Jeff Howe

Before the Texas Longhorns return to the practice field for the third week of spring ball on Tuesday, I want to look at five players who appear poised to further establish their roles on the 2026 squad. — The injuries and on-the-mend status of multiple safeties have opened the door for Derek Williams Jr. to lock down the starting spot next to Jelani McDonald. Factor in the combination of Williams being almost 16 months removed from the knee injury that ended his 2024 season, with the return of Blake Gideon to the Forty Acres, and the redshirt junior has a chance to get back on the upward trajectory his career was on before the injury. Williams, who started over Andrew Mukuba early in the 2024 season before a hamstring issue cost him three games, made impact plays as a true sophomore. Along with Malik Muhammad, Williams was playing a significant role in the secondary by the end of his freshman season in 2023. Williams' return to his pre-injury form would significantly cushion the blow of Michael Taaffe’s departure. At the very least, Williams has an opportunity to enter the summer a significant step ahead of everyone other than McDonald in the safety room if he takes advantage of his opportunity. — I’ve been thinking about Ryan Niblett’s potential to be for the 2026 backfield what Keilan Robinson was in 2023. But what if I’ve been thinking about the wrong back for a specialty role? Now is the time when Michael Terry III can do enough unique things to stand out in a crowded backfield. Terry continues to make strides and, even if he’s behind Raleek Brown, Derrek Cooper and Hollywood Smothers in the pecking order, he can carve out a significant role on offense. Along with his potential as a runner and a receiver, Terry’s progress could force Steve Sarkisian’s hand to bring the Wildcat back in the mix on offense. Such a package would give Terry a unique role he can sink his teeth into while minimizing the risk of making Arch Manning a true additional hat in the running game. Wildcat or not, forcing Sarkisian to create something for him is something Terry can do if his development is expedited. — Even though Laurence Seymore was recruited out of the transfer portal to be a plug-and-play guard, the Texas offense will be better if Seymore has to battle for a starting role. Dylan Sikorski has a chance to come out of the spring with Sarkisian and Kyle Flood believing in him as a starting-caliber player. One of the more intriguing practice tidbits from the weekend was Sikorski and Jackson Christian getting first-team snaps at guard. The Longhorns won a recruiting battle with Tennessee to get Sikorski when he decided to transfer from Oregon State, so it’s not crazy to think he could emerge as legitimate competition for Seymore. That’s assuming his elevation up the depth chart wasn’t a one-off situation. After last season, Texas can't enough quality depth in the trenches. — Nothing feels set in stone from a depth standpoint at cornerback, other than Graceson Littleton, Bo Mascoe and Kade Phillips separating themselves as the top group. If Samari Matthews is indeed the second-most talented cornerback on the roster, which is what a source told On Texas Football over the weekend, he should have a chance to compete with Kobe Black and Warren Roberson for snaps behind Mascoe and Phillips. One of the reasons why Sarkisian made a coordinator change and hired Muschamp is his long-stated desire to play tighter, more physical man coverage. Like Phillips, Matthews has the physical traits that should translate to being a good man-cover guy early in his career. Confidence goes a long way at cornerback. Matthews is reportedly bringing it with him to the practice field by the truckload. — I keep making the comparison between Sterling Berkhalter and Tarique Milton, who Sarkisian took out of the transfer portal for the 2022 season. Given Jordan Whittington’s injury history, Texas needed an insurance policy in case he went down in the middle of the season. Thankfully, the Longhorns didn’t need to cash the policy, but the early returns from Berkhalter’s addition suggest landing the Wake Forest transfer was a shrewd move by the staff. At a time when Emmett Mosley V is on the mend, Kaliq Lockett is on the shelf and Ryan Wingo is working his way back, Berkhalter can establish himself as someone Sarkisian can trust. Sarkisian has kept his receiver rotation tight throughout his tenure, with few targets available for anyone outside of the top group. If Berkhalter can maintain the consistency he’s shown through the first two weeks, he has a chance to be in the mix of the guys who are afforded playmaking opportunities in games. View full news story

If it ends up being Borba at third and someone else at first, then that would say a lot about the perceived defensive downgrade from Becerra to the next man up. It sounds like Becerra to shortstop is pretty much a lock at this point.

