ESPN ranks Brandon Baker as a Top 10 second year breakout candidate, who else should’ve been on the list?

In an article released early today by ESPN, CFB recruiting insider Billy Tucker noted ten second-year breakout candidates to focus on in the 2025 college football season. While the list is headlined by Big Ten stars and QB battle winners among blue bloods, Texas’ own Brandon Baker snuck in near the end of the list. Here’s what Tucker had to say about the second-year tackle:

Baker has been put into a treacherous spot on this Texas team. With the loss of Cam Williams to the NFL, Texas chose not to look elsewhere at tackle and trust that a solid player could come out of the trenches between Baker and redshirt sophomore Andre Cojoe. While Baker had already seemed like he was on top of the competition, Cojoe’s season-ending knee injury thrust Baker immediately into the starting role.

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Texas couldn’t be asking for a more skilled second-year guy to step in. Baker is the No. 2 tackle in the class of 2024, according to Rivals Industry Rating, and has been seen as a three-and-out type of player in Austin since he was recruited from California powerhouse Mater Dei. Still, he’s being thrust into a giant role in just year two.

This article does beg the question, though: what other Longhorns could’ve made the list?

Tucker made it clear that the article omits any players who started two or more games in 2024, which is why Ryan Wingo and Colin Simmons are not included here. These two will no doubt be breakout stars in their second years in Austin, but they played too much as freshmen to keep them on the list.

So, looking past Baker and imminent stars, the first name that pops up is Parker Livingstone. The Lovejoy product was barely a four-star recruit, but he’s made waves over this offseason. Even with the addition of Emmett Mosley to the wide receiver room, Livingstone seems to be forcefully taking the outside receiver spot opposite Wingo. His speed and length make him a perfect target for Arch Manning on streaks down the sideline, and his frame makes him a proactive blocker in the run and screen game.

With the original three players mentioned, we’ve already covered three of the five top-50 recruits from the 2024 recruiting class, so we might as well mention the others. Between defensive backs Kobe Black and Xavier Filsaime, Black is expected to play the larger role. He is either the CB2 or 3 on the outside, battling veteran Jaylon Guilbeau for playing time.

Black is a cornerback’s cornerback, a 6’2″ outside playmaker who’s already flashed the ability to attack the ball in coverage. He’s going to play a lot in 2025, and he’ll have the potential to shine early in coverage against the best receiving group in the nation in Week 1.

Filsaime may play less in 2025 because of another second-year safety, this one a former three-star. Jordon Johnson-Rubell was a special teams ace in 2024 who found his way into the lineup multiple times due to injuries in the secondary. He’s less athletic, specifically in the speed category, than Filsaime but has shown himself to be a hard worker in both offseasons he’s had in Austin.

Four more players need to be mentioned. Defensively, Alex January and Ty’Anthony Smith are both lesser-known recruits who are assured some sort of role in the front seven. Smith is pushing Liona Lefau for the starting Will linebacker spot, and January may just be the first-rotation defensive tackle choice.

On the offensive side of the ball, Texas is going to need a big year from at least one of Christian Clark or Jerrick Gibson. While Gibson played in 2024, Clark seems more advanced in the offense right now, even coming off a torn Achilles. His home-run-hitting style of running is too hard to keep off the field entirely, though Gibson’s “Baby Rhino” bruising back mentality is enticing to give goal-line touches to.

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If there’s one thing you can take from this article, it’s that Texas has a plethora of skilled underclassmen contributors, even from a recruiting class that didn’t finish in the top five. While Simmons and Wingo are stars, the biggest takeaway from this group is head coach Steve Sarkisian’s ability to find talent in players ranked outside the top 300. Those players aren’t expected to be NFL draft picks, but the development curve that the likes of Livingstone and January are showing signs of smashing past those rankings entering college.