Steve Sarkisian heaps high praise on Ja'Tavion Sanders
Some new faces are going to be on the field for Texas this season, with an influx of young talent hitting the program. Even though the 2022 recruiting class has garnered most of the attention, a star from the previous cycle is ready to breakout — tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders.
Rated a five-star prospect by the On3 Consensus coming out of high school, Sanders appeared in 12 games but was mainly on special teams. After some departures at tight end, his role within the offense was expected to grow even before his development continued on the right track.
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Head coach Steve Sarkisian recently discussed Sanders, saying he’s the most improved player on the roster. Sarkisian also made a comment that may upset some other star offensive players but if he’s willing to put it out, there must be some legs to it.
“I love JT Sanders,” Sarkisian said. “Arguably the most improved player on our team from a year ago this time. He’s a big, physical guy. Probably going to upset Xavier (Worthy), J-Whitt (Jordan Whittington), and Bijan (Robinson) but he’s probably got the best hands on our team. He’s got very strong hands, can make contested catches. He’s a guy we’re definitely excited about.”
Sanders went viral during high school for making an insane one-handed catch while at Denton Ryan. At the time, he was still considered an athlete, playing as an edge rusher as well. However, his hands and athletic ability seem to be too good for somebody like Sarkisian to keep him on defense.
One of the things possibly keeping Sanders off the field last year at tight end was getting used to blocking at a college level. Now, the tight end is ready to showcase his improvements entering his sophomore season — especially when somebody like Robinson is your running back.
“Being able to be a better in-line blocker for sure,” Sanders said. “Having Bijan be able to trust me to protect the C-gap for him just in case he needs to bounce anything outside. Just being a better leader for our team, because our team is young. Being a leader for us and the young guys.”
Even with the improvements, tight end is another position Texas is considered deep. Gunnar Helm and Juan Davis impressed as true freshmen last season, while Jahleel Billingsley was brought in from Alabama. Sanders will finally get some offensive reps and will want to make the most out of the opportunity.