3 things to know from Steve Sarkisian: Next stage of spring, players who have improved, scrimmage recap

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was available over Zoom on Thursday after the Longhorns were on the practice field yet again and have now moved into the second half of spring football.

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Here are three things to know from his press conference.

What’s the next step for spring football?

The Longhorns are now over 50 percent through with 2023 spring football. Sarkisian was asked Thursday what the next steps are over the coming weeks

“I like the progress that we’re making,” Sarkisian said. “I think we’re in this phase now of we’ve gotten ourselves through base instillation, and now we’re really trying to work on the situations of the game and trying to teach really well as a staff that way, whether it’s third down, fourth down, fringe red zone, two-minute, tempo, all the things that make up the game of football. That’s really where we’re at from a coaching perspective, and I think that our players are responding well to it.”

Football IQ was a major emphasis for Sarkisian and his assistant coaching staff last season, and play in those situations referenced will test whether the Longhorns’ improvement shown last year has carried over into the new calendar year. They will especially be tested on Saturday, when the Longhorns plan to conduct another scrimmage where players will be forced to react to those situations in real time.

“I like the progress that we’re making,” Sarkisian said. “I think things are moving in a positive direction for us.”

That Saturday practice is one of two remaining until the Orange-White game on April 15. Last year, offensive line depth issues made a full “game” out of the question. Barring anything unforeseen like injury or otherwise, the program plans to have something as close to a game as possible for the spring game.

“It does allow us, hopefully here in a couple of weeks, when we do play the spring game to have a true game,” Sarkisian said. “I think everybody would prefer that and let the guys go compete, keep score, and all that kind of good stuff.”

Three players mentioned as making improvement

Sarkisian was asked on Thursday if there were a few players who came to mind as having made significant progress after spending most of the 2022 season as a second-stringer or further down the depth chart.

“I think one guy who stands out to me right now is Kitan Crawford,” Sarkisian said. “Tremendous special teams player for us a year ago.”

Sarkisian continued: “He’s playing really well for us at safety for us right now. He’s communicating at a high level. He’s making plays on the ball. He’s playing fast. He’s definitely maturing.”

Inside Texas’ Eric Nahlin reported Wednesday that a source described Crawford as “locked in,” and showing improvement in communication.

Other players mentioned by Sarkisian operate in the trenches.

“I think DJ Campbell and Cam Williams, they’re both working hard on the offensive line and showing some positive things there.”

Two O-linemen received a shoutout, while one defensive lineman garnered praise.

“A guy who wasn’t a frontline starter for us a year ago, but I think is assuming the role of that guy is Byron Murphy on the defensive line,” Sarkisian said. “He’s been a force for us here early on in spring. You feel his presence. He’s tough to block. He creates a lot of negative plays. He’s really strong at the point of attack.”

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Reaction to the 3/25 scrimmage

This morning’s Zoom was the first time Sarkisian has been made available since the full day of festivities held on March 25 with visitors, the coaches clinic, and 11-on-11 action. Sarkisian spoke about his takeaways from five days ago.

“I think all in all, last Saturday went well,” Sarkisian said. “First of all, we came out of it healthy, which is a positive in spring. We want to tackle. We want to be physical, but you’re always mindful of injuries and what that could look like.”

On offense? “I think, inevitably, I thought there were some real flashes in the passing game. I thought there were some things we’ve been working on in the passing game that was really effective for us.”

Some of those flashes included plays from Ja’Tavion Sanders.

On defense? “I think Terrance Brooks was a guy that stood out, that did some things last Saturday that showed up.”

While Sarkisian was pleased with the outcome of the scrimmage action, he left feeling that there is still additional room for the Longhorns to grow over the coming weeks.

“I felt like we could have been better last Saturday,” Sarkisian said. “That’s my job to say as we continue to grow and go, I’m always going to push you. I’ve got to keep pushing these guys to new heights and new heights and new heights.”