Alright y’all, buckle up. Spring ball wrapped up over in Austin, and man, did things shake out? I spent weeks practically livin’ down there near the practice fields – okay, maybe figuratively livin’ through all the reports – tryin’ to piece together how Coach Sark and the crew are shufflin’ the deck after losin’ some heavy hitters. Wanna know what actually changed on that Longhorns depth chart? Let me tell ya, it ain’t always what folks expected.
Rollin’ Into Spring Buzzin’
First off, the air was thick with talk. Everyone losin’ their minds about who’d replace all that talent headin’ for the draft and the portal. Quarterback? Gotta be Ewers locked in, right? But the backup spot… wide open. Defensive line? Gutted. Secondary? Loaded with new faces. Started scribblin’ down names on my old trusty notepad – a real one, none of that tablet stuff for this – trying to guess that Week 1 lineup way back in March. Felt like guesswork, honestly.
What Actually Went Down on the Field
Got my eyeballs glued to every practice report floatin’ out there. Here’s where the rubber met the road, position by position:
- Quarterback: Ewers looked… solid. Took control. But the real show? Behind him. Saw tons about Arch Manning. Kid’s got zip on the ball, way more than I remember last year. And Malik Murphy? Made some wow throws deep. Competition there is HEATING UP, way more than I figured it would be so soon. Ewers is QB1, but QB2? Way tighter.
- Running Back: Everyone knew CJ Baxter was the next guy. And he looked the part. Smooth, powerful. What surprised me? Jaydon Blue. Kept hearing his name pop up. Made guys miss in the open field more than once. Baxter’s the starter, sure, but Blue ain’t just riding the bench anymore. He earned some serious reps comin’.
- Wide Receiver: Isaiah Neyor was my dark horse. Saw him healthy finally! Made tough catches look easy, used his size well. Matthew Golden, that transfer? Smooth operator. Runs routes clean. Johntay Cook? Got quicker, meaner runnin’ after the catch. Feels like they’re building real depth behind AD. Lost some stars, but this group might just surprise people, maybe more than I first thought.
- Defensive Line: Biggest question mark walkin’ in. Saw Tia Savea, the transfer, get plugged right in the middle a LOT. Big dude, clogs things up. Then Jaray Bledsoe – where’d this burst come from? Suddenly shootin’ gaps, makin’ plays behind the line. These new guys and guys stepping up… they gotta prove it come fall, but the panic settlin’ in? Maybe cooled off a bit after spring.
- Secondary: Knew they brought in transfers. Saw ’em workin’ heavy. Andrew Mukuba (safety from Clemson) looked immediately comfortable. Smart player. Jeepin Hills (safety transfer)? Athletic, made some splashy plays. And the corners, man. Gavin Holmes lookin’ sharp, some younger guys pushin’. Feels like everyone out there fightin’ for a spot. Might run nickel or dime constantly ’cause they got the bodies now.
- Edge: Okay, this was interesting. Colin Simmons, the freshman everyone’s hyped about? Heard he was raw. Saw reports he definitely flashed that speed off the edge. Gonna need work, but the potential is scary. Trey Moore, the stud transfer? Saw him workin’ with the 1s plenty. Looks good, but spring ain’t live game tackles. Gotta see it when the lights are brightest.
The Picture Settlin’ (Mostly)
After watchin’ the Orange-White game and piecing together weeks of chatter, the murky spring water started clearing some.
- Ewers is the guy. Manning/Murphy battle for second chair gonna be fun to watch this summer.
- Baxter leads the backfield. Blue proved he deserves significant carries too. Forget “just depth.”
- Wide Receiver room looks deep, legit deep. Golden looks integrated, Cook looks ready, Neyor looks healthy. Wheels up.
- D-line… less terrifying? Savea holdin’ down the middle is huge. Bledsoe? Major surprise breakout candidate. Still need big bodies, but maybe not desperate?
- Secondary is loaded. Expect to see Mukuba and maybe Hills starting. Tons of competition everywhere else. Good problem to have.
- Edge? Moore should be elite. Simmons will be situational terror this year? Probably gets polished for a bigger role.
The Bottom Line: Spring didn’t just shuffle the names, it changed the expectations around some positions. Confidence is way higher in the receiver room and secondary depth than back in March. Seeing Manning take a jump was huge. Finding potential answers inside on the D-line (Bledsoe!) was a relief. Still got questions – who’s the true dominant edge opposite Moore? How do all those DBs actually gel? – but damn, the Longhorns look like they filled more holes than I gave ’em credit for early on. Can’t wait to see it all when they actually line up against someone else.
