Gunnar Helm, the ultimate culture player
Gunnar Helm recently told reporters “it was scary” after learning that former Texas head coach Tom Herman was let go in 2021. The young Helm wasn’t sure what to think as the coach he had pledged his future to was no longer there.
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But thankfully for Helm, Jeff Banks, who had recruited Helm at Alabama, joined Steve Sarkisian’s staff. It worked out best for Texas and Helm in the end and he knows it.
“I think I fell under a pretty lucky star,” Helm said. “Very blessed to play for Coach Sark. In this NFL-style offense, they said all the time if you play offense in our kind of system, you’ll have a good shot to play in the NFL.”
It has been a match made in heaven and Helm’s stats have shown that. Fans were worried before the season about losing Ja’Tavion Sanders and the void of his production, but Helm has more than stepped up with 611 receiving yards (second on the team) and five touchdowns. Helm has played himself into being a mid-round draft pick and earned a Senior Bowl invite, but that’s the least of his concerns.
“Very excited about where I could take myself after the season but I’m focused on Clemson and winning a national championship,” Helm said.
Helm mentioned to reporters he went home to Colorado to recharge and gear up for the Longhorns’ playoff push, just as a player with heavy leadership responsibilities and a number of players looking up to him would do.
After all, Helm is the ultimate culture guy, and his growth has coincided with Sarkisian’s and the Texas program’s as a whole. He’s been a part of the championship resurgence in Austin, and the standard has been reset to where it belongs.
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In the first few years of the College Football Playoff when Texas was down, who would’ve thought they’d be the only team in the 2024 field to have made last year’s four-team CFP? But here they are and much to the credit of culture guys like Helm who stuck with the program through coaching changes and uncertainty, all of it worth it in the end.
Now ahead of what will likely be his last game in DKR, the senior reflected on his journey and success.
“Super happy to be back in the playoffs, we’re the only team back in the playoffs this year, that’s a testament to our culture and our coaching,” Helm said. “We’ve set a new standard.”
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That standard? Helm had a strong hand in creating it over his four years in burnt orange. Through the ups and downs, Helm was part of it every step of the way and his efforts have resulted in his senior season flourish.
