Steve Sarkisian reveals which new players stuck out in opening spring practice

Head coach Steve Sarkisian has done a lot of work on the roster heading into his second season in Austin. The Texas Longhorns have 14 new players this spring, with a few more coming in the fall via their No. 5 On3 Consensus 2022 recruiting class.

After the first practice of the year, Sarkisian was asked if any certain players stood out before being able to watch the tape. He started on the offensive side of the ball, saying two transfers looked comfortable before mentioning a couple of true freshmen and some line of scrimmage players.

“That’s a lot of guys,” Sarkisian said. “I mean, we have 14 new players out there today. So there’s a lot of guys to try to assess them all just from looking at it live. I don’t get to hit the rewind button out there on the field. I thought Jahleel (Billingsley) was really natural, comfortable for him. Obviously, systematically, it was a good fit for him. I thought Isaiah (Neyor) looked comfortable at wideout. It was good to get (Jaydon) Blue out there, playing football again. He hasn’t played football in over a year so I thought that was good for him. It’s hard to tell. Like Cole Hutson at the line of scrimmage or a Jaray Bledsoe, Aaron Bryant. Those guys are tough to tell, you have to look at the tape on that.”

Billingsley is once again working with Sarkisian, playing for him during a national championship run with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2020. The tight end is hoping to tap back into his potential, where Sarkisian was able to get the most out of him in Tuscaloosa. As for Neyor, he comes in via the Wyoming Cowboys, hoping to be a nice compliment to fellow wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

Blue was the Longhorns’ sole running back taken in the 2022 class but decided to opt-out of his senior season at Klein Cain High School. He joins a loaded room headlined by Bijan Robinson with Roschon Johnson, Keilan Robinson, and Jonathon Brooks competing for snaps as well.

Steve Sarkisian on new faces in Texas secondary

Sarkisian then looked to a few guys in the secondary, with a major haul coming there for Texas. There will be some freshman influence in the back end when the season begins but Ohio State Buckeyes transfer Ryan Watts also stood out to the head coach.

“I thought Terrance Brooks had a good day,” Sarkisian continued. “Ryan Watts had a good day. Larry (Turner-Gooden) and BJ (Allen), I think in the backend. Looking at the tape, I don’t know exactly. Were they seeing the right keys and were their eyes in the right spot? So we’ll have to assess that. I thought (Jaylon) Guilbeau looked good. I think he settled down, I think he was pretty excited early on. So, all in all, for those guys, first practice, new routine, new practice structure. We try to get a lot done in two hours so a lot of moving parts there that they’ll only get more and more comfortable with as we move forward.”

Sarkisian has another month to get all of the new players accustomed to being a part of the Texas program. A massive season is ahead of the Longhorns, looking to improve upon their 5-7 record from last season. A better performance will be needed from Sarkisian as he works through a mini rebuild.