Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian allowed us to watch a small portion of spring practice on Monday. Alex and I were in attendance and here are some notes I gathered from practice:
--- Practice was held in the stadium on Monday morning. It rained a lot before practice, and I thought they might head into the bubble. However, they practiced in DKR.
--- Sophomore defensive back Maliki Muhammad was limited in the portion of practice we were allowed to watch. Muhammad did not wear a protective brace and was in full pads. Even though he was limited, it does not appear his injury is serious.
--- RB Savion Red needs to shed a few pounds, but Texas is still utilizing him. Red was a blocker on punt protection and was active in the running back rotation. He still looks effective as a running back.
--- The other running backs I noticed on punt protection were CJ Baxter and Jerrick Gibson. In addition, Ethan Burke took reps on punt protection.
--- Texas running back Jaydon Blue had his ups and downs on Monday. Overall, Blue had the typical explosiveness we are used to seeing. However, Sarkisian did not like the way Blue was carrying the ball on one rep and told his running back to get his wrists higher. In addition, Blue dropped a quick screen pass. I would not overreact to those moments. However, I know this is OB.
--- CJ Baxter did not make any mistakes during the portion of practice we were allowed to watch. And just because this might be the only time I ever mention him, running backs coach Tashard Choice praised junior RB Colin Page for his reception on a deep pass.
--- Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning split first-team reps during simple passing drills. Ewers was always the first quarterback when only one quarterback was throwing at a time.
--- I noticed that the connection between Ewers and Isaiah Bond grows stronger. Ewers can throw balls where Bond will be, especially on post and corner routes. I only saw routes on air. However, I saw enough to be encouraged.
--- Manning was pretty accurate during practice. He missed Johntay Cook on a comeback route. Other than that, Manning made every throw. In addition, Manning's thigh muscles are evident. You can tell Manning took the offseason workout program seriously.
--- Trey Owens and Joe Tatum were the third and fourth quarterbacks, respectively. By the way, Owens is impressive. Owens completed a deep pass to Rett Anderson, who caught that ball in the corner of the end zone. In addition, he completed another impressive deep pass to Bryce Chambers. The arm talent is there.
--- WR Ryan Niblett and Jordan Washington dropped easy passes on out-routes. Those were the only dropped passes I noticed.
--- I like freshman WR Parker Livingstone. He has good hands, but I think he could use an off-season in the weight room.
--- Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski spent time working with EDGE Colton Vasek’s get-off. Kwiatkowski had Vasek repeat one drill with pads multiple times. Kwiatkowski wanted Vasek to shed the block and head straight. It looks like an area Vasek will need to improve.
--- I like safety Andrew Makuba’s ability to track deep balls. I like his footwork and timing.
--- Texas sophomore LB Anthony Hill completes every drill with ease. It looks like he is floating out there. He has a tremendous ability to follow the quarterback’s eyes and then explode to one side of the field.
--- Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker praised the lateral movement and footwork of Jaray Bledsoe during pad drills. Meanwhile, Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton look like seasoned veterans during drills.
Alex will provide you with his observations on Monday.
I will provide updates from Sarkisian’s press conference, scheduled for 11 a.m.
--- Practice was held in the stadium on Monday morning. It rained a lot before practice, and I thought they might head into the bubble. However, they practiced in DKR.
--- Sophomore defensive back Maliki Muhammad was limited in the portion of practice we were allowed to watch. Muhammad did not wear a protective brace and was in full pads. Even though he was limited, it does not appear his injury is serious.
--- RB Savion Red needs to shed a few pounds, but Texas is still utilizing him. Red was a blocker on punt protection and was active in the running back rotation. He still looks effective as a running back.
--- The other running backs I noticed on punt protection were CJ Baxter and Jerrick Gibson. In addition, Ethan Burke took reps on punt protection.
--- Texas running back Jaydon Blue had his ups and downs on Monday. Overall, Blue had the typical explosiveness we are used to seeing. However, Sarkisian did not like the way Blue was carrying the ball on one rep and told his running back to get his wrists higher. In addition, Blue dropped a quick screen pass. I would not overreact to those moments. However, I know this is OB.
--- CJ Baxter did not make any mistakes during the portion of practice we were allowed to watch. And just because this might be the only time I ever mention him, running backs coach Tashard Choice praised junior RB Colin Page for his reception on a deep pass.
--- Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning split first-team reps during simple passing drills. Ewers was always the first quarterback when only one quarterback was throwing at a time.
--- I noticed that the connection between Ewers and Isaiah Bond grows stronger. Ewers can throw balls where Bond will be, especially on post and corner routes. I only saw routes on air. However, I saw enough to be encouraged.
--- Manning was pretty accurate during practice. He missed Johntay Cook on a comeback route. Other than that, Manning made every throw. In addition, Manning's thigh muscles are evident. You can tell Manning took the offseason workout program seriously.
--- Trey Owens and Joe Tatum were the third and fourth quarterbacks, respectively. By the way, Owens is impressive. Owens completed a deep pass to Rett Anderson, who caught that ball in the corner of the end zone. In addition, he completed another impressive deep pass to Bryce Chambers. The arm talent is there.
--- WR Ryan Niblett and Jordan Washington dropped easy passes on out-routes. Those were the only dropped passes I noticed.
--- I like freshman WR Parker Livingstone. He has good hands, but I think he could use an off-season in the weight room.
--- Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski spent time working with EDGE Colton Vasek’s get-off. Kwiatkowski had Vasek repeat one drill with pads multiple times. Kwiatkowski wanted Vasek to shed the block and head straight. It looks like an area Vasek will need to improve.
--- I like safety Andrew Makuba’s ability to track deep balls. I like his footwork and timing.
--- Texas sophomore LB Anthony Hill completes every drill with ease. It looks like he is floating out there. He has a tremendous ability to follow the quarterback’s eyes and then explode to one side of the field.
--- Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker praised the lateral movement and footwork of Jaray Bledsoe during pad drills. Meanwhile, Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton look like seasoned veterans during drills.
Alex will provide you with his observations on Monday.
I will provide updates from Sarkisian’s press conference, scheduled for 11 a.m.
Last edited by a moderator:
