Texas Spring Football Injuries: Steve Sarkisian Gives Update On Key Players
All eyes are on the Texas Longhorns entering a pivotal Year 3 under Steve Sarkisian. Expectations are high on the Forty Acres, higher than normal in relative years due to the changes coming the program's way in the not-so-distant future.
While spring football won't be a clear indicator of the Longhorns' direction, there are reasons to buy into the hype or sell stock in the program based on the next 15 practices prior to the Orange-White Game on April 15. Everything on display could indicate that last season's 8-5 record was a fluke, and Texas is ready to contend for a Big 12 title before moving to the SEC in 2024.
That said, Sarkisian noted that the team would not be at full strength due to several off-season injuries on both sides of the ball. The current players taking first-team reps after one practice might not be full-time starters come Week 1 against Rice.
No more was that evident with the absence of transfer safety Jalen Catalon. A two-year starter at Arkansas, Catalon is still recovering from a season-ending ankle injury he suffered in the Razorbacks' season-opening win over Cincinnati.
"We're in winter conditioning, he's coaching guys on the side on specific drills and why we're doing the drills," Sarkisian told reporters Monday. "And that's what we were hopeful that we would be getting, a little bit more vocal in the back end and a little bit more confident player to play the style that we want to play.”
Catalon will have to earn the starting role left open by the departure of Anthony Cook, but the expectation is that he'll command the hard-hitting safety position in 2023. Seniors with one year of eligibility usually don't transfer to programs with the intent of sitting on the bench.
Catalon has been one of the more reliable open-field tacklers at the FBS level when healthy. During his time in Fayetville, the Texas native registered 159 tackles, 14 passes defended and five interceptions in 21 career games.
Most of the attention turns to the offense under second-year quarterback Quinn Ewers entering March. But while receiver Xavier Worthy has fully recovered from a broken hand, fellow pass-catcher Isaiah Neyor is still working back from a torn ACL suffered last August.
Neyor, a former All-Moutian West honoree, was expected to be the Longhorns' No. 2 receiver before the injury. In 2021 with the Cowboys, he totaled 44 receptions for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Sarkisian said that both Neyor and linebacker Derrion Gullette (ACL) would be brought back slowly, meaning the timing of their returns remain a mystery entering Day 2 of spring practice.
“The ACL guys, I’m gonna say they’re out, but we’re gonna try to do some work with them,” Sarkisian said. “But the rest of them, hopefully, we can get them back in the second half of spring ball.”
Running back Johnathon Brooks is still recovering from early-January hernia surgery and did not participate in drills during Monday's practice. Brooks, the No. 3 running back for the Horns last season, averaged 6.6 yards and scored six total touchdowns in four games, two of which came in the season finale victory over Kansas.
Brooks and senior Keilan Robinson are slated to take over as the new 1-2 combination in Texas' backfield in place of Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. Bijan Robinson, the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, declared for the NFL draft following the regular season and is expected to be selected in the first round come April.
Ewers and freshman Arch Manning will see a majority of the first-team reps for the time being with Maalik Murphy missing time. Murphy, a former four-star prospect from California, is still nursing a foot injury suffered during his final game at Junipero Serra High School in 2022, though Sarkisian said he would "will “be in the mix" whenever he could return to full strength.
On the offensive line, both Cole Hutson and Connor Robertson are still recovering from off-season surgery. Huston, the projected starting right guard, underwent a procedure on his shoulder, while Robertson, who could fight for starting reps at left guard, had surgery on his wrist.
Defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau (knee) should be ready for the start of the season and could even see action in the spring game next month. Last season, Guilbeau appeared in eight games and totaled 17 tackles and a pair of pass breakups.
“We’re pleased with where he’s at,” said Sarkisian.
The Longhorns return to practice on Wednesday and Friday before taking a week and a half off for spring break.
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