Texas WR Ryan Niblett Impressing at RB: 'A Lot of Heart'

Texas Longhorns wideout Ryan Niblett has been receiving some reps at running back following two season-ending injuries at the position.

Texas White team wider receiver Ryan Niblett (18) celebrates making a catch for a first down in the second quarter of the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, April 20, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns are getting creative with their backfield as the regular season gets underway.

Following season-ending injuries to running backs Cedric Baxter and Christian Clark, the Longhorns added SMU graduate transfer Velton Gardner to the fold while also trying out some new faces at the position.

Tight end Juan Davis and receiver Ryan Niblett emerged as potential emergency options during training camp, but the latter is showing that he's more than a "just-in-case" solution at running back.

Texas Longhorn wide receiver Ryan Niblett (18) catches the ball during their second day of preseason practice at the Denius Fields on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

As Steve Sarkisian and players met with the media Monday ahead of Saturday's season opener against Colorado State, Niblett was a hot topic of discussion due to how he's been performing as a ball-carrier in practice leading up to the start of the year.

When talking about Gardner, Sarkisian briefly mentioned Niblett's addition to the backfied, potentially confirming that the receiver could be getting some carries as soon as Week 1. However, the extensive praise came from Niblett's teammates, including starting running back Jaydon Blue.

"The good thing is, he played a little running back in high school, so there are some things he knows, but I'm just teaching him the main things and the expectations that Coach (Tashard) Choice has. But as we get further into the season, he's getting better."

Blue then pointed out Niblett's potential versatility at the position and that he's been "pretty impressed" with what he's seen.

"Another thing with Ryan, I see a lot of versatility," Blue said. "He's fast, of course, he's small, but he has a lot of heart, and he's not scared to drop his shoulder or anything like that. The more he's been in our room, I've been watching him, man, you know, I'm pretty impressed at the steps he's made so far."

Texas center Jake Majors addressed Niblett's reps at running back as well.

"It's going to be on him to learn what it means to be a running back in this program compared to a wide receiver," Majors said. "But at the end of the day, just fitting the runs the right way. There's nothing special about it, just doing what Coach (Kyle) Flood teaches us, and then going out there and giving him good looks on his reads and his cuts."

After the team wrapped up its final scrimmage of training camp, Sarkisian admitted that Niblett has worked his way into the receiving rotation, which is allowing Texas to be seven-deep at the position.

Texas White team wider receiver Ryan Niblett (18) celebrates making a catch for a first down in the second quarter of the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, April 20, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

"It's a tough deal, man," Sarkisian said on Aug. 19 of figuring out how to manage the WR rotation. "As I've said, we have six guys that I feel very comfortable with playing in the game. And I would say coming out of Saturday, I would say seven. Ryan Niblett has really come on here in the last week and a half, and [I] have been very impressed with him, not only offensively, but also on special teams. And so that's a credit to him. I told him that today on the field, I was really proud of him, because he just continues to work."

Despite Niblett's growth at both receiver and running back, he remains buried on a WR depth chart that features three talented transfers in Silas Bolden, Isaiah Bond and Matthew Golden along with second-year receivers Johntay Cook II and DeAndre Moore Jr. Five-star freshman Ryan Wingo showed off his ability in April's spring game as well with four catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

Last season as a freshman, Niblett appeared in three games but didn't register a catch. Expect that to change during the 2024 campaign, but it could still take an injury or two for the former four-star recruit to see significant targets.