Ian Geffrard, the 6’5”, 375-pound senior defensive tackle for the Texas Longhorns, has exploded onto the scene in the first two weeks of the college football season, and he is absolutely wrecking opposing offenses. This Arkansas transfer was billed as a run-stuffing specialist, but he is showing off way more “juice” than anyone expected, making an immediate impact that has everyone talking.
“He’s Got Some Juice Out There”
You know a guy is built different when even his own teammates are getting tossed around in practice. “We go individual drills in practice and I’m over there getting knocked all over the field. It’s like, ‘Dang, I thought I’m a pretty big guy, too, ‘” said 6’5”, 309-pound fellow defensive tackle Hero Kanu. Fifth-year center Connor Robertson, who has the unenviable job of blocking Geffrard in practice, agrees, pointing out the “juice” this dude has. Geffrard didn’t waste any time proving it in games either, grading out at an insane 86.3 by Pro Football Focus against Texas State. In just 20 snaps, he recorded four tackles and three defensive stops, prompting college football analyst Landon Tengwall to call him “one of the most dominant run-stopping defensive tackles in the country.” When the Bobcats tried to double-team him, Geffrard either anchored like a brick wall to make a play or cleared the way for linebackers like Justin Cryer to stuff the running backs. And if you tried to block him with just one guy? Forget about it. His massive strength let him control opposing linemen easily.
More Than Just a Run-Stopping Machine
Through the first two Saturdays of the season, Geffrard has racked up six tackles and five defensive stops over 50 snaps. But those numbers don’t even begin to tell the full story. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian named Geffrard one of the defensive standouts, saying, “Ian Geffrard is a guy who we’re really excited about. I think that he has really stepped into becoming the dominant player that we were hopeful he could be.” Against a more talented Ohio State team, Geffrard didn’t post the same tackle numbers, getting two in 30 snaps. But that “juice” he’s got? It was on full display with two quarterback hurries. Think about that: He had only eight hurries all of last season across 462 snaps at Arkansas! Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin wanted absolutely nothing to do with 375 pounds of Geffrard rumbling at him. The influence against the run remained rock solid, but it’s those hurries that really show off how much more Geffrard brings to the table than just stopping the ground game.
This early season burst from Ian Geffrard is seriously legit. Keep your eyes peeled to see if he keeps bringing that unexpected “juice” and continues to dominate upfront for the Longhorns. If he does, this guy is gonna be a problem for every offense on their schedule.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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