OTF Premium Friday Happy Hour: Does Texas need to add a transfer TE?

[Jeff Howe]

 

Does Texas need to address the tight end position when the spring transfer portal window opens in April?

The answer is nuanced, but I don’t think the Longhorns' strategy will make or break the offense in 2025.

Spring practice will be Jordan Washington’s opportunity to emerge as someone who can be counted on when the rubber meets the road in the fall. Steve Sarkisian has coached productive, NFL-caliber tight ends as a college coach (Austin Seferian-Jenkins at Washington, O.J. Howard and Irv Smith Jr. headline the tight ends Sarkisian worked with at Alabama and Ja’Tavion Sanders at Texas, with Gunnar Helm expected to be drafted in April).

Washington has a chance to be the most complete tight end to play in Sarkisian’s offense.

The 6-foot-4-inch 250-pounder with a basketball background was brought up during Friday’s “Longhorn Livestream” with myself, Rod Babers and Gerry Hamilton.

Gerry mentioned how Langham Creek coach Todd Thompson used Washington as an in-line tight end, a sniffer and in the backfield. Sarkisian praised Washington’s ability to stretch the field, ball skills, and length when he introduced the 2024 signees who signed during that cycle's Early Signing Period.

With 10.5-inch hands and a tremendous frame that’s already started to fill out, Washington has a chance to be an athletic, physical tight end north of 260 pounds who never has to leave the field. Nick Townsend won’t be on campus for spring practice, but the future in Jeff Banks’ room is bright with the two Houston-area products leading the way.

If the staff knew Amari Niblack would move on after the season, Texas might’ve pushed harder for Purdue’s Max Klare, who transferred to Ohio State. The Longhorns could use another tight end on the roster, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of putting a playmaker around Arch Manning.

If the Longhorns don’t find the right tight end in the portal, utilizing a sixth offensive lineman (a role Texas didn’t feature in 2024 as much as it did in 2022 or 2023) or Spencer Shannon emerging as a capable in-line blocker would allow Sarkisian to keep 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) as one of his featured groupings. Additionally, Sarkisian’s use of two-back sets and multiple-wide receiver packages means the Longhorns could pursue a transfer too good to pass up without feeling like they’re robbing Peter to pay Paul.

In short, Texas shouldn’t pass on a proven running back or wideout in place of another tight end. Every offensive personnel decision must be executed with maximizing Manning’s time as QB1 in mind, which is why the Longhorns should approach spring practice and the portal window with an open mind.

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[Jeff Howe]

Just some food for thought heading into the weekend.

[Drunk randoke]

It’s a tad concerning to be green as grass at a position Sark has said is the second most important.  But Washington and Shannon have been cooking in the program for a bit of time.  Was it a lack of good options or does he just feel good about what he has?  

[Jeff Howe]

52 minutes ago, Drunk randoke said:

It’s a tad concerning to be green as grass at a position Sark has said is the second most important.  But Washington and Shannon have been cooking in the program for a bit of time.  Was it a lack of good options or does he just feel good about what he has?  

Sark would probably tell you it's a little of both. I'll lean more toward a lack of options.

Klare is/was redundant with Niblack, which made it easier for the staff to move on from him, IMO. Either way, Texas would rather be in a position of trying to make the pieces fit than being one injury away from being in a bind.

What I was thinking of when I wrote this was from the perspective that there might not be a suitable option in the portal. Rather than reach for someone to improve the numbers, I'd rather Sark double down on playmaking ability at either RB or WR to give Arch another weapon.

[HenryJames]

Yes

[THookem]

Do you want your young qb to have a successful season?

[NothinButDaHorns34]

I’d do anything you could do get older and more experienced at tight end, wide receiver and the interior of the offensive line. 

[GoHorns1]

Jeff, what’s the latest on Will Randle as TE?

[Jordan91]

You can’t say Friday Happy Hour without having one. It’s just wrong. 

[Austalgia]

Fans seem to be portal crazy this offseason  and are calling for experience at every position We can’t have insurance policies at every position in case of injury.  Some people even wanted a QB?! 

