Texas Longhorns Have Moved Five-Star Freshman to Help Replace Jerrick Gibson

The Texas Longhorns will have to ride the huge wave of momentum created from their commanding 23-6 Red River Rivalry victory, leaving the 121st meeting between the two rivals with the rebound win, the golden hat, and a renewed confidence for the rest of the 2025 season.

Texas will travel to visit the Kentucky Wildcats while the two teams head into the matchup trending in different directions, with the Longhorns sit at a 3-2 record, and the Wildcats are heading in with a 2-3 record after a bye week and coming off two straight losses last time out.

Earlier this week, it was announced that a pair of Longhorns had left the program, one of whom was sophomore running back Jerrick Gibson, who was Texas's third leading runner with 152 yards and a touchdown. Now down a rotational piece in the running game, the Longhorns will look to move one of their newcomers into the running back room.

Michael Terry III Moving to Running Back

Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner — Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) hands off the ball to running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

With the loss of Gibson, the remaining players in the Longhorns running back room with carries on the season are Quintrevion Wisner, Christian Clark, James Simon, a still-injured CJ Baxter, and Ryan Niblett, who's had a few attempts in the backfield.

During Thursday's media availability, Steve Sarkisian was asked about potentially moving five-star freshman Michael Terry III into the running back room, with Sarkisian noting that Terry has begun working in as a running back and highlighted his versatility. The five-star prospect was recruited as an athlete coming out of high school and began his career with the Longhorns as a wide receiver.

"Well, we're starting to work with him there," Sarkisian said. "We knew when we recruited Michael that he was a really versatile guy. He was a Wildcat quarterback, he was a running back, he was a receiver, and he even played some tight end. And, you know, we just felt like we had to start him somewhere, and we started him at receiver, and I think that was a great learning curve for him there."

In his final year of high school football, Terry's statistics tell the story of why he was a five-star prospect. Used primarily out of the backfield, the San Antonio native finished with 1120 yards on the ground for an incredible yards per carry of 8.2 and 17 touchdowns. Sarkisian went into detail about Terry and how he's been used through the season so far and the changes that could come down the lie.

"He's now in the running back room, and he's been very impressive," Sarkisian said. "He's been playing some scout team running back for us now for about the last three weeks or so. So he's been doing it, but now he's in the room. You know, we'll see if he's ready for Saturday or not, or over time. So been thoroughly impressed with Michael. He is an unbelievable athlete, very smart, and I think he's a guy that's going to help us as we continue to grow his role in the program.