Steve Sarkisian Has High Expectations for New Tight End Jack Endries

The Texas Longhorns are less than a month away from the start of the 2025 season, and the week one game against No. 2 Ohio State will see a few players making their debut for Texas.

One of the new faces taking on a major role for Texas will be tight end Jack Endries, and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is excited to see what he can do in Burnt Orange.

Endries Looks to Continue Impressive Tight End Play Over the Past Few Seasons for the Longhorns

California Golden Bears tight end Jack Endries runs after a catch against Oregon State Beavers defensive backs Exodus Ayers | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

"We wanted a guy who had real experience, who played football at a high level at the tight end position," head coach Steve Sarkisian said.

Endries played two seasons at Cal before joining Texas this past offseason. With the Golden Bears, Endries led the team in receiving yards and receptions in 2024, totaling 56 catches for 623 yards, while tacking on two touchdowns. Due to his efforts, Endries was named an All-ACC honorable mention after last season.

Now, he joins the Longhorns with big shoes to fill after an impressive pair of seasons the past two years from tight ends Gunnar Helm and Ja'Tavion Sanders.

"We've been fortunate, obviously, the last couple of years with JT and then Gunnar," Sarkisian said. "Their impact in the red area for us, I think, it's always nice to have a quality tight end in the red area or two."

Helm finished the 2024 season with 60 catches for 786 yards through 16 games. Helm's receiving yards were second on the team, behind only 2025 first-round NFL draft pick Matthew Golden. In 2023, Sanders also had a significant impact on the offensive end, hauling in 45 catches for 682 yards and two touchdowns.

Both Helm and Sanders are now in the NFL, with Helm preparing for his rookie season. Now with Endries at the position, he will see if he can make a similar impact for Texas, especially in the red zone.

"How many times did we see Gunnar make catches above DBs where there's not much a DB can do about that?" Sarkisian said. "It's always nice to have that."

Endries will be playing with Texas' new full-time starting quarterback, Arch Manning, who will also be making his debut as a starter this season. Manning saw last season how helpful a reliable tight end can be for a quarterback, watching his predecessor Quinn Ewers playing with Helm, and could see a similar relationship between him and Endries.

There is plenty of hype around the Longhorns entering the season as the No. 1 team in the nation, while also having Manning take on the starter role. With the team's highly anticipated week one matchup against the Buckeyes around the corner, college football fans will have their eyes on Texas and receivers such as Endries.