Longhorns Country

Two Longhorns Have Impressed Steve Sarkisian With Offseason Transformations

The Texas Longhorns opened fall camp this week, and two players have already caught head coach Steve Sarkisian's eye.

Matt Galatzan

Texas Longhorns during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
Texas Longhorns during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
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AUSTIN - The Texas Longhorns opened fall camp this week, and to no surprise, there is already a lot of buzz coming out of the first handful of practices.

Alongside the obvious storylines such as quarterback play or new transfers, there is also a talented group of freshman making their debuts with the program this week.

And according to head coach Steve Sarkisian, two of those freshmen have already caught his eye after transforming their bodies this summer.

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Texas Longhorns during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

“Two guys that I just saw right now - and I just mentioned this to them coming off the field - that come to mind because are Brandon Baker and Ty’Anthony Smith,” Sarkisian said. “There’s a bunch of guys I could touch on, but those two guys stood out to me most notably because I saw them right there coming off the field.”

Baker comes to the Longhorns are one of the headline members of the 2024 recruiting class, ranking as a five-star recruit, the No. 27 player in the country, the No. 2 offensive tackle and the No. 4 player in the state of California.

He is expected to play a depth role in the offensive line as a reserve tackle behind Kelvin Banks and Cameron Williams.

Smith, however, comes into Austin as a bit of a dark horse. Nevertheless, he was a major get at a position of need for the Horns.

Ranking as a four-star recruit and the No. 203 player nationally, Smith has impressed Sarkisian in more ways than one, and could find a way to make an early impact in some capacity.

“I asked Ty’Anthony how much weight have you put on since you’ve got here and he said a little over 20 pounds,” Sarkisian said. “He looks really, really good for a guy coming in from Jasper mid-year to where he is now. It shows. He’s playing really good football.”

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Matt Galatzan

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration.  Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network.  When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later.  Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered.  Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys.  You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

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