Steve Sarkisian discusses a handful of young Horns, including Jerrick Gibson and Sydir Mitchell
During his weekly Monday press conference, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked myriad questions. One of those questions centered around which young players looked good over the course of the bye week. He offered five names, with two of them being names in particular Longhorns fans have asked about quite a bit.
[Join Inside Texas TODAY with code HOOKEM and get 50% off annual memberships!]
Here are the first four names Sark offered.
“I’ve been impressed with a lot of our young players. Kobe Black continues to make strides. I think Jerrick Gibson showed us a lot last week again. Both young safeties — Jordon Johnson-Rubell and and Xavier [Filsaime] both are kind of on the come. So the good part is it’s not just about offense and defense, it’s finding roles for them on special teams as well. A lot of those guys have shown me a lot.”
Black makes sense. Inside Texas has mentioned him as a viable player for the Horns this year and he sure looked the part in his first “real” game action of the season. Against Vanderbilt, Black played only 9 snaps but he made the most of his limited time including a would-be pick-six that was negated by a Vernon Broughton targeting penalty. There was some speculation Black could grow into a nickel or safety but expect him to plant his feet at boundary corner.
The two safeties, Jordon Johnson-Rubell and Xavier Filsaime are also of note. JJ-R has worked at both safety and nickel. Filsaime’s name being mentioned is big because he didn’t arrive at Texas with a ton of experience at the position, though he did arrive with plenty of promise. Hopefully both can start making an impact on special teams. We’ve seen how good special teams play is a harbinger of good things to come for young players.
Gibson’s name is of particular intrigue because at times the run game has needed a jolt. Gibson has seen his workload decrease over the course of the season after logging as many as 13 carries against UTSA. He also ran the ball 10 times against Michigan. He only has six carries since the Mississippi State game at the end of September. Could he poised for a return to action?
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Coach Michael Vick
Former NFL star is college HC
- 2Hot
Zachariah Branch
USC 5-Star hits the portal
- 3
Jaylen Mbakwe
5-Star Alabama freshman staying in Tuscaloosa
- 4
Dan Mullen
Contract details released
- 5
Updated National Title odds
Latest odds on the CFP title chase
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
Sark saved the most intriguing name for last.
“I’ll say this, I think Sydir Mitchell the last two weeks has had his best weeks here in quite some time.”
The sophomore defensive tackle has been MIA since the UTSA game in Week 3. Given the amount of players Texas is going to lose at the position, including impact players, there will be a great need this offseason for solutions.
When he was signed in 2023, the 6-foot-5, 350 pounder immediately became one of the most important pieces for Texas’ future. Given the scarcity of defensive tackles, if Mitchell can get his career back on track it would be huge for years to come.
[Subscribe to the Inside Texas YouTube channel!]
Sark mentioned Mitchell again when discussing who will help replace Broughton during his first half suspension this week against Florida.
