Though he wasn’t expecting the Texas Longhorns to dominate Day 1 of spring practice, Steve Sarkisian was happy with the team’s performance as the final whistle went off.
“This was a pretty good starting point for us,” Sarkisian said Tuesday following practice. “You can tell the guys have been in their playbooks and studying. You can tell the intent of our coaches.”
Less than three months after qualifying for the College Football Playoffs, an abundance of new players are still learning the ins and outs of an offense. Matthew Golden (of Houston) and Isaiah Bond (of Alabama), two new receivers, join the team following successful seasons in the Big 12 and SEC, respectively.
Twenty-five new players arrived for Texas’ first spring practice, hoping to make a lasting impression on the Longhorn football program in a new era. Seven are from the gateway for transfers. Eighteen members of the 2024 recruiting class are early enrollees. These days, everything is built with the SEC in mind, which Texas will officially join on July 1.
Sarkisian is waiting to see what has to change before deciding if the Longhorns will be a part of the new league by early December since it is way too early to make that determination.
Good starting point
“For us, this was a pretty good first day,” Sarkisian said. “I’m always hesitant to lay too much praise after one practice. I’m always a little hesitant to be too critical after one practice.”
Behind seasoned quarterback Quinn Ewers, the offense will carry the majority of the load in 2024, but it will take time to develop. In the offseason, the Longhorns added nine new players in the wake of their Sugar Bowl defeat to Washington on New Year’s Day. A couple more will come in Austin this summer, one of them being Oregon State transfer Silas Bolden. As he begins his fourth season on the Forty Acres, Sarkisian noted that there is “variety” among the attacking players. That’s also a positive thing.
A player’s injury could be a problem for most rosters looking to make a run toward the postseason. For the Longhorns, it feels as if there are multiple solutions just waiting for the right time to pounce.
“We’ve got some really versatile players,” said Sarkisian. From a receiver standpoint, we were moving guys from outside to inside, playing them in the slot, playing them outside. We moved our (RBs) around probably more today than we have a first practice of spring ball and tried to play to their strengths as well.”
Sarkisian knows the newcomers will need time to break into the offense before he can truly nitpick issues. That’s where having a veteran quarterback like Ewers comes in handy to show them the rope.
“I think that helps when you’ve got a really experienced QB who understands the offense and can manage some of that stuff at the line of scrimmage,” said Sarkisian.
According to Sarkisian, the goal of the first week is to get players comfortable, which explains why everyone is dressed in shirts and shorts on opening day. In the 14 practices that follow before the Orange-White spring scrimmage on April 20, things will get up starting next week.
“I refer to today’s practice as underwear, and we don’t play football in underwear, right? We play it in armor,” Sarkisian said. “You find out more as we go.”
Steve Sarkisian Wants His Players To Be ‘Obsessed’
Head coach Steve Sarkisian told the reporters that they must approach everything they do going ahead with the appropriate mindset.
“Obsessed” is the one word Sarkisian said sums up the proper mindset and motivation.
“I think being obsessed is, you’ve got to love what you do,” said Sarkisian. “You’re obsessed with what you love to do. You have confidence in what you’re doing. You do it in the absence of fear.
You’re committed to the cause. You’re committed to what you’re doing. Ultimately, the positive of that is you’re striving toward something and are committed to it.”
While everyone aspires to win a championship, only a select few actually do, that is the objective Texas is aiming for in 2024. The Longhorns are among the twelve teams who have the potential to win a championship, and in 2023 they came dangerously close to achieving so.