Silas Bolden has earned his teammates' respect in Texas football's preseason
Earlier this week, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said they’re still learning more about Oregon State wide receiver transfer Silas Bolden. A June enrollee, Bolden put together a strong summer but there was some uncertainty related to how the 5-foot-8, 160-pounder would fare when the pads came on.
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If Bolden’s teammates are anything to go by, then Sarkisian saying Monday that Bolden “is going to be a factor for us in the fall” might have been an understatement.
All three of Jahdae Barron, Quinn Ewers, and Michael Taaffe spoke this week about how Bolden has been one of the more impactful players so far in preseason camp. Sarkisian had enough information after day one of practice to call Bolden “fearless” and compare him to former Utah and Carolina Panther wideout Steve Smith.
The players Bolden has worked with and against echoed those sentiments this week.
“He’s a heck of a ball player,” Barron said on Tuesday. “He may be little, but he has some heart. He has a lot of heart to him. I love Silas.”
That heart is seen in other ways, especially by the player often tasked with delivering Bolden the football.
“When he first got here, I could just tell how much he cared about the game of football and how much he really wants to succeed,” Ewers said Tuesday. “Seeing that from a guy like him and him being able to go into the receiver room and show how he can play whenever you care that much about the game, Jahdae is correct on all those things.”
Bolden is approaching his first season on the 40 acres after four years at Oregon State. For his Beaver career, he had 80 catches for 1076 yards and nine touchdowns along with 21 carries for 202 yards and four scores. He also has brought back a punt for a touchdown and averaged 23.1 yards per kickoff return last year.
Playing with DJ Uiagalelei during the 2023 season, Bolden was OSU’s leading receiver with 54 catches for 746 yards. He was second on the team in receiving touchdowns with five and also rushed for two scores. Bolden had an offensive Pro Football Focus grade of 75.1 and a receiving grade of 76.5. Upon entering the portal after the 2023 season, Bolden picked Texas over USC, Washington, and Arizona following a visit to Austin.
Now, he enters 2024 with lofty expectations despite his comparatively diminutive frame. He’s been one of the best football players for the Longhorns since he arrived in June not just on offense, but also on special teams. Plus, his passion has earned the respect of his teammates several times over.
That’s led to public attention, which Taaffe said has not gotten to Bolden’s head.
“He’s a monster,” Taaffe said Thursday. “Do it all. Selfless guy. Whatever he needs to do, whatever the coaches need him to do, he’s going to do it. I’m sure y’all have heard of the speed, the hands, the routes, but I want to mention how selfless of a player he is. I told him the other day to never lose that. I’ve never seen somebody that’s gotten so much hype but not let that hype get to him, just put his head down and grind. He’s a beast. All respect to Silas.”
The Longhorns have a number of wideouts who will threaten defenses this season along with Bolden, including Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Johntay Cook, Ryan Wingo, and DeAndre Moore Jr. Those players have separated themselves as the ones Sarkisian will look toward Bolden during most standard down opportunities during the 2024 campaign.
But the smallest of the bunch in Bolden might be the most electric, and he’s gained the respect of both his coaches and teammates halfway through preseason camp.
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“He’s been balling out,” Ewers said. “It’s cool to see a guy like him do the things that he does.”