They've decided Gumbo is the better option than Larson. Monsour would be the only other option, but Gumbo's defense shouldn't be overlooked. He's better defensive option than Larson or Monsour.

You can relive the baseball program's run to the 1983 national championship on April 15:

I'm not saying it won't happen, but I believe Borba's defense is too valuable at first base to move him right now. Especially because this isn't supposed to be a long-term absence for Rodriguez. Livingston competed with Becerra and Callum Early for the third base job in the fall and winter, so putting him there for the time being makes sense.

Depending on the surgeon, you might have to wait. I believe the guy who worked on A-Rod's hand is the same doctor who did John Mateer's thumb surgery.

Once again, thanks to Jerry Jones for telling the world before the draft that the Cowboys were targeting Brooks, because showing your cards is the best way to get the player you want in the draft!

No, only because it didn’t heal right and was clearly bothering him. Hopefully, this gives him the time to rest and be ready to go when he comes back. That’s assuming the downtime he’ll have allows him to properly heal.

The call here is moving Borba to third or letting Livingston play there. If it's really only a couple of weeks, my gut tells me they'd be more likely to keep Borba at first. If this were a season-ending deal with A-Rod, it might be different, IMO.

I didn't mention him in the article, but Presley Courville could also factor into the DH mix now that he's back from his injury.

With Adrian Rodriguez out of action while recovering from what Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com described Monday as “a minor hand procedure,” No. 2 Texas has a hole at shortstop and in the middle of the batting order. Jim Schlossnagle continued to go with Rodriguez (.271/.386/.383) in the clean-up spot despite the sophomore battling through a hand issue. Injured during the 2025 season, Rodriguez underwent surgery in the fall and while he was ready for the start of the 2026 season, the issue lingered and particularly bothered him in situations when he’d swing and miss in the box, which led to him often grimacing in pain and, at times, requiring attention from the team’s medical staff during at-bats. Rodriguez’s ability to hit from either side of the plate and the respect opponents continued to show him, even while he clearly wasn’t 100 percent, justified keeping him in the middle of the order. With Rodriguez out, Schlossnagle has the option of moving Casey Borba (.333/.438/.667) up to the No. 4 hole, where his team-leading 31 RBI and nine home runs (tied with Aiden Robbins for the team lead) would give the Longhorns a formidable option. The bigger issue for Texas (23-4, 7-2 SEC) is two-fold: What do the Longhorns do at shortstop and what corresponding moves would be made in the infield? The most likely option is to move Temo Becerra from third base to shortstop. Josh Livingston would be the most likely plug-and-play option to fill the void at the hot corner, but the staff could choose to lean on Borba's experience at third base. Borba has become a reliable defensive first baseman, perhaps too reliable to move him back across the diamond. Regardless, Borba and Livingston were in the mix at first base leading up to the season, with Livingston, Becerra and Callum Early competing for the starting nod at third base. Schlossnagle has said that Maddox Monsour has the tools to play shortstop. Would Texas roll the dice with a freshman? With Jonah Williams on the shelf recovering from shoulder surgery, resulting in Jayden Duplantier becoming a full-time corner outfielder, Monsour and Ashton Larson are the primary designated hitter options. Schlossnagle has also been high on Presley Courville, who made his return from injury in Friday's 4-3, 10-inning win over No. 8 Oklahoma. If Rodriguez is back within a month (Rogers reported that he’s expected to be out 2-3 weeks, meaning a return for the team’s road series against Vanderbilt in late April could mark Rodriguez’s return if he were to miss the next three weekends), the Longhorns have enough options at the plate and in the field to make do. Even though Rodriguez’s hand issue hampered him at the plate, he continued to play top-notch defense, which is what Texas is likely to miss most in the interim. After sweeping the Sooners in a three-game series to keep pace with No. 4 Mississippi State and No. 5 Georgia atop the SEC standings, the Longhorns return to action at UFCU Disch-Falk Field against Texas State on Tuesday. Texas will then travel to South Carolina for a three-game series against the Gamecocks beginning Thursday. View full news story

What a great second half between UConn and Duke!