Texas senior linebacker Justin Cryer, a Florida State transfer turned defensive leader for the Longhorns, is known by his teammates and those close to him as \u201cJuice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cryer first received the nickname as a result of his burly stature from a young age, and it quickly spread and stuck.<\/p>\n
But Juice isn\u2019t just a nickname given to an above-average sized toddler from Houston. According to head coach Steve Sarkisian, it\u2019s a word that describes what Cryer brings to the table everyday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis guy is squeezing every ounce of juice out of this experience,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t just come in and (say) \u2018Well, I want to play and go to the league.\u2019 It\u2019s like (he said) \u2018I want to be part of a championship team. I\u2019m gonna pour into this culture. I want to be a great teammate.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Since arriving at Texas, Cryer has become a critical part of the program\u2019s defensive makeup and overall team atmosphere.<\/p>\n
He wears the green dot for the Longhorns\u2019 defense, containing an audio receiver in his helmet that allows for direct, one-way communication from coaches on the sideline. This isn\u2019t typically a responsibility assigned to a first-year player in a program, but Cryer had previously worn the green dot at Florida State a year after it was introduced to college football in 2024.<\/p>\n
Identified by Sarkisian as a \u201ccerebral\u201d player, Cryer has used his intelligence and physical capabilities to coordinate communication on the field and rack up 14 tackles across three matchups this season.<\/p>\n
Off the field, his presence is equally as valuable as it is on it.<\/p>\n
A recent instance of Cryer\u2019s ability to lead took place last week following the arrest and one-game suspension of Johnny Nansen, Texas\u2019 co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Cryer visited each linebacker\u2019s hotel room, making sure they were mentally prepared to face UTSA the next day.<\/p>\n
These leadership qualities are likely the product of the foundation he built at Florida State. During his time with the Seminoles, Cryer earned the Bill McGrotha Award twice \u2014 Florida State\u2019s humanitarian accolade \u2014 and once received the Bobby Bowden Leadership Award in 2025.<\/p>\n
Despite his early success, the senior admitted that it has been difficult at times trying to translate his leadership skills to a new team and culture. Recognizing that the room is composed mostly of transfers and younger players has required him to step up and tailor advice to each of their needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re kind of a group that\u2019s thrown together a little bit,\u201d Cryer said. \u201cWe\u2019re all kind of doing this for the first time. We\u2019re doing it together, so that\u2019s the biggest thing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cryer also had company to settle into the Forty Acres with.<\/p>\n
Rasheem Biles, Pittsburgh transfer and fellow senior linebacker, said that Cryer and him have worked in tandem throughout their transitions from different programs to play off one another\u2019s strengths.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuice, that\u2019s my guy,\u201d Biles said. \u201cWe\u2019re never gonna put each other in a spot that we know that\u2019s like our weakness or something. Me and him, we really got a good little connection on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cryer and company still have a long season ahead. However, in his short time with the program, the player endearingly known as \u201cJuice\u201d has gained an unwavering trust from those around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s earned the respect of the locker room,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cHe\u2019s earned the respect of the coaching staff. He\u2019s a pleasure to have. \u2026 We got a great person that\u2019s wearing that green dot.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Texas senior linebacker Justin Cryer, a Florida State transfer turned defensive leader for the Longhorns, is known