Steve Sarkisian Gives Praise to Young Texas Longhorns Players

While the stars of the Texas Longhorns football team have all the spotlight, coach Steve Sarkisian provided some names of young players who haven't played much but have shown tons of potential.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian gathers with his team following the Longhorns' game against the Florida Gators, Nov. 9, 2024 at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. / Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns will play the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday to try to move to 9-1 on the season for the second consecutive season.

This is because of the amount of talent that has been recruited through Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who has built a team ready to succeed for years to come because of the young players who are committed and signed and already on the team waiting to get their playing time.

On Thursday, Sarkisian listed a few names of young freshman players that he has been impressed with in practice so far.

He first shouted out both freshman safeties Xavier Filsaime and Jordan Johnson-Rubell.

"I think those two have done a nice job," Sarkisian said. "Xavier definitely is one of those guys who has been very impressive with us on the scout team."

Xavier Filsaime was originally a 247Sports four-star recruit out of McKinney, TX. He was a two-time all-district honoree as well as an All-American in high school.

Johnson-Rubell was a three-star commit out of Bradenton, FL. 247's Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins said Johnson-Rubell is a "versatile prospect with plus field vision" and is "rather effective as an open-field tackler given his size."

Another defensive back mentioned by Sarkisian was freshman Wardell Mack. Mack reigns from Marrero, LA, and originally committed to the Florida Gators as a four-star before flipping his commitment to Texas.

Mack actually got an interception in the winding seconds of the Colorado State game at the beginning of the season to secure the shutout.

The freshman is regarded as a "high-major DB prospect who could become a multi-year starter" according to Gabe Brooks, the 247Sports scouting analyst.

Lastly, Sarkisian mentioned wide receiver Parker Livingstone from Lovejoy, TX.

"He's a guy that has really grown and continues to improve." Sarkisian said.

Livingstone was a two-time all-district honoree and three-time varsity starter. Coming out of high school, he was a three-star by 247Sports after securing over 900 receiving yards in all three seasons playing varsity at Lovejoy.

"But all these guys are working and getting better, and that's the encouraging thing," Sarkisian said.

And while all these players will probably not get extensive playing time for the rest of this year, it's a luxury for coaches to be confident in the rosters of the coming years. And with 23 seniors on the roster now, it could be as soon as next season when we start seeing some of these players become starters.

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