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Keys and (Un)locks: Steve Sarkisian's Program Has Both Types of Player at Texas

by:RT Young•05/06/25
Arch Manning
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Over on the NBA thread at Inside Texas, we occasionally have interesting discussions. Head over there sometime if you’re a good dude or gal and don’t get to argue with Ian Boyd enough on regular threads.

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Yesterday, we were partaking in the internal internet debate about LeBron James versus Steph Curry. But I went in a little bit of a different direction. I made the comparison that certain players are (un)locks and others are keys.

Keys will succeed no matter what. They’re athletes who are going to thrive regardless of the situation. They’re going to be superstars and all-timers regardless of the context. Michael Jordan, James, Tim Duncan, Peyton Manning—insert baseball player name.

Their teams have a built-in quota of wins or a level of success they’re going to reach as well. Think of all of LeBron James’ teams before he got to the Lakers, or Manning’s teams in Indianapolis and Denver.

Keys are undeniable.

Longhorns who are or were keys: Vince Young, Kevin Durant, most of the award-winning running backs, and defensive freaks of nature with the DNA of jaguars like Derrick Johnson or Colin Simmons. Kelvin Banks, the rare o-line Key, walked onto campus ready to dominate the best defensive lines in the Big 12 and SEC.

(Un)locks are self explanatory.

Their superstar potential has to be opened by the right situation, coach, or development.

Strength and conditioning plays a massive role. Look at how many NFL players Torre Becton and Steve Sarkisian have made out of Tom Herman holdovers who looked to be damaged good. 

The thing about (un)locks is, their ceiling is almost limitless. (Un)locks come with more unknowns, but they’re the guys who break the mold when everything clicks.

I think of who Kawhi Leonard would have been had he not been drafted and unlocked by the Spurs, a freaky defensive player with a broken shot. (Un)locks typically don’t fit into a mold. They’re not created in a lab or similar to any player you’ve ever seen. The most legendary examples would be Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Dirk Nowitzki, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the aforementioned Steph Curry.

In Austin, Colt McCoy was unlocked, as were T’Vondre Sweat and Jahdae Barron. Quinn Ewers was probably miscast as a key early in his high school career, but really he needed the right circumstance and guidance. On campus currently, I think of a raw ball of clay like Trevor Goosby in the wrong situation. But he was developed and molded and now fits the bill of someone who looks guaranteed to be unlocked.

Granted, in football, certain positions like quarterback, the lines of scrimmage, tight end, and defensive back have longer developmental curves than ball carriers or wide receivers. But I think Texas undoubtedly has a key on its hands in Arch Manning. And in a sentence which kills my metaphor, Manning will assuredly “unlock” Steve Sarkisian’s offense. I predicted on a different thread today that I’d hammer the over on a O/U of 50 Total Arch TD’s.

And I’d predict that if he was on a team besides Texas.

I’m not going to write which players on the 40 Acres are guaranteed to succeed and who has potential that must be harnessed like a wild mustang. For one, if you regularly read Inside Texas, you probably know those answers already. I just think the labels are helpful when discussing both the legacy and the potential of a player.

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Great programs and coaches have to possess keys and (un)locks. For every Arch Manning and Colin Simmons, you need a Trevor Goosby and a Jelani McDonald. Keys raise the ceiling of your team, but if you hit on enough (un)locks, the damn roof is blown off the building.

Steve Sarkisian is set to do that.

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