Steve Sarkisian will be meeting with the media via Zoom following today's football practice. We should start around 5 p.m. or a little after. I'll post live notes in this thread once Sark gets started.
Had Sunday off, then a walk-through today. Thought today was as good of a practice as they've had in a long time. Mental intensity, high energy, good energy. One thing that showed up today that showed up in the scrimmage was the defense's ability to attack the football. Been a huge emphasis, showed up Saturday, showed up today. That's a real positive from a defensive perspective. Turnovers have to become a mainstay of the defense, so guys attacking the ball was encouraging.
Saturday's scrimmage was competitive. Natural things that happen in a scrimmage, like preseason NFL game, can have some sloppiness. False starts, defensive off sides, those things are fixable. Thinks they got a good sense for the receivers, getting a good sense for the defensive front. Proud of the guys, they've worked hard. Bunch of stuff to clean up, but what he was impressed with is very coachable at the scrimmage and they responded well today with intensity and energy.
On the WRs ... All the new guys caught plenty of balls on Saturday. Learning more about Silas since he hasn't been here as long. They try to rotate a fair amount of players with ones and twos and they have that luxury right now. They've been rotating wide outs and tight ends regularly, so Quinn has developed good relationship with top six guys and TEs.
On how important it was for guys to respond and have intensity ... It's huge. This week you're kind of in the middle of things. You're not in game plan mode yet but leadership has been tremendous and it's trickled down to younger players. Excellent lies in the details. It's one thing to know the call, another to know the details and be able to execute it in all three phases.
On if they have a lot of jobs up for grabs ... They really need a top 44, not top 22 with the way the season is going to go, the length of the season, four non-conference games. They're looking at a two-deep where they're basically all starters.
On any walk-ons that have caught his attention ... Marhsall Landwehr, LB on defense and special teams, and Colin Page has stood out as well.
On knowing the defensive front and what he saw on Saturday ... He wants to blitz and have his front be effective, wants to be versatile. Wants to have the ability to mix things up. Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins are playing at a high level. Anthony Hill is disruptive, saw that last year. May be more versatile this year with guys like Trey Moore, Colin Simmons, Finkley, etc. They're different than last year, so they have to adapt as coaches.
On the RBs ... Jaydon Blue played well, Trey Wisner played well. The freshmen got their introduction to college football, both guys put the ball on the ground once. Blue and Baxter had to go up to the freshmen and remind them of their first scrimmage. The freshmen are further down the road than some would think.
On Barryn Sorrell and if this is his breakout year ... So man times, we get caught up on instantaneous success. Sorrell is a prime example, so is Juan Davis. Physical maturation, understanding things schematically, growing up in the team's culture. You're seeing the best Barryn Sorell you've seen at Texas. Great mental space, great physical shape. He's a team leader, holds his teammates accountable. They're benefitting on a lot of levels.
On moving a non-RB to RB ... They're looking at a couple different options, a couple non-RBs on the offensive side of the ball, a couple of guys on the defensive side of the ball. Looking at not only how they play on offense, but how it could affect other position groups if they pull from there.
On what he's seeing from Liona Lefau and who has impressed at cornerback ... Lefau is such the do-right player. He's always spot on with what he's supposed to do. The thing that's impressed this year, he's cutting it loose more, is confident in what he's supposed to do. Manny Muhammad has played a a high level. Barron has done good things. Kobe Black has made strides from the spring and they're getting the best version of Gavin Holmes right now. They're in a good spot there.
Had Sunday off, then a walk-through today. Thought today was as good of a practice as they've had in a long time. Mental intensity, high energy, good energy. One thing that showed up today that showed up in the scrimmage was the defense's ability to attack the football. Been a huge emphasis, showed up Saturday, showed up today. That's a real positive from a defensive perspective. Turnovers have to become a mainstay of the defense, so guys attacking the ball was encouraging.
Saturday's scrimmage was competitive. Natural things that happen in a scrimmage, like preseason NFL game, can have some sloppiness. False starts, defensive off sides, those things are fixable. Thinks they got a good sense for the receivers, getting a good sense for the defensive front. Proud of the guys, they've worked hard. Bunch of stuff to clean up, but what he was impressed with is very coachable at the scrimmage and they responded well today with intensity and energy.
On the WRs ... All the new guys caught plenty of balls on Saturday. Learning more about Silas since he hasn't been here as long. They try to rotate a fair amount of players with ones and twos and they have that luxury right now. They've been rotating wide outs and tight ends regularly, so Quinn has developed good relationship with top six guys and TEs.
On how important it was for guys to respond and have intensity ... It's huge. This week you're kind of in the middle of things. You're not in game plan mode yet but leadership has been tremendous and it's trickled down to younger players. Excellent lies in the details. It's one thing to know the call, another to know the details and be able to execute it in all three phases.
On if they have a lot of jobs up for grabs ... They really need a top 44, not top 22 with the way the season is going to go, the length of the season, four non-conference games. They're looking at a two-deep where they're basically all starters.
On any walk-ons that have caught his attention ... Marhsall Landwehr, LB on defense and special teams, and Colin Page has stood out as well.
On knowing the defensive front and what he saw on Saturday ... He wants to blitz and have his front be effective, wants to be versatile. Wants to have the ability to mix things up. Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins are playing at a high level. Anthony Hill is disruptive, saw that last year. May be more versatile this year with guys like Trey Moore, Colin Simmons, Finkley, etc. They're different than last year, so they have to adapt as coaches.
On the RBs ... Jaydon Blue played well, Trey Wisner played well. The freshmen got their introduction to college football, both guys put the ball on the ground once. Blue and Baxter had to go up to the freshmen and remind them of their first scrimmage. The freshmen are further down the road than some would think.
On Barryn Sorrell and if this is his breakout year ... So man times, we get caught up on instantaneous success. Sorrell is a prime example, so is Juan Davis. Physical maturation, understanding things schematically, growing up in the team's culture. You're seeing the best Barryn Sorell you've seen at Texas. Great mental space, great physical shape. He's a team leader, holds his teammates accountable. They're benefitting on a lot of levels.
On moving a non-RB to RB ... They're looking at a couple different options, a couple non-RBs on the offensive side of the ball, a couple of guys on the defensive side of the ball. Looking at not only how they play on offense, but how it could affect other position groups if they pull from there.
On what he's seeing from Liona Lefau and who has impressed at cornerback ... Lefau is such the do-right player. He's always spot on with what he's supposed to do. The thing that's impressed this year, he's cutting it loose more, is confident in what he's supposed to do. Manny Muhammad has played a a high level. Barron has done good things. Kobe Black has made strides from the spring and they're getting the best version of Gavin Holmes right now. They're in a good spot there.
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