Ja'Tavion Sanders shares Texas players that could surprise fans in 2023

Last season, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was a pleasant surprise for Texas fans. The sophomore tight end finally broke out after being rated a five-star prospect. He caught 54 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns, creating a nice connection with quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Now, somebody else is going to have the opportunity to surprise the Longhorn faithful. Sanders provided thoughts on potential candidates, with all three coming from the 2023 recruiting class. While they might be early in their Texas careers, Sanders is impressed with a few young pups.

“I’m going to say Cedric (Baxter) and Johntay Cook for sure,” Sanders said. “And defense, Anthony Hill.”

The two offensive guys Sanders listed, Baxter and Cook, are expected to be contributors for head coach Steve Sarkisian. Both were massive recruiting wins as well for two very different reasons. The On3 Industry Rankings had Baxter as the No. 1 overall running back, while Cook was the top receiver from the state of Texas.

Now, they will be looking to make their splash on Big 12 opponents in the fall.

While Baxter and Cook share the offensive side with Sanders, he is most familiar with Hill. The two go back to their days as Denton (TX) Ryan, winning a 5A-DI state championship together during Sanders’ senior season.

As Hill is breaking out as a freshman star, Ja’Tavion Sanders believes it’s just the same thing he has seen from back in high school. While he will have to compete for the starting role, Hill is going to make a significant impact at linebacker this season for Texas.

“Going to high school with Ant Hill, I know the type of player he is,” Sanders said. “He’s doing the same thing he did in high school. I definitely think he came in with the right mindset and the right attitude to come in here and make some noise.”

Hill played high school football at Denton (TX) Ryan, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 16 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Texas is making its way through spring practice but the spring game is just a week ago. Fans will have the opportunity to see what Sanders is talking about, with Baxter, Cook, and Hill unofficially playing for the first time in a Texas uniform.