1. 2 questions,  Where are you going to get these portal additions that want to come in experienced and be backups?  If you prefer them to be starters (which if there is an outstanding talent with experience I understand) then when are the high level recruits that are sophomores and juniors we have going to get their experience? We are just to not play our own players again and then portal every year new experienced players that haven’t grown up in the system, because we have the same problem next year? 

2. People forget portal goes both ways.  We have a good balance at the moment of losing players that don’t hurt too bad.  We aren’t guaranteed for this to continue if we get greedy.  If we take players that are just as good and have just as much potential as our sophomores and juniors, we stand for those players that have waited and worked hard  to leave.  Then guess what?  We still don’t have depth or insurance against injury.  Then we lose good players from our own team that had multiple years left of eligibility for a one year wonder.  

3. The staff has so far kept a nice balance of adding best available and bringing our younger players along that are ready to make their first starts.  I trust they will keep this going.  We don’t want to lose depth underneath and get dependent on the portal at multiple positions like we are at D tackle.  
 

4. I’m writing this with a hat on indoors and wearing an uncollared shirt, and besides not knowing if I spelled uncollared right I plan on ending this sentence in a preposition.  Oh wait, crap, even I can’t stand that.  

Edited yesterday at 12:16 AM by Austalgia

[Jeff Howe]

30 minutes ago, GoHorns1 said:

Jeff, what’s the latest on Will Randle as TE?

The injury set him back. I can't recall him being an active practice participant in the practices I've watched since he got to Texas.

[Jeff Howe]

26 minutes ago, Jordan91 said:

You can’t say Friday Happy Hour without having one. It’s just wrong. 

We'll try to remedy that in the future.

[Red Five]

I'd need to watch a bunch of practice before answering, although I think the answer is going to be "yes".  

[GoHorns1]

5 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

The injury set him back. I can't recall him being an active practice participant in the practices I've watched since he got to Texas.

Thanks for confirmation on being unable to recover from his high school knee injury. He would have been a good Hback. 

[CHorn427]

3 hours ago, Drunk randoke said:

It’s a tad concerning to be green as grass at a position Sark has said is the second most important.  But Washington and Shannon have been cooking in the program for a bit of time.  Was it a lack of good options or does he just feel good about what he has?  

JT sanders had 0 catches for 0 yards and 0 TDs in 2021, then 54 catches for 613 yds and 5 TDs in 2022. In 2022 and 2024, we had hardly any idea of what to expect at TE and were gloomy in 2024. Those turned out to be 2 of the best TE years in our history

[HTXHorn]

Juan Davis put in his time with Texas, but even he had more snaps than any other TE in 2023 that is heading into next year (correct me if I’m wrong). I certainly like the talent in Washington and Townsend, but to say we don’t need experience at that position is either naive or ignorant. In any case, we are going to need someone to break out, regardless if they are portal players or existing roster players. 

[Jujujuice]

5 hours ago, NothinButDaHorns34 said:

I’d do anything you could do get older and more experienced at tight end, wide receiver and the interior of the offensive line. 

Campbell and Hutson are both experienced af 🤣

[Jeff Howe]

47 minutes ago, HTXHorn said:

Juan Davis put in his time with Texas, but even he had more snaps than any other TE in 2023 that is heading into next year (correct me if I’m wrong). I certainly like the talent in Washington and Townsend, but to say we don’t need experience at that position is either naive or ignorant. In any case, we are going to need someone to break out, regardless if they are portal players or existing roster players. 

It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been naive regarding the Longhorns. But unless there’s a legitimate answer in the portal, Washington, Townsend and Shannon will have to grow up in a hurry.

[Jack Lala]

Jeff, who else might we see working at TE in spring ball. I'm thinking Michael Terry for one.

[AusMOJO]

I'm with you Jeff, unless there is a great option in the portal, I'm hoping these guys step up. I think Shannon has had several years in the program got to sit behind and learn from some great TE's, he needs to make a big leap. Washington is going to be a beast at TE, no doubt. Same with Townsend when he gets his chance.