{"id":48265,"date":"2023-04-17T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=48265"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:54:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T19:54:58","slug":"five-breakout-stars-from-the-texas-spring-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/04\/17\/five-breakout-stars-from-the-texas-spring-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Breakout Stars From The Texas Spring Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Several breakout stars emerged during the Texas Longhorns’ Spring game, including backup quarterback Maalik Murphy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Murphy showed he\u2019s ready to push for playing time as the Texas Longhorns wrapped up Spring camp.\u00a0 The backup quarterback put on a show at the annual final scrimmage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the sky\u2019s the limit for the guy,\u201d Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

Murphy, a redshirt freshman, was one of several players who showed up big during Spring practice.\u00a0 He completed nine of 13 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown in the Orange-White Game.\u00a0 Murphy made his Texas debut while sharing playing time with true freshman Arch Manning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Texas fans were primed for a quarterback battle between Manning and starter Quinn Ewers<\/strong>.\u00a0 Murphy has thrown himself into the mix now that he\u2019s healthy.\u00a0 He has a quick delivery and good vision down the field, his coach said.\u00a0 Just as importantly, the young signal-caller has all the intangibles coaches look for.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaalik\u2019s a really good leader,\u201d Sarkisian said.\u00a0 \u201cHe always brings a lot of positive energy every time he takes the field, which I think is great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Injuries kept Murphy off the field last season.\u00a0 He was nursing an ankle injury coming out of high school in California.\u00a0 A foot injury kept him sidelined last season at Texas.\u00a0 \u201cHopefully we can get him completely healthy going into (fall) training camp where he gets that foundation,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

The focus might be keeping Murphy out of the re-opened transfer portal.\u00a0 He put together an impressive highlight package in the Spring game.\u00a0 He faces an uphill battle at quarterback with sophomore Ewers and the highly touted Manning.\u00a0 The trio combines to form one of the best quarterback rooms in the nation if it survives the portal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a very fortunate position to have three quality guys,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

Ethan Burke<\/h3>\n

Texas has been looking all off-season for an edge rusher to pair with Barryn Sorrell<\/a>.\u00a0 The answer could be sophomore Ethan Burke<\/strong>.\u00a0 A product of nearby Austin Westlake H.S., the 6-6, 250-pound product made five tackles and had a sack in the Spring game.\u00a0 He also registered another tackle for a loss.<\/p>\n

On the sack play, Burke put an inside move on senior right tackle Christian Jones<\/strong> and closed in on Ewers.\u00a0 Burke looked effective playing out of a three-point stance as well as standing up.<\/p>\n

The Longhorns have been trying to establish depth on the defensive front since Sarkisian arrived two years ago.\u00a0 Having Burke step into the edge rush position helps, where he joins J\u2019Mond Tapp<\/strong>, Justice Finkley, Kristopher Ross,<\/strong> and Jaray Bledsoe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have some good packages now where we can get people on the field in certain combinations, and they can be very disruptive,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

AD Mitchell<\/h3>\n

The Georgia transfer was a known quantity and hardly qualifies as a breakout star.\u00a0 Mitchell made six receptions for 58 yards and a score in the Orange-White game.\u00a0 His big debut as a Longhorn came while nursing a sore ankle.\u00a0 Mitchell was held to limited duty during spring practice and wore a green \u201cno contact\u201d jersey during the final scrimmage.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou saw it show up today with AD,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u00a0\u201cAD Mitchell is an explosive athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell transferred to Texas after last season.\u00a0 He\u2019s part of a receiving group loaded with talent and depth.\u00a0 The Longhorns tried several receiver combinations in the spring with Isaiah Neyor<\/a> and Casey Cain<\/strong> sidelined by injuries.\u00a0 The abundance of proven receivers also includes Xavier Worthy<\/strong>, Jordan Whittington<\/strong>, and tight end Ja\u2019Tavion Sanders<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose guys can win one-on-one, and they can\u2019t double everybody, so it\u2019s a good problem for us to have going forward,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

