Yesterday, we broke down the Longhorns I’m watching closely this Saturday. Today, we’ll flip to the other side of the field to the Bobcats. Texas State has a number of fascinating playmakers offensively and even a familiar face defensively. GJ Kinne and company have rebuilt much of their defense over the last two seasons, adding a number of former Power Four players. It has all led to them having true CFP hopes in their inaugural year in the redesigned Pac-12.
Here are the Bobcats that Longhorn fans should know before Saturday afternoon:
QB Brad Jackson
This might just be the best QB in the Group of 6. Last season, racked up nearly 4,000 total yards and 38 total TDs, doing plenty of damage with his legs. He’s a true playmaker at QB that now has a full year starting
under his belt. The Texas DL will need to corral Jackson, while the second and third level players will need to be sure tacklers when he gets into open field.
RB Torrance Burgess Jr.
This seems to be Jackson’s running mate in the backfield. Texas State lost star RB Lincoln Pare to the next level and Greg Burrell, the backup last season, was dismissed from the program in spring. That means Burgess Jr. and Jaylen Jenkins will be the leaders in the backfield for the Bobcats. Burgess had just 20 carries a season ago because of an injury but has over 1,000 career rushing yards and brings explosiveness to the table.
WR Chris Dawn Jr.
Much of the attention will be on the other WR Beau Sparks, and for good reason. However, I believe Chris Dawn Jr. deserves the same attention. The senior is coming off a 1,000 yard season, including five 100-yard performances. He can change in a second(15.5 average yards/catch in 2025) and did a number of times last season. The Texas secondary can’t allow No. 1 behind them on Saturday because he will make them pay.
LB Ayden Jones
One of the major departures this offseason for the Bobcats was star LB Treylin Payne. Ayden Jones seems poised to take over his role, being the second leading tackler among the LBs last season. The Texas run game is going to be looking for explosives. Making sure the OL is accounting for No. 15 is a major key to breaking those runs. If they don’t, he could rack up keep the Texas run game from hitting their stride.
LB Terrance Cooks II
As if Jones wasn’t enough, Cooks II steps into the season with tons of experience and expectations. If the name looks familiar, it’s because he started his career at Texas before transferring to TCU for two seasons. He racked up 50 tackles a season ago, 5th most for the Bobcats. In a game the Texas offense should have a strong day, this LB duo could ruin those expectations.
DB Ryan Nolan
If you were identifying the alpha of this defense, he’s right here. Nolan comes back as the top returning tackler, racking up 79 in 2025. He added 2 PBUs to his stat sheet and brings elite experience to the table, playing in all 24 games the last two seasons, making 19 starts. This is someone Arch Manning will need to find before every play because he’s capable of changing the game on the backend.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Bobcats to Watch: Look out for Texas St. QB Brad Jackson at Texas
