Steve Sarkisian Loves Depth of Longhorns Squad Compared to Last Season

Despite losses to graduation and to the National Football League, this team is very deep at most positions.

Texas Longhorns Isaiah Bond during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

When the Texas Longhorns took the practice field on Thursday, coach Steve Sarkisian was surveying his squad.

He made the determination that despite the many losses to the National Football League this spring, the 2024 team is deeper than last year's team which qualified for the College Football Playoff.

They are going to need that depth as they move to the Southeastern Conference.

"A year ago, we probably weren't as deep of a team as we are this year," Sarkisian said. "Now, we had some real front-line players at wide receiver and on the interior defensive line, naturally, and they're now in the NFL and doing their thing," Sarkisian said, "But I do think at both of those two positions [receiver and defensive tackle], we probably have more depth than we had a year ago."

The biggest problem that Sarkisian will have is determining how he utilizes all that depth. He needs to come up with the right rotation to keep everyone fresh, especially in all of the hot weather games in the SEC. He also has to have the right personnel in different down and distance situations,

"Probably one of my bigger challenges is going to be how do we find that right rotation to utilize that depth," Sarkisian said, "That's something that is a little bit different for us from where we've been the previous three years, but that doesn't mean that we won't get it right. It's just going to take us a little bit of time."

Texas Longhorns Isaiah Bond during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Sarkisian has the gift that keeps on giving. Due to the offseason recruiting success of his coaching staff, Texas has had some fantastic recruiting classes. Over the last several years those classes have developed depth, It just does not happen overnight,

Sarkisian is looking at his depth from a very different perspective, He is also playing his cards close to his vest. When asked for an example of how to use that depth, he referenced the punting game.

"They're all a little bit different," Sarkisian said of the receivers. "Some of it might be predicated on the type of punter that we're playing. Whether it's an NFL-style guy who sends it deep and far — compared to kind of the rugby-roll-kick guy that's rolling the ball on the ground. Or do we just want to possess the ball? I think we're just trying to group them all and then say, 'OK, who do we feel most confident in and is the most reliable to do what we're asking to do in that game plan?'"