The Citrus Bowl Is The Perfect Time For Texas to See What It Has in Talented Young RB

Similar to how gadget weapon Ryan Niblett entered a shorthanded running back room to pick up some of the slack in 2024, freshman Michael Terry III -- a four-star athlete in the 2025 class -- made the move from wide receiver to running back this season.

The switch happened after Jerrick Gibson's exit from the program to enter the transfer portal, leaving the Texas Longhorns with a need for more depth behind their tandem of Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter.

Now with Baxter also entering the transfer portal, Texas' backfield youth has an opportunity to get greater shine in a complementary role to Wisner, assuming the junior suits up against Michigan. In the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, head coach Steve Sarkisian and company may want to see what they have in Terry in that spot.

Sarkisian on Terry's switch to RB

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian gestures after a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Terry only appeared in one game this regular season, his debut against Sam Houston, making him a potential redshirt candidate this offseason. But that doesn't mean Sarkisian hasn't been impressed by what Terry has shown on the practice field.

"We knew when we recruited Michael that he was a really versatile guy. He was a wildcat quarterback. He was running back. He was receiver, even a tight end," Sarkisian said in October. "And we just felt like we had to start him somewhere, and we started him at receiver. I think that was a great learning curve for him there. ... He's now in the running back room, and he's been very impressive."

Terry, out of Alamo Heights in San Antonio, is listed as 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds on the Texas website. In October of 2024, 247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks compared him to 12-year NFL veteran Cordarelle Patterson, writing that Terry may be "most natural at running back, but possesses the physical traits and ball skills to become a matchup nightmare of a full-time pass-catching threat."

With the running back room opening up, Terry could get the chance to put his athleticism and versatility on display. But don't expect his usage to be solely out of the backfield.

Like Niblett, but maybe even to a greater degree, Terry can serve as a threat from wherever he's lined up across the field, especially because he's gotten time at multiple positions during his freshman year.

"When you can learn all of the offense, now you can become a real weapon in a sense of, is he lining up at wide receiver? Is he lining up at running back? Is he motioning in or out of both? And then that can create some opportunities for you there as we continue to grow his role," Sarkisian said about Terry.

The Michigan matchup on New Year's Eve could be the opening trial experimenting with Terry's role in Sarkisian's offense, and he will certainly be a factor in the team's plans as it works to build around quarterback Arch Manning once again in 2026.