Johntay Cook<\/h3>\n

Johntay Cook turned in the biggest play of the Spring game.\u00a0 He took off on a fly route down the right side of the field for a 79-yard touchdown. \u00a0The true freshman showed the speed that made him one of the most sought-after recruits of the 2022 class.<\/p>\n

The Longhorns want to stretch the field<\/a> more next season and Cook was recruited with that in mind.\u00a0 His strong showing in spring camp means Texas may feature the deep pass more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve put a lot of work into it and we\u2019re going to continue to work it.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t think that we can say that it\u2019s fixed,\u201d Sarkisian said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve been emphasizing that, and I think that we\u2019re seeing some positive results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaydon Blue<\/h3>\n

The rushing game was a question mark heading into the Spring game.\u00a0 Texas has been without Jonathon Brooks<\/strong> and Keilan Robinson<\/strong> while they rehab from injuries.<\/p>\n

Jaydon Blue<\/strong> was the most productive running back of the spring game.\u00a0 He carried the ball 10 times for 52 yards and a score.\u00a0 He showed good ball security with no turnovers.<\/p>\n

Blue was named a high school All-American despite not playing his senior year.\u00a0 He earned a letter last year as a true freshman.\u00a0 Sarkisian has spoken well of him throughout spring camp.\u00a0 If Blue can improve his pass-catching ability, he could become a bigger part of the offense.<\/p>\n

Blue\u2019s development helps ease the temporary losses of Brooks and Robinson.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t the only back who played well in the spring game.\u00a0 Converted receiver Savion Red<\/strong> rushed for 45 yards on nine carries.\u00a0 True freshman Cedric Baxter<\/strong> ran 11 times for 28 yards and a TD.<\/p>\n

The depth being built this season in Austin has been going on across the board.\u00a0 The wrap-up of spring ball allows players to prepare for final exams and get ready for summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we come back after Memorial Day and this room is full with our entire roster, that\u2019s when it\u2019s time to go,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

Honorable mentions<\/h3>\n

Linebackers David Gbenda<\/a> and Jett Bush<\/strong> showed up to play.\u00a0 Gbenda was tied with safety B.J. Allen<\/strong> with eight tackles each.\u00a0 Bush registered six tackles.\u00a0 Gbenda and Bush each had a sack, giving Sarkisian more confidence in his pass rush.<\/p>\n

Ky Woods<\/strong> emerged as a dark horse candidate at running back.\u00a0 The 5-9, 175-pound sophomore ran five times for 21 yards and had a 35-yard reception.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see how Texas works him into the game plan this fall.<\/p>\n

True freshman Sydir Mitchell<\/strong> is a run-stopper in the middle of the defensive line.\u00a0 At 6-6 and 360 pounds, he led a goal-line stand with a pair of tackles in the spring game.\u00a0 His presence adds even more depth to an already solid defensive line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have really good depth on this team,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u00a0\u201cYou can go position by position, and I feel very comfortable if the starter isn\u2019t in the backup doesn\u2019t look much different.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Longhorns want to develop two- and three-deep rotations at as many positions as possible.\u00a0 Nowhere is it more evident than in the defensive secondary.\u00a0 Redshirt freshman X\u2019Avion Brice<\/strong> was active at cornerback with five tackles.\u00a0 Nickel back Austin Jordan<\/strong> had three tackles and a pass broken up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy: SARA DIGGINS\/AMERICAN-STATESMAN \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several breakout stars emerged during the Texas Longhorns’ Spring game, including backup quarterback Maalik Murphy. Murphy showed he\u2019s ready to push for playing time as the Texas Longhorns wrapped up Spring camp.\u00a0 The backup quarterback put on a show at the annual final scrimmage. \u201cI think the sky\u2019s the limit for the guy,\u201d Texas coach […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4486,"featured_media":48269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,35576],"tags":[9963,9961,9964,9962,9960,5095,204],"class_list":["post-48265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-big12","category-texas-longhorns","tag-ad-mitchell","tag-ethan-burke","tag-jaydon-blue","tag-johntay-cook","tag-maalik-murphy","tag-steve-sarkisian","tag-texas-longhorns"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4486"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48265"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79489,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48265\/revisions\/79489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}