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Arch Manning, set to begin his second season as Texas’ starter, was among those who drew praise from coach Steve Sarkisian following Wednesday’s first practice.<\/p>\n
Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
AUSTIN \u2014 Steve\u00a0Sarkisian praised his Texas<\/a> football team\u2019s depth and conditioning after its first official workout of the late summer Wednesday afternoon and commended his coaching staff for their demanding style.<\/p>\n The Longhorn head coach also singled out a number of players who impressed, naming quarterback Arch Manning<\/a>, safety Kobe Black for his move from cornerback, running backs Hollywood Smothers and Michael Terry and linebacker Rasheem Biles.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Arch had a good day,\u201d he said, \u201cand I\u2019ve seen a lot of rough quarterback first days. I thought he looked good. Hollywood had some nice runs. I thought Michael Terry showed up running the ball. Defensively, Rasheem Biles was flying around. So a lot of positive stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The players got a hearty endorsement from their head coach for their conditioning. He cited only five instances of cramping Wednesday and recalled how 38 players cramped up in his first practice in 2021.<\/p>\n He complimented defensive lineman Ian Geffrard, the transfer from Arkansas, for dropping 25 pounds. He was listed at 6-foot-5 and 375 pounds on the roster.<\/p>\n BOHLS’ 9 THINGS: From the Protect College Sports Act to UT jersey patches<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Sarkisian said he loves the depth of this team after adding 22 transfers in a class ranked third nationally and 24 freshmen in a top 10 recruiting class, including five-star 6-2, 180-pound cornerback John Meredith<\/a>, who just arrived on campus after reclassifying as part of the 2026 class. He had a challenging first practice and had to sit some to recover during a heated workout after becoming nauseous.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had some real freshman moments right now,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cA lot of our freshmen (22) have been with us since January. This guy just showed up a week ago, so everything is brand-new to him. But I thought he fought through and thought he worked at it. He\u2019s a competitive guy. That showed up today.\u201d<\/p>\n Tight ends Nick Townsend (81) and Michael Masunas (15) practice a drill during Longhorns football practice at Frank Denius Fields in Austin, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman Quarterback Dia Bell (6) passes during a drill at Longhorns football practice at Frank Denius Fields in Austin, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman Running back Raleek Brown (0) catches a pass during a drill at Longhorns football practice at Frank Denius Fields in Austin, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman Quarterback KJ Lacey (9) passes during a drill at Longhorns football practice at Frank Denius Fields in Austin, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n It is without question Texas\u2019 most talented team on paper during Sarkisian\u2019s six seasons. The Longhorns were picked fourth<\/a> in the USA Today LBM Coaches Preseason Poll Monday but got two first-place votes.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this team is really deep, and we\u2019re going to need a lot of these bodies,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cYou guys know what our schedule looks like, and we\u2019re playing nine conference games now along with (No. 1) Ohio State, Texas State and UTSA. And both (of the latter two) are probably going to be bowl teams this fall. So we\u2019ve got a really challenging schedule. The goal is to be two-deep at every spot with hopefully a third guy that can play if he needs to.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Sarkisian loved the intensity of his staff, which includes newcomers like defensive coordinator Will Muschamp<\/a>, who is easily the loudest coach at Denius Fields, as well as returning safeties coach Blake Gideon<\/a> from Duke, running back coach Jabbar Julukeee from Florida.<\/p>\n Former Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops was also on the field as a special assistant to\u00a0Sarkisian after getting fired last December and accepting an almost $38 million buyout. His specialty is defensive backs and should provide a strong voice in staff meetings.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought our coaches were really good,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cThey were getting after it. Our coaches are demanding, and we\u2019re going to push them to try to be the best they can become.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarkisian said he had no news on offensive lineman Cole Hutson, a former starting guard with 23 starts and experience in 48 games who is suing the NCAA to return to Texas<\/a> for a fifth year of eligibility. Hutson wasn’t at the first practice and was not listed on the official roster that was handed out to the media.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Starting this coming season, the\u00a0NCAA will fully implement an age-based eligibility model<\/a>\u00a0allowing collegiate athletes five years regardless of playing time and eliminating the redshirt rule. Athletes in the class of 2022 like Hutson have challenged the rule in court.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really have much of an update yet,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we\u2019ll find out more about Cole here probably within the next week or so. I think there\u2019s some positive signs to that thing coming to fruition, but we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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