Steve Sarkisian Speaks on State of Team Following First Fall Practice

On Wednesday, the Longhorns had everyone back on campus and ready to get fall camp underway, for the most part. Injuries may have limited some, but the team seems to be in a great state, according to head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Safety Jonah Williams and cornerback Kade Phillips, both 5-stars in the 2025 recruiting class, were two dealing with injury issues heading into camp. Williams suffered an injury earlier in the spring as he made plenty of appearances for the Longhorns’ baseball team. Phillips suffered a bit of a hamstring injury earlier in the summer, which has limited him somewhat.

Although, Sarkisian did mention that if it were an actual game week, Phillips would probably be out there. Meanwhile, Williams is taking it easy due to the fear of overworking him soon after baseball season. But, Sarkisian did speak on the summer he’s had.

“He’s had a great summer, he’s very smart,” Sarkisian said. “We see the athleticism, we see the ball skills, he’s going to be a really good player for us.”

Sarkisian also spoke of other young players who have had a great summer, too, mentioning Michael Terry, who was ranked as the No. 1 athlete in the class of 2025 and can play multiple positions.

 “I thought a guy who had his best practice today, for a young player, was Michael Terry,” Sarkisian said. “Today I saw a really good version of Michael Terry, he looked fast, he looked physical, he looked strong, so that was really encouraging.”

This news should be very exciting for Texas fans. Terry had a stellar high school career and has shown his versatile skill set. Sarkisian also mentioned how it was difficult for him to adjust to playing just one position, but it seems he’s getting the hang of it.

He also mentioned how 5-star EDGE Lance Jackson has impressed during practice up to this point. If he can make progress early, alongside DL Justus Terry, then the Texas defensive line will be in a great position in terms of depth.

There was also mention of a veteran EDGE, though, Colin Simmons. After a standout freshman year, all of Austin is waiting on his return to the field to see just how improved he will be, along with the defense as a whole.

Sarkisian was asked about the role and playing time that Simmons will see in the upcoming season.

“He definitely needs to play more, and do it in a way where we do want him to be fresh, so there is a balancing act in that,” Sarkisian said. “But he needs to play more, but I also want him to play well when he’s out there more. I think going into year two, he’ll be a lot more composed.”

If Simmons does see the field more and can improve on a great freshman season, then he’ll be a great leader for Jackson, who will likely take his role once he’s gone in the future.

Back on the offensive side of the ball, Sarkisian did speak on the quarterback and running back situation. Although he did mention that the fields were split, he did say that “Arch [Manning] and [Matthew Caldwell] were really good.”

He spoke about how three things would determine the staff’s evaluation of the quartbacks early on. First, making sure they know what to do and how to do it. Secondly, their accuracy. Lastly, their response to negative plays.

It seems guaranteed that Arch Manning will be the starting quarterback for the Longhorns, however this is the time for everyone to evaluate what depth the roster has and who’s next in line for the QB1 job.

Sarkisian did’t say much regarding the running backs, aside from Tre Wisner being the energy for the young group. However, he did mention that sophomore Jerrick Gibson has had a great summer and has returned looking ready to go after a strong freshman year. Although he did mention how CJ Baxter has performed after returning from a knee injury.

“CJ [Baxter] was better than I was anticipating, especially when we got into team periods, he got a couple runs that were very encouraging to me,” Sarkisian said. “CJ’s psyche looked really good today running the ball.”

This is good news for Texas fans as Baxter had an impressive freshman year in 2023, but had a sophomore campaign ended before it got going when he tore his LCL and ACL. With quarterbacks getting warmed up and running back depth returning to a very comfortable place, Texas is looking poised for a strong fall camp ahead of its Week 1 matchup against Ohio State.