 11. A sub 11. He definitely runs a sub 4 6. So he checks every box. And the other one, he's a willing tackler and he'll stick his face in the fan. That's the one thing we know about John Meredith is he is not shy of contact. And if, if he has a. If somebody said, okay, what does John Meredith need to work on? Is he physical? Enough for that. So no, I'd say sometimes he's overconfident and press but in terms of physicality he'll answer the bell. But there's no doubt. And he's just a overly aggressive guy who can really cover man at times. But it's not about strength, it's not about is he physical enough. He checks all those boxes and he's similar, Jeff. He's a. You know when you think about a guy who played for must champ on the prior Texas teams, you would, you would look at a guy like Shocky Brown and say this is a much more athletically gifted, little taller version of Shocky Brown.

[Jeff Howe]

Yeah, well, I think it's shocking. Rod babies and I had many conversations over the years about Shocky Brown's eye control or lack thereof. There's one trait he was lacking, that might be it. We'll see how John Meredith measures up when he gets to campus. We'll talk about the 27 class specifically and the guys, how they rate against this checklist. We'll do that here in a second. But before we do that, Jerry, let's thank our long running sponsor here on the recruiting breakdown and give a shout out to Mark Saunders.

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[Jeff Howe]

All right, thank you, Jerry. Hank, when I look at the checklist and then I look at the 27 defensive back class which what you've got left if you're Texas is Montre Jackson, Brandon Sherrard and Junior Tupo. The thing that jumped out to me, Hank, all of those guys we've seen in on film, they can all cover. And going back to what we talked about a minute ago, Musham has made it perfectly clear, not just in this lecture, but he's gone on record saying it. Man, if you can't cover, you don't really have a place in the Texas secondary. That Hank, that might be the one trait to me at least that jumps out.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah, absolutely. They all, you know, for the most part, I mean certainly Junior Tupo, but the, the, the six feet tall requirement. They all have length. You know, Montre Jackson's a, a 10 5, 10 4, 105 guy in the hundred. I would imagine most of them have, have that, that vertical jump check mark. But yeah, the coverage, I mean, Junior Tupo, you look at his, his Junior tape at Thompson. He's playing mostly corner, a lot of cornerbacks. So he, he's got really good coverage instincts. Montre Jackson obviously, you know, probably a little bit more development to do in, in the turnaround. The, the fluid of hit fluidity of his hips, all that kind of stuff. Then Brandon Sherrard I think is probably the, the model of what they're looking like. That's like the, the mold of the 20, 27 DB they're looking for with everything he checks off. So you know, even taking John Meredith out of this group, it's still a really, really impressive defensive backs class.

[Jeff Howe]

Jerry, Brandon Sherrard is the guy. And look, I love junior Tupo Monterey Jackson. It feels like he's been on the board for Texas for about six years now. But Brandon Sherrard is the guy. Jerry, that when I look, when I watch the tape, I'm like, this guy looks like a must champ corner because he is a physical bus you in the mouth at the line of scrimmage type guy. A man coverage.

[Hank South]

You want to know what a good sign for a defensive back is? Will Muschamp wanted you, Brent Venables wanted you and Corey Raymond wanted you.

[Jeff Howe]

That'll do it.

[Hank South]

That's if you look at their resumes. Brandon Sherrard's probably underrated nationally if we're being honest here. He had a little bit of an injury his junior year. Yeah. But yes, he is. Look, he is such a talent that I think he could play anywhere in the secondary of Texas. I think that's how highly I think the college coaches think of Brandon Shard. He can play man. He can play corner, right. He can do that and he's physical corner. He can play nickel, he can cover, man. He's that bigger nickel that Will Muschamps played in the past. So he could he play there potentially. Could he be a free safety? Absolutely. He has a net, he has good eyes, he makes really good breaks on the ball. He is physical enough and he has range with that height in that, in that frame. He has, he has range. He checks every box. He checks every box so much that I could see him working at almost every position in the secondary until Texas finds his home. I think that's how high I am on, on Brandon Schrad and I think the college coaches kind of showed us the way on Brandon Sherrard by who wanted him.

[Jeff Howe]

Hank, we've seen Texas and it wasn't Will much champ per se, but we've seen, we've seen Texas in the last few cycles get a defensive back pretty late in the fall, got in December. They've closed on a guy. It was Grayson Littleton two years ago. Last year it was Trey Davis with John Meredith reclassing. Hank, you think, you think Texas is done? Mike, they keep an eye out for a senior eval type guy?

