Texas Longhorns Freshman May Have Earned Himself More Playing Time

The Texas Longhorns had quite a weekend to forget at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA against the Georgia Bulldogs, taking a gut-wrenching 35-10 loss and drifting further away from the College Football Playoff.

In a game where the Horns kept it close for a majority of the contest thanks to a decent night from quarterback Arch Manning, it was a 21-point fourth quarter for the Bulldogs that sealed the deal for Kirby Smart's team in their third straight win over the Burnt Orange.

However, there was one defender on the Texas side that Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was ecstatic to talk about in his pregame press conference on Monday.

Sarkisian Commended the Maturity of Justus Terry

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) celebrates scoring a touchdown with teammates in the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

During his Monday afternoon conference, as the Longhorns gear up to host the Arkansas Razorbacks in their penultimate contest in the 2025 season, Sarkisian was asked about the performance of defensive lineman Justus Terry and if he was a player that Sark would want to involve more going forward, and the head coach was nothing but optimistic in his report of the freshman.

"Yeah, I'm really proud of Justus, he has really come on," Sark said. "You know, from where he was a couple of months ago to where he is today. It's a credit to his work ethic, and a credit to Coach Baker (defensive line coach) and the work that they put in."

Sarkisian also mentioned the work that Terry had put in on scout team, and how he believes it has helped his development.

"He spends a lot of time, even now, throughout the week, periodically on the scout team, so he's going against D.J. Campbell, he's going against Trevor Goosby, I think that has helped his development as well," said Sarkisian.

"Here's a guy that a month ago could have waved the white flag and said, 'I'll wait until next year,' but he's continued to work at his craft and is getting better, and he is a guy who is going to continue to earn more playing time."

Terry's game against the Bulldogs was definitely his breakout in his freshman season, recording four total tackles including one for loss, bringing his season total up to six tackles.

The freshman defensive lineman had also recorded tackles in the wins over San Jose State and Mississippi State.

The Longhorns and Razorbacks are scheduled to kick off from DKR Saturday afternoon at 2:30 PM.