AUSTIN, Texas — On a seasonably hot afternoon on the Forty Acres, the Texas Longhorns held the first practice of preseason camp on Wednesday at Frank Denius Fields.
Afterward, head coach Steve Sarkisian met with the media as he prepares for his sixth season in burnt orange and white, which includes expectations even higher than the team’s No. 4 ranking in the preseason Coaches Poll.
“As always, it’s great to be back on the grass with the team and as much as things have changed with some of the rules
and being out with the guys in the summer, there’s nothing like putting helmets on and being on the grass and practicing,” Sarkisian said.
“One thing we talk to the team about is getting back to the intent in which we need to practice and transition out of what we were in the summer to who we need to be in camp, and so it’s our first day. I didn’t expect us to be perfect. We’ve got a long way to go. There were some bright spots, there were some rough spots, but in the end, it’s the first day. It was great being back out there. It’s great sweating with everybody and and going through it.”
For freshman cornerback John Meredith, who arrived in Austin last week after reclassifying from 2027, getting through the first practice wasn’t easy, having to battle through some cramping issues that Sarkisian termed a freshman moment.
“Getting in shape and competing at the level of which we’re competing at is is not easy to do, but he’s working hard, and there’s some positive — he’s a competitive guy, that’s for sure, so that showed up today,” Sarkisian said.
The 6’2, 185-pounder, who is wearing No. 0 for the Longhorns, was one of five Texas players to have cramping problems on Wednesday, a significantly lower number than Sarkisian’s first preseason camp practice back in 2021, when 38 players went down with cramps, he said, a number that has decreased every year.
Offensive lineman Cole Hutson was not among the players who had to battle the heat on Wednesday, even though the temporary restraining order he was granted by an Austin judge reportedly allows him to practice with the team.
Sarkisian didn’t have an update on Hutson when he met with the media.
“I think we’ll find out more about Cole here probably within the next week or so,” Sarkisian said. “I think there’s some positive signs to to that thing coming to fruition, but we’ll see what happens.”
Later on Wednesday evening, however, the news broke that the NCAA has agreed that the Colorado injunction granting players in the 2022 class another year of eligibility also applies to Hutson, negating the need for a hearing in Austin.
Wednesday’s practice did include a player working at a new position, as junior Kobe Black is transitioning from corner to safety.
“Kobe’s been a nice addition for us there because he gives us position flexibility,” Sarkisian said. “His versatility to obviously play man coverage being a corner. I think he’s a very smart player. He’s savvy. He’s got good instincts, and so you know, so far so good, right?”
Standouts for Sarkisian included redshirt junior quarterback Arch Manning, who is trying to avoid another slow start after his much-documented struggles in non-conference play last season.
“I’ve seen a lot of rough quarterback days, first day of practice. The defenses have seen all these same plays, all summer long. I thought he looked good,” Sarkisian said.
One highlight during the portion of practice open to the media was a deep ball to junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo.
Sarkisian also noted big runs from redshirt junior running back Hollywood Smothers and redshirt freshman running back Michael Terry, who is now up to 229 pounds.
Freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop drew praise from Sarkisian, too, after spending the summer going through drills at defensive back.
“It was good to have see Jermaine back on offense, too. I thought he did a couple nice things for us there,” Sarkisian said.
Defensively, senior linebacker Rasheem Biles was “flying around,” including making a play in pass coverage 40 yards down the field, the type of ability that flashed the versatility that the Texas head coach saw show up on film when evaluating the Pittsburgh transfer before making contact with the 6’1, 222-pounder.
“He’s athletic, he’s fast, he’s versatile. He can rush the passer. He’s really good in pass coverage,” Sarkisian said.
Other players drew notice for changing their bodies over the summer.
Senior defensive tackle Ian Geffrard, who was listed at 387 pounds when he played for Arkansas last year, is down 25 pounds since arriving in Austin, according to Sarkisian.
“Where his weight is at, what his body looks like right now, and his ability to move, that’s super encouraging for us,” Sarkisian said.
On the other side of the spectrum, Sarkisian said that freshman wide receiver Kohen Brown “looks phenomenal.” Listed at 195 pounds when he signed with the Horns last December, Brown is now 202 pounds.
“Talk about a guy who’s bought into a college program,” Sarkisian said.
Brown was reportedly clocked at 23.1 miles per hour during summer conditioning.
Freshman running back Derrek Cooper has also gained some muscle mass since signing, up over 10 pounds since signing, to 212 pounds.
“For a guy who’s just getting here, he looks great,” Sarkisian said.
Sophomore tight end Nick Townsend has gained about 10 pounds since last season.
“I think Coach [Torre] Becton and his team do a great job with our guys all summer long, and I thought this team bought into the summer — they were really committed to the summer. I thought it was helpful,” Sarkisian said.
Townsend is one of the players from the No. 1-ranked 2025 recruiting class that Sarkisian expects to take a big step forward this season for Texas, along with fellow tight end Emaree Winston, defensive lineman Justus Terry, safety Jonah Williams, and cornerback Kade Phillips.
“This is a big moment for them, to see where they’ve gotten from year one to year two, and we need them, right?” Sarkisian said. “We’re going to be counting on those guys to contribute for us.”
