Texas TE, Alabama Transfer Jahleel Billingsley to Serve Six-Game Suspension

The senior tight end did not play in the Longhorns’ season opener on Saturday.

Texas will be without tight end Jahleel Billingsley until mid-season due to a six-game suspension stemming from his time at Alabama, according to coach Steve Sarkisian.

Billingsley, a senior transfer who joined the Longhorns in January, did not play in Saturday’s season opener because of the punishment and will miss the next five games after receiving the suspension from the NCAA. Sarkisian did not disclose the reason for the NCAA’s decision but told reporters it was related to something that transpired prior to Billingsley’s arrival at Texas.

“(It’s) not for anything that occurred here with us but at his previous stop,” Sarkisian said Saturday, via The Athletic. “He’s in the process of that and he’s got five more games to go. We’ll get him back for Big 12 play.”

Sarkisian also noted the circumstances are not related to any legal issues. 

Billingsley, 21, will be eligible to return in Texas’ matchup against Iowa State on Oct. 15. For his career, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound TE has compiled 37 receptions for 559 yards and six touchdowns in 20 career games at Alabama, including a 17-catch, 256-yard and three-TD effort in 10 games last season.

Texas opened the 2022 season with a 52–10 rout of Louisiana-Monroe. The Longhorns will next take the field on Sept. 10 in a clash with the Crimson Tide at home.