Wednesday | I Liked What I Saw & Heard Today

Texas is five practices into spring football now – two practices have concluded with full pads. The Longhorns will practice again on Friday, but there will be no media availability then due to the Texas Relays this weekend.

On top of another smooth practice, there was a part of me that felt comfort in the direction of the program that resulted in what I heard off the field from David Gbenda and Quinn Ewers. Before I get into that part of things, I will share a couple of notes that stood out from practice this morning.

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I watched a lot of the tight end group today. It is rare to hear Jeff Banks in a complementary mood but there was praise from the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at times today. First, on the individual sled where Amari Niblack, Spencer Shannon and Jordan Washington each received a congratulatory remark from Banks for getting the drill correct on the first go-round.

As Amari Niblack continues his climb up the Texas depth chart, it is certainly noteworthy that the QB that is consistently throwing to him in routes on air is Quinn Ewers. Arch Manning is often lined up with Juan Davis and Jordan Washington during his rounds.

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There has been some talk about wide receivers having to slow down for passes on deep balls on twitter. Listen, in situations that don't warrant high-speed precision like routes on air, it is difficult to hit a guy perfectly in stride 40-yards down the field on each given throw. The deep ball has looked much better this spring and I will leave it at that rather than nitpicking if a receiver catches it on his backshoulder or out in front.

One part of practice I really liked was Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning literally racing one another to get to the individual QB drill about 130 yards away from where they were on the field during special teams. It is little things like that that stands out to me. 

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I think Colton Vasek has a real shot at contributing this year. While the path to the field is not necessarily a walk in the park, he has looked great in spring ball so far. He is lengthy, athletic and can bend. I think there is more athleticism here than Ethan Burke and the frame continues to build. Buy stock now.

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But to part of today that I enjoyed hearing about:

It is noteworthy that David Gbenda was the first player from the defensive side of the ball to speak with the media this spring. The elder statesman in the room has the respect of the coaching staff and his teammates.

Gbenda mentioned Barryn Sorrell, Jahdae Barron, Michael Taaffe and himself as leaders on the defensive side of the ball early on. 

Derion Gulllette and Tyanthony Smith were singled out as two youngsters who were standing out to him. Of course, Smith was the lone linebacker in the 2024 class this past cycle.

The other part of Gbenda's time with time with the media that stood out to me was his remarks when I asked him about motivation he took from the Sugar Bowl. Gbenda told me straight up he was "pissed off" about the loss. Being what he called "12 inches" short of playing for a title, has stuck with him through the winter and into today. That sentiment is echoed throughout the rest of the program as well.

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As for Quinn Ewers, I sensed calm and confident version of Ewers. Multiple times Ewers brought up how comfortable he was in Sarkisian's system as a third year player. 

Ewers also spoke about his decision to return to school. Citing he did not want to rush the decision or his time in college after skipping his senior season to enroll at Ohio State, then not playing as a true freshman and eventually transferring over to Texas. This is the first time I got the sense Ewers was completely at peace with his surroundings.

Ewers mentioned he had an idea midway through the 2023 season that he would return to Texas for another season. A week following the Sugar Bowl, Ewers had bought in completely to returning and eventually made the decision about 10 days after.

As for leaders on the offensive side of the ball, Ewers named Jake Majors in the middle of the offensive line and Johntay Cook as the most experienced returning wide receiver on roster – certainly worth mentioning.