Interesting take on Sanders. I thought he disappeared far too often for someone with his talent.
I’ll take David Thomas all day for consistency.
His disappearance wasn't a HIM issue IMO.
He just had the best tight end season in school history.
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From last month
As Ja'Tavion Sanders enters his junior season in 2023, I wonder if the Texas Longhorns universe fully appreciates what it has in the 6-4, 250-pound Sanders, who absolutely started to deliver on his five-star upside as a sophomore in 2022.
We all know that Georgia freak Brock Bowers is the best tight end in the country and is going to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft if he stays healthy. That dude is flat out awesome.
Yet, for all of his awesomeness, he caught only nine more passes and two more touchdowns in 2022 than Sanders, despite playing two more games and playing with a Heisman finalist at quarterback.
Of the players listed on the graphic above, Sanders ranked second in receptions, second in yards (among power conference players) and tied for third in touchdown receptions. Those numbers were accumulated in spite of playing with quarterback play that was all over the place during the season and inside of an offense that didn't exactly feature him as a key element at times.
Basically, what I'm saying is that the Longhorns will enter the 2023 season with the second-best tight end in the country and a player that should compete with Bowers for the John Mackey Award
You'd have to go back 15 years to find a Texas tight end that represented the kind of passing game threat that Sanders brings to the table. Hell, the holy grail of Texas tight end play is 2005 national champion starter David Thomas and Sanders matched Thomas' 2005 season stride for stride in 2022.
It's actually kind of uncanny.
Thomas (2005); 50 receptions for 613 yards and 5 touchdowns
Sanders (2022): 54 receptions for 613 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, here's a look at the five next best tight end seasons in program history.
* 2007 Jermichael Finley: 45 receptions for 575 yards and 2 touchdowns
* 2006 Jermichael Finley: 31 receptions for 372 yards and 3 touchdowns
* 2001 Bo Scaife: 30 receptions for 396 yards and a touchdown
* 2004 Bo Scaife: 26 receptions for 348 yards and 2 touchdowns
* 2018 Andrew Beck: 28 receptions for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns
What the Longhorns have in Sanders shouldn't be taken for granted because once he's gone (possibly after the 2023 season), it might be a while before the Longhorns have another player at the tight end position that will prove to be the kind of match-up nightmare that Sanders brings to the table every time he steps on the field.
One look at the tight end depth chart will show that there's no one remotely like him waiting in the wings to take over and finding elite-level tight end prospects in the state of Texas often resembles trying to find a needle in a haystack.
It's not an accident that Texas has struggled to find tight ends that can catch two passes per game for most of the last 23 seasons of football.
That won't be a concern in 2023 because Texas absolutely has the player it needs.
With better quarterback play and a true commitment to maximize his skill set, Sanders just might produce a season that no Texas tight end in the future will ever replicate.