Skip to main content
Longhorns Country

Texas Film Room: Emerging Star On The Offensive Line Had His Best Game Against UTSA

The Longhorns found a gem in the transfer portal
Carter Long|
Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian leads his team on to the field before a game against the Texas State Bobcats
Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian leads his team on to the field before a game against the Texas State Bobcats | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns went all-in this offseason, making big splashes in the transfer portal like bringing No. 1 wide receiver Cam Coleman, No. 6 linebacker Rasheem Biles, and top-six running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. However, through three weeks, it has been a less-heralded acquisition who has arguably made the biggest impact.

Dylan Sikorski was the 36th-ranked interior offensive line prospect and 464th-ranked player overall in this offseason's portal after an up-and-down season at Oregon State in which he made six starts in 10 games. Despite that, head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Kyle Flood brought him in and eventually tabbed him as the starter at left guard after a lengthy position battle throughout spring camp and fall practice.

The decision has been a master stroke; Texas has been the highest-graded pass-blocking team this season according to PFF and Sikorski himself has registered a 91.1. His performance has earned him commendations from many, including 2025 All-SEC first-teamer and left-side-of-the-line mate Trevor Goosby.

Sarkisian and Flood's development of Sikorski, who posted a pass-blocking grade of just 59.9 last season, is among the best work of the pair's five, going on six, years leading the Longhorns' offense. The once under-the-radar three-star recruit has made serious strides in every game this season, with his best performance yet coming last Saturday against UTSA.

Dylan Sikorski Had His Best Game Yet Against Road Runners

Texas Longhorns offensive coordinator Kyle Flood
Texas Longhorns offensive coordinator Kyle Flood during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Sikorski posted a career-best pass-blocking grade of 88.2 on Saturday while keeping up his season-long streak of committing no penalties and allowing zero pressures. Here is a cut-up of some of his best pass-protection work against the Road Runners.

Sikorski played low and strong in his one-on-one assignments, with his hand-fighting technique being particularly sound. He gave quarterback Arch Manning a strong pocket to step into all night, anchoring quickly against bull rushes.

He was comfortable executing a pulling-protection assignment and in slide schemes. He handled stunts well and showed flashes of finding work when he did not have a direct assignment, though he did occasionally look awkward doing so.

He maintained a good base throughout, never extending too far or getting out past his skis. This, combined with his low pad level, allowed him to out-leverage opposing defensive linemen all game.

As impressive as his night protecting Manning was, his performance as a run-blocker was more encouraging. He posted a run-blocking grade of 73.9, the second-highest of his career, which far exceeded his previous two marks of 67.5 against the Texas State Bobcats and 56.1 against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Longhorns utilize a varied and complex run-scheme which asks their interior linemen to be proficient at pulling, driving, down-blocking, combo-blocking, climbing, reaching, and more. Sikorski has shown an ability to perform all of these assignments, though it has not been nearly as impressive as his pass-blocking.

While he was still better moving backwards than he was moving forwards on Saturday, he took a real step in the run game. Here is a compilation of his highlights in the ground-game.

Sikorski generated a serious push on drive- and combo-blocks. He was able to torque Road Runners out of gaps on zone-scheme runs through a combination of great footwork, a strong core, and elite hand placement.

He had his struggles in space, particularly as a puller; however, he also flashed an ability to open holes on the perimeter. The pad-level, lower-body strength, hand usage, and intelligence that make him a great pass-protector all transferred to the run against UTSA, something that should continue as the season goes on.

Sikorski was not perfect last weekend, but he made real strides as a run-blocker while his protection of Manning remained stellar for the third week in a row. Sarkisian and Flood have discovered a true diamond-in-the-rough in Sikorski, and his excellence on the offensive line has quietly been a key reason that the Longhorns are concretely the No. 1 team in the country going into Southeastern Conference play.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Carter Long
CARTER LONG

Carter Long is a sophomore Journalism and Sports Media student at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a general sports reporter for the Daily Texan on the baseball beat. Long is from Houston and supports everything H-town.

Home/Football