Why Longhorns' Ja'Tavion Sanders is Making Case as Nation's Best TE

Longhorns tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders is hardly new to Texas fans, but he's proven he should have the rest of the country on notice.

AUSTIN, Texas -- For college football fans that didn't follow the Texas Longhorns last season, Bijan Robinson was likely the only player on the roster worthy of garnering any attention.

But with Robinson now shining in the NFL, the Longhorns have a "new" star that should be garnering national attention four games into the season.

Texas tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders is hardly new to Longhorn fans, as he's been with the team since the 5-7 season in 2021. However, his rise to elite-level playmaker has bled over from last year and into Texas' 4-0 start this season, which has been highlighted by two monster individual performances against Alabama and in Saturday's 38-6 win over Baylor.

This made it a bit odd when Sanders went catchless in the 31-10 win over Wyoming on Sept. 16. But if anything, that might be helping his case as the best tight end in college football this season.

© Ricardo B. Brazziell, Austin American-Statesman

Through four games (three with at least one catch), Sanders is tied with Colorado State's Dallin Holker for first among tight ends in the country with 268 receiving yards, which also leads the Longhorns. Holker has proven to be a weapon with four touchdowns compared to just one for Sanders, but the Texas pass-catcher has done so on just 12 catches compared to Holker's 22 grabs.

Sanders' receiving total is currently higher than that of Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (256), who has been widely regarded as the best tight end in college football, and for good reason.

After catching a 44-yard touchdown in the season opener against Rice, Sanders followed this up with five catches for a career-high 114 yards in the win over Alabama. On Saturday against Baylor, it was more of the same with five grabs for 110 yards, as he showed off his elite yards-after-catch ability.

Every reception from Ja'Tavion Sanders vs Baylor

He is a certified WEAPON on the football field pic.twitter.com/CUxvPOP1G4

— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) September 24, 2023

The stats are just a piece of why Sanders is so impactful for a Longhorns team that now has sights set on the College Football Playoff. He proved why against Baylor.

Whether it was his effortless hurdle over a defender in the second quarter, his key block for Quinn Ewers on a 29-yard touchdown run, or his one-handed catch that went for 49 yards on the second play of the third, Sanders was the star in Waco on Saturday.

If the Longhorns continue to stack wins, Sanders will likely be at the center of it all. And as a result, the rest of college football will have few reasons to continue sleeping.

Sanders and the Longhorns will host the Kansas Jayhawks (4-0) at DKR on Saturday.