“It was great to have Maalik back out there,” Sarkisian said.\u00a0 “Open competition is really healthy for everybody.”<\/p>\n
Murphy suffered a foot injury prior to Spring camp and has worked his way back into contention.\u00a0 The team adhered to a “conservative” approach in his rehab in order to get him healthy again.<\/p>\n
“Can Maalik push Quinn?” the coach asked rhetorically.\u00a0 “Of course he can, you know?\u00a0 How far can he take it?\u00a0 Quinn\u2019s job is to keep raising his level of play so he can\u2019t catch him.\u00a0 And that should be at every position across the board.”<\/p>\n
Perhaps Sarkisian is playing mind games with his quarterback room.\u00a0 None of the aforementioned signal-callers is an upperclassman.\u00a0 Ewers is the most experienced and he’s only a sophomore.\u00a0 No matter how you interpret the coach’s comments, there’s no room for resting on your laurels in the Longhorns’ Spring camp.<\/p>\n
“You can\u2019t get complacent as a player, regardless of who you were a year ago,” Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n
Spring Ball: No Complacency at Texas<\/h2>\nWas Complacency a Problem in the Past?<\/h3>\n
Not according to the head coach.\u00a0 Texas fans hope Sarkisian has Texas pointed in the direction of a Big 12<\/a> title.\u00a0 It’s conference championship or bust before heading off to the SEC next year.<\/p>\n The quarterback position is an example of how Sarkisian is approaching the upcoming season.\u00a0 The Longhorns had a week of practice before Spring break.\u00a0 Nobody has a position on the team based on past performance, he said as the players returned from a week off.<\/p>\n “Whether you were an all-American, an all-conference, a starter, you can\u2019t just say hey, that\u2019s where I am and this is where I\u2019m supposed to be.\u00a0 You have to continue to strive and work for more and not fall into the same habits,” he said.<\/p>\n Developing players is the key to improving on last season’s 8-5 campaign, he added.\u00a0 Each of Texas’ losses in 2022 was by a touchdown or less.<\/p>\n “Grow as a program?\u00a0 The only way you can do that is growing individually as players, so that will be something we focus on as we continue to move forward.”<\/p>\n Jonathon Brooks<\/a> continues to rehab from knee surgery.\u00a0 Spring practice came around just as he was going from a rehab regimen to being ready to practice.<\/p>\n “He looks strong,” Sarkisian said of his third-year back.\u00a0 “You can see his body’s changing.”<\/p>\n Texas still has time to find a featured running back.\u00a0 It has a slew of prospects to sift through.\u00a0 The backfield is stocked with Brooks as well as Keilan Robinson<\/a>, Jaydon Blue<\/strong>, Savion Red,<\/strong> and CJ Baxter<\/strong>.\u00a0 “That room’s got great competition as well,” Sarkisian said.\u00a0 “We know there’s gonna be a new face or two or whatever it looks like compared to what it looked a year ago, so to have Jonathon back is a real positive for us.”<\/p>\n Like the quarterback position, none of the running backs have landed a starting spot.<\/p>\n “I can\u2019t tell a guy right now, hey, whatever position it is, he\u2019s the starter,” Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n Cameron Williams<\/strong> is a big offensive lineman who has caught the attention of many at Spring practice.\u00a0 Not just because of his size at 6-5 and 360 lbs.\u00a0 The freshman vying for playing time has impressed the coaching staff with his speed and agility.\u00a0 “He’s got really good feet,” Sarkisian said.\u00a0 “He’s got a really high football IQ.”<\/p>\n Williams lost weight and gained strength under Longhorns’ Director of Football Performance Torre Becton<\/strong>.\u00a0 The freshman’s rise up the depth chart could earn him playing time as early as this season.\u00a0 Texas returns its entire offensive line from last year, although Sarkisian said he and Offensive Coordinator Kyle Flood<\/strong> are moving players around this Spring.<\/p>\n “He’s (Williams) pushing for a spot on that five, and like we tell the lineman all the time, and Coach Flood and I have believed this at all three of our stops that we’ve been together, we want to play the best five guys,” Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n The Longhorns have a solid defensive line heading into the 2023 season.\u00a0 Most of the damage comes from the interior linemen, which means Texas is looking for a few good edge rushers.<\/p>\n In keeping with Sarkisian’s philosophy, let’s assume last year’s sack leader (5.5), Barryn Sorrell<\/a>, along with Justice Finkley<\/strong>, have not nailed down starting positions.\u00a0 A pair of ends showing “flashes,” as Coach Sarkisian put it, have been Ethan Burke<\/strong> and J’Mond Tapp<\/strong>.\u00a0 Another player on the edge is Jaray Bledsoe<\/strong>, who has the athletic ability to provide the Longhorns with “position flexibility,” he added.\u00a0 The coaches have already been impressed with the camp performance of true freshman Colton Vasek.<\/p>\n “We’ve got a long way to go with that spot,” Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n When asked about the linebacking corps, the coach sounded upbeat.\u00a0 The development of Jaylan Ford, Jett Bush,<\/strong> and Morice Blackwell<\/strong> helps take the sting out of losing DeMarvion Overshown<\/strong> to the NFL.\u00a0 The departure of Overshown, who also led the Longhorns on special teams, resulted in what Sarkisian called the “linebacker thing.”<\/p>\nRunning Back by Committee<\/h3>\n
New Face on the Offensive Line<\/h3>\n
Update on Edge Rushers<\/h3>\n
The ‘linebacker thing’<\/h3>\n
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