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Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff immediately recognized two positions they wanted to strengthen after arriving in Austin.
The offensive line and defensive line groups lacked the talent and depth they worked with at Alabama. They went from Deonte Brown, Alex Leatherwood, Chris Owens, Emil Ekiyor, and Evan Neal on Alabama’s offensive line to a group of players who were not as elite. It should go without saying, but Alabama had talented defensive linemen as well. Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood, defensive line coach Bo Davis, and Sarkisian went from an abundance of riches in the trenches to a Dave Ramsey budget of talent.
Instead of complaining about the problem, they began building a roster to their liking. They convinced elite offensive linemen to become Longhorns. They convinced elite defensive linemen to join this program. Sarkisian wanted young players to develop instead of quick fixes from the transfer portal. Texas started winning battles for elite players that it traditionally lost.
And it is evident this spring.
Sarkisian has turned major weaknesses into team strengths.
“I think we have a deep team. I do,” Sarkisian said. “I feel good about a lot of our position groups. I think we have enough experience kind of across the board on both sides of the ball. I think that we've got a good influx of young talent on our team. I think it's competitive. I'd hate to say right now that one position group just feels so good. The one thing I will say is up front, anytime you can return your entire offensive line, and then you add the players that we have, that feels really good. And then really on the defensive front as well. The fact that we lost two good players in [Keondre] Coburn and [Moro] Omojo, and it still feels good. I still feel like our defensive front is one of our strengths.
“I think [T'Vondre] Sweat and [Byron] Murphy [II] and Alfred [Collins] and Vernon [Broughton], that group there, and then how the young guys are coming along. The line of scrimmage, as you guys know, I value a great deal. I feel really good about that.”
When is the last time a Longhorn coach said that?
When is the last time you were optimistic about both lines?
To get an appreciation of what Texas has now, it helps to review the past.
Before Tom Herman arrived in Austin, the last Longhorn offensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft was Tony Hills in 2008 (4th round/Pittsburgh). Connor Williams broke that streak after he became a second-round draft pick by Dallas in 2018. A few years later, Sam Cosmi was a second-round draft pick by Washington (2021). Sarkisian’s predecessors deserve credit for developing those players into draft picks.
However, recruiting was less than optimal.
Texas signed only two offensive linemen in the 2021 class (Hayden Connor and Max Merril). Both were 3-star recruits.
Flood was asked during an Alamo Bowl media availability if he was shocked to inherit a class of two offensive linemen, and he was honest.
“It was shocking," Flood said. "I was surprised. With the early signing period, it was a little late for us to really go out [and obtain more players]. We made a decision. We said, hey, we know it was going to be a really good year in the state for offensive linemen, and we didn't want to just take players to take them at that point. So, we said, you know what? We'll make up for it next year.”
Ideally, Flood would like to have four to five offensive linemen in each recruiting class and does not want to go over that number.
Nevertheless, to make up for the lack of players in the 2021 class, Texas took seven offensive linemen in 2022. Texas signed five offensive linemen in the 2023 class.
“It's been fun for me,” Flood previously said. “I've never had this many young guys at the same time be this high up in the depth chart. It's a little bit unique. I think the other recruiting class that we inherited only had two offensive linemen so we needed to kind of replenish the room a little bit and that's just the reality of it. Everybody sees Kelvin (Banks) and Cole (Hutson), and now people I think have seen DJ (Campbell). He played pretty much the whole second half in that last game of the year against Baylor. Those guys have really done a nice job. I think this bowl rep has been great for Neto (Umeozulu), Cam (Williams), Malik (Agbo), and Connor Robertson, because it's just like it's an extra spring practice. The only one of them who was here last spring was Cole Hutson. So, none of them were early enrollees. So, the fact that now they get almost another bonus spring, I think has really helped them.
“Because of what's happened with the transfer portal, etc., they're a little closer to playing than they were in that last game as well. They need to be ready.”
Meanwhile, the defensive line is one of the strengths of this year’s team.
Here is what Sarkisian has said about this spring.
Sarkisian on the Edge defender
“I think Barryn [Sorrell] has grown into it. He's really developed. I mean, you see what his body looks like today from when he got here. He's more explosive. He's faster. So, he's created some value for himself with his versatility. I think Justice Finkley has taken a step forward. I think J’Mond Tapp has taken a step forward. I think Ethan Burke looks like a different guy. We've got high expectations for Colton Vasek."
Sarkisian on Jaray Bledsoe
“I think physically Dre at this point in this stage, he's probably one of our most gifted athletes. Very gifted player. He's done a really good job in the weight room with Coach [Torre] Becton. He's strong, he's fast, he's explosive. I think that between you know, PK [Pete Kwiatkowski] and Bo [Davis], they've worked with him of finding his role and finding his niche. I think Coach [Jeff] Banks [has a] good role for him on special teams right now as well. It's just that natural progression for him. Again, three days in, you can feel his engagement, you can feel him involved, you can feel his presence on the field. Not perfect yet, and that's okay. I don't expect these young guys to be perfect three days in, but I do expect them to develop throughout spring and not make the same mistakes time and time again. That's going to be one of the challenges for not just Dre but a lot of our young players as they grow through the next 12 practices of spring.”
Sarkisian on Byron Murphy II
“I love Murph. I would say for a guy who wasn't a frontline starter, he was definitely impactful for us when he played. He's very disruptive, he's strong, he's powerful. The thing I'm seeing from him now is the leadership is starting to come out you know. All of sudden two older guys leave, who else is stepping up? T’Vondre Sweat, Byron Murphy, two guys that have kind of taken the bull by the horns there, and doing a nice job. Murphy, again, I think he's going to have a heck of a year for us. He's working hard. I think he's wired right. He's got a real mentality about him. He's tough. He's physical. He wants to be really good and he works at his craft.”
Praise for the offensive and defensive line?
What world are we living in?
A world where Sarkisian has turned major weaknesses into team strengths.
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Sports On A Dime
1. At this point, it does not matter if Texas men’s basketball Rodney Terry is following the Chris Beard game plan - it is working. Texas found a way to defeat Penn State despite shooting 1-of-13 from the 3-point line. Dylan Disu put this team on his back in the biggest game of his career. If Beard’s biggest contribution at Texas was giving Terry the blueprint to success as a college basketball coach, all anyone can say is thank you, and enjoy this team’s achievements.
2. Meanwhile, the Texas women’s basketball did not have any problems dismantling East Carolina on Saturday. Yes, it is a great day to wake up as a Longhorn fan.
3. Texas returns to the practice field on Tuesday. One of Sarkisian’s biggest points of emphasis to his players before spring break was to make good choices while away from Austin. I do not want to jinx anything, but everything looked good when I checked in with a source inside the building on Saturday morning.
4. Sarkisian’s response when asked if the number of potential NFL players who participated in Texas Pro Day indicates his program is heading in the right direction: “I hope so. I always talk to all the scouts in the team room. I hope that our number that goes to the combine continues to grow. I feel like we should always be in the top three to four teams in the country of putting players at the combine. We're not there yet. We sent five guys this year. We should be hovering at around 10 a year going to the combine. That's what we've got to work towards. And that's where player development comes in. Not only in the weight room, but also on the field and the development of the skill, but also as the person. I think that says a lot. When you do the interviews with the NFL teams and how you represent yourself and the University of Texas, your knowledge of the game, all those things matter. We put a lot of time and effort into it. So, hopefully, we continue to see the growth that we saw from year one to year two.”
5. Sarkisian on Bijan Robinson being an example for current players and recruits who want to play in the NFL: “I think in the end, Bijan represents himself about as good as you can. He represents us as about as good as you can. So, the way he goes about his business while he was here, the way he's been going about his business in this process to get ready for the draft, I think is a kind of a model of what it looks like. We’re going to recruit good players here. And then how you handle and conduct yourself and the work you put in matters. How you represent us moving forward matters, all of our guys. DeMarvion (Overshown) has done a great job. Roschon (Johnson) has done a great job. I saw (Moro) Ojomo and he looked great. Snacks (Keondre Coburn) looked great. All those guys, to me, have done a really good job throughout this process. The goal is that they get their opportunities to fulfill their dreams and play in the NFL and be able to sustain it for as long as they can, because the more guys we have in that league, the better it is for, hey, if you come here and get developed, that’s a real life opportunity for you.”
6. Sarkisian on Xavier Worthy helping Johntay Cook during practice: “It's really big. Like there was a really cool moment in practice. We're in a team run period where Johntay was still trying to figure out what to do. Do I block the safety? I gotta go down to here and gotta block Kitan Crawford, who's storming down, and get this block done. And then Xavier and Jordan (Whittington) talked to him and we've got to go block that guy. Then we go to the next period, Xavier has the same block and he goes in there and puts his face on him and blocked him. I celebrate it because that's growth for Xavier, but that's also a living example for Johntay of what it looks like and how to do it. That's the idea. When you have veteran players showing the way for the younger players, how to do it. I think where we're kind of now as a program, that our veteran guys know what and how and why, and now they can be that voice for the younger players. It doesn't always have to come from us as coaches.”
7. It is hard to ignore that Arch Manning has participated in more spring practices (three) than Maalik Murphy (zero) in two years. Before Murphy’s setback, the staff hoped he would push Quinn Ewers this offseason. However, Murphy needs to get back on the practice field soon to avoid losing a battle against Manning for the No.2 spot. If Murphy does not practice this week, he might fall into a quarterback competition hole that might be impossible to dig out of.
8. This player was seemingly well aware of the point spread. Why? We probably do not want to know the answer.
9. My mom used to say to make your words sweet just in case you have to eat them
10. The rise of Aston Martin this season has been the biggest surprise to me so far. Fernando Alonso finishing second in qualifying is impressive, while I have no clue what Max Verstappen will be able to do from P15 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – my gut says he will finish on the podium.
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