[Jerry Hamilton]

I think they'll keep their eye out certainly. I'm not sure it's a guy we currently have on our radar or a guy they've already offered. There's, there's been guys in this class, you know, you know, obviously John Meredith was a big nil recruitment certainly but you know, you look at like Gabriel Osborne or a King Hall, I'm not sure they're going to go that direction. I think they'll probably just do their rounds on you know, senior seasons and see who's out there. You mentioned Grayson Littleton. That was a guy they offered in mid October of 2024 before flipping him from Clemson. So you know, it's not a huge pressing need. Obviously you know, this, this the new five for five. Everything can change, you know, in terms of what you need to add. But again I, I think they're really excited about this three man class. I don't think they're, they're going to be. There's going to be a huge, you know, urgency to add another, another big time cornerback. But I think they will, that'll be potential senior eval circle back position.

[Jeff Howe]

They'll look at Jerry as we wrap this up. We go big picture, just recruiting on the defensive side of the ball underworld. And it's not a knock on, on P, on Pete Kwikowski, but Jerry. Most coordinators at the P4 level don't get out and recruit. I mean they might spot, recruit or go get out and look at a specific guy. I think Will Musham, how he attacks the trail. Jerry, it just shows he's the, he's the exception of the rule because I can't, I just can't believe all these years later as much as he's done in his career he still wants to be out in the evaluation period and getting on the whiteboard with people and just doing the evaluations in person with his own eyes.

[Hank South]

Yeah. And look, he coaches the Nichols. He's the Nichols coach too, right? I mean, it's hard to. It's hard. He only has one person to blame. If the Nichols didn't live up to it in recruiting, it's him. Right? And so I, I love that Will Muschamp wants to be on. He's an old school coach, man. Look, he. I'll never forget I was at South Houston watching Leroy Scott and Will Muschamp and Major Athwart walked up and I don't know if I should tell the story, but I am. And I was watching Leroy Scott and he said, and he looked at him, he said, that kid's gonna have flexibility issues. He's a toes up guy. His toes are poking through his shoes. And he was right. I mean, it was, it's so, look, he's been evaluating guys in person his whole career. And once you've done that and you trust yourself with evaluation, why are you going to hand it off to somebody else when you can still go on the road and do it? And that's what, that's who he is. He's in a. He, he holds everybody accountable. He holds himself accountable. And he's like, look, man, there's one. If my me getting out on the road and evaluating these guys gives us a better chance to maximize and be the most successful team we can be, then I'm going to do it. And I think he also just loves ball. I mean, look, when you've been coaching this long, you know, all the coaches everywhere you go. But I do think from the in person evaluation standpoint, I'm not sure that's not a strength of Will Muschamp, especially in the secondary.

[Jeff Howe]

I'll just say this guys, two of the last guys, Will Muschamp before he left Texas to take the Florida job, two of the last guys he signed off on in turn after doing his in person evaluation. And again, he wasn't around for the recruitment or to, to coach him. It was Duke Thomas and Hassan Ridgeway, two guys that ended up playing in the NFL. So to Jerry's point, Will Muschamp knows what, he knows what he wants, knows what he's looking for. And more often than not, Jerry, he's got a track record. More often than not, he's right when he's doing his defensive evaluations.

[Hank South]

No doubt. Brandon Sherrard had an offer from Texas, came and worked out the Wednesday before He went to LSU for a June 12th through 14th ov. He came and worked out and Texas worked him out. And they were at that point they said, we gotta have this guy, period. Yep.

[Jeff Howe]

All right, Jerry, Hank, thank you guys for the time, the knowledge, the intel, the expertise. As always, big thank you to Matthew behind the scenes for producing it, doing the great job that he does for us here at On Texas Football. Big thank you to Mark Saunders for sponsoring the recruiting breakdown. If you're not a member [e-mail] make sure you get over to the site, check out everything we've got going on over there, make sure that you like this video, make sure you're subscribed to the on Texas Football YouTube channel, and make sure you got your notifications set. That way, anytime we go live or drop a new video, you're not going to miss any of our Longhorn coverage or breaking news for Jerry, for Hank, for Matthew, for the entire On Texas Football staff, I'm Jeff Howell. Thank you so much for watching and listening. And until next time.

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