Steve Sarkisian: Multiple Longhorns Early Enrollees to 'Contribute This Fall'

Steve Sarkisian weighs in on the progression of the first-year Longhorns.

© Ricardo B. Brazziell / American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

By the midway point of spring football, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian expects the training wheels to come off for all new players joining the program. Not only does this include transfers such as Georgia receiver Adonai Mitchell, but also the 14 early enrollees. 

Sarkisian said during his Zoom meeting with reporters Thursday that while there have been some growing pains with the impending class, a majority of players have hit their stride. The first-year Longhorns have begun to master the playbook. Now comes the part of figuring out which prospects could expand their duties to roleplayers come Week 1 of the 2023 campaign.

"There's been some guys that have really shown us some things that, man, these guys are probably going to contribute this fall," said Sarkisian. "To what degree, we don't know yet. But they're definitely high-level players who are very competitive, who want to be good, and they're trying to earn their way on the field."

Consistency is the crucial word moving forward for the freshmen class. So far, Sarkisian has said multiple players have "flashed" but nothing more. That's not a massive concern for the time being as Sark's main attention is all about acclimating the players to the system. 

Players take time adjusting from the high school level to college, but there's a sense that early practices should benefit any young talent looking to garner reps this fall. 

Sarkisian gave high praise to multiple first-year talents. Receiver Johntay Cook II has "done some really nice things." So have defenders Malik Muhammad and Liona Lefau. Running back C.J. Baxter has "been very good," while linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. has "come along strong." 

Five-star quarterback Arch Manning, however, is the prospect on all Longhorns fans' minds. The New Orleans product is in a heated battle for the title of QB1, opposite both 2022 starter Quinn Ewers and 2022 recruit Maalik Murphy.

"Obviously what Arch has done, you know, eight practices in as a quarterback in our system, it's not easy," Sarkisian said. "We take the training wheels off Day 1, and you've got to learn how to ride this bike."

Sarkisian isn't looking for perfection but rather a progression from the first-year talents. It's not about carving out reps with the starters, but rather proving that the mental mistakes from one practice won't carry over to the next day.

That's easier said than done. First-year students, regardless of their recruiting star status or impact on the team, aren't just learning how to deal with the daily life of being a college student-athlete. They're adapting to new schemes, new dietary constraints and countless other program do's and don'ts that will better their bodies and minds for playing on Saturdays. 

Some players have caught on faster than others. Some are still works in progress. 

"We have to look at each new player individually, and what do they need from us; how do they learn?" said Sarkisian. "As much as they're learning what we do, how we do and why we do, we're learning them too."

Entering the second half of camp, freshmen will be asked to prove their bad habits are dwindling. Of course, one lousy practice shouldn't be viewed as regression but rather as a building block for improvement.

Sarkisian also isn't putting too much of an emphasis on the players who elected to leave high school early. While 14 new Longhorns are being indoctrinated into the ways of the Austin, 11 more still are slated to join come summer. 

Enrolling early has multiple benefits, but just because a prospect waits to join the roster doesn't mean they can't make an impact Day 1. Last season, offensive tackle Kelvin Banks arrived on campus in June. He ended up starting all 13 games.

The year prior, receiver Xavier Worthy touched down on the Forty Acres after spring practice. He set the new Longhorns freshman record in both receiving yards and touchdowns en route to winning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. 

Said Sarkisian: "In the end, just because you come in spring doesn't mean you're that much ahead and doesn't mean you're going to be ahead of the guys that come in the summer."

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