Bobby Burton

He’s fighting for playing time at Star.

We’re two weeks in to spring practice. We’re hearing about some “movers” behind the scenes. And by that term, we mean players who are moving up the depth chart or who are changing the way they are perceived by teammates and coaches alike. Here’s a quick rundown. 1. Tre Wisner RB - while Wisner is likely to play third fiddle to the mix of Jaydon Blue and Cedric Baxter, he could also be forcing himself on the field in a role not all that dissimilar to Keilan Robinson. Wisner is even more versatile than Robinson, because of his ability to truly play the RB position. 2. Matthew Golden WR - Consistent and reliable. Those are the words folks are using to describe the Houston transfer. Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising. But it’s still good to hear. 3. DeAndre Moore WR - an afterthought by some prior to spring ball, Moore has attacked practice like the game means something extra to him. Coaches and teammates have taken notice. 4. Amari Niblack/Gunnar Helm TE - anyone thinking Helm would be passed over by the arrival of Niblack are mistaken. The senior from Denver is set to play a lot in 2024. Likewise, Niblack is finding his own niche as a gifted receiver. Both are moving in the right direction. 5. Neto Umeozulu LG - his move forward really started late last season, but it hasn’t stopped since. For the first time in two years, there is very real competition for the starting left guard spot. 6. Alex January DT - January has already moved ahead of Sydir Mitchell in the DT pecking order in practice. 7. Trey Moore DE - even with two returning starters at defensive end, the Longhorns will not be able to keep the UTSA transfer off the field. 8. Colton Vasek - oft hampered by injury, Vasek is finally seeing some action and looking the part. 9. Derion Gullette LB - Gullette is starting to make plays during live action. 10. David Gbenda LB - He is clearly someone Steve Sarkisian and staff are counting on, which is a clear change from just two months ago. He and Anthony Hill are your game one starters. 11. Gavin Holmes CB - Holmes played the run too soft a year ago and it put him behind a newcomer like Manny Muhammad. This off-season Holmes has taken the constructive criticism to heart and is trying to mix it up more often to prove he’s not a liability in the run game 12. Jaylon Guilbeau Star - Guilbeau never really recovered from his knee injury two years ago. But now he’s performing at a better level. 13. Michael Taaffe - do not discount his presence in the secondary. A year ago, everyone thought he might play *some*. This year, he is making the move to become the leader of the secondary as well as a team leader. View full news

Your description of the push and pull between the administrators of NIL and the coaching staff is entirely apt. There's never enough because an abyss is bottomless. If a coach could have infinity, he'd want infinity plus more. Same for collectives. Interestingly, your contention about baseball's equity across roster being an issue is exactly why football doesn't do it that way. All players are not equal.

Not many yet. They have not done extensive team run in pads yet.

That won't be a problem. His size might be, but strength, technique and quickness are a major plus.

Blackshire would have to lose muscle to lose weight. He's built like a brick. I saw Red yesterday. He's still carrying a little extra. Sydir actually was bouncing around more yesterday IMO.

Good stuff, Gerry!

Watched him go through three different drills yesterday. Looks good, just behind Brooks for sure.

I don't really have anything.

Love offers like these. Put your hat in the ring. See what happens. Don't let Alabama and Auburn think you won't play in their backyard, too. Too long, Texas let other schools come to Texas instead of putting pressure on opposing schools in their own backyard.

Different guy at the mic than last year. No doubt. Things are slowing down for him IMO.

Sydir had more bounce today in practice. Good sign IMO.

Love this.

Looks the part early on. Still a ways to go.

Gets started in an hour or so.

Weight IMO.

Practice No. 4 news and notes. Injury, OL moving around, and more... https://youtube.com/live/bRWIkMNvZrE View full news

Waiting for Gerry & CJ to get set up and then going.

From Gerry & CJ. - Manny Muhammad left practice early with what appeared to be a tweaked hamstring. - Neto Umeozulu worked at first team LG with Hayden Conner at second team C. Cole Hutson also worked in some with first team at LG. - Second team OL (left to right): Trevor Goosby, Malik Agbo, Hayden Conner, Connor Stroh, Jaydon Chatman More to come... View full news

Texas practices at DKR this morning. There will be a 30-minute viewing window for media. CJ and Gerry will both be there for OTF. We'll also be hosting a livestream immediately following practice so please stop by around 9:45 or so for more. * Heading into the second week of practice, there are a couple of things to watch. 1. Movement at wide receiver, edge, tight end and safety. Those are the primary places where portal entries have currently been running behind others. Only Isaiah Bond has cracked the starting lineup as of Saturday afternoon. That leaves us to see exactly what happens this week with Trey Moore, Andrew Mukuba, Matthew Golden, and Amari Nibalck. A year ago at the same time, during the second week of practice, is when newcomers started moving around on the depth chart. 2. Another depth chart move that could be forthcoming is Alex January. We'll see if he moves up and surpasses Sydir Mitchell. Same can be said for Brandon Baker at right tackle over Andre Cojoe. Both are possible, if not likely, moves. 3. The health of the team is key. Texas was lucky much of last off-season and into the early season of 2023 to remain relatively healthy. That will again be something to be on watch for. Freddie Dubose and Colton Vasek have been dealing with some lingering issues. Mitchell has also been under the weather to a degree. If Texas wants to have a big 2024, then health is going to be something to monitor every step of the way. View full news

Not yet. But maybe.