Longhorns Barryn Sorrell 'Proud' of Spring Progress, Reveals Lofty Goals

After a breakout season in 2022, Barryn Sorrell is ready to elevate his game to the next level for the Longhorns this season.

There was a noticeable improvement in year two under Steve Sarkisian by the Texas Longhorns defensively, as they held opponents to 21.6 points per game on 368.4 yards of total offense. 

However, while they were elite in points and yards allowed, they were a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team in terms of sacks recorded with their 27 total sacks fifth in the conference. 

While they do keep their sack leader in Barryn Sorrell, who recorded 5.5 sacks, the Longhorns are losing the next four in total sacks recorded - with those four responsible for 12 of their 27 sacks. 

With the Longhorns losing a major chunk of production in sacks, Sorrell has a simple goal set for himself this season.

"I'm definitely trying to hit double-digit sacks," Sorrell said. "I hit 5.5, so I have to hit 10. I have to." 

That may seem like a lofty goal, but Sorrell put together a strong 2022 campaign and was a consistent force in opposing backfields en route to recording 44 tackles with nine tackles for loss and the aforementioned team-high 5.5 sacks. 

As for how he feels he's done in spring practice, Sorrell is happy with the progress he's made leading up to Saturday's Orange-White game.

"Spring was a very positive thing for me, returning off a big year last year," Sorrell said. "I had a lot of film, so I knew what I wanted to work on. We get a lot of practices to work on it."

"I've been working on my pass rush and being more consistent in that, bringing the pass rush to Texas. I think I've done pretty good at that and I'm proud of my progress."

There was a lot to like about the Longhorns' defense in 2022, with Sorrell's breakout season among the top reasons. Now, though, he looks to take another step forward in 2023 and help elevate the Longhorns' defense even higher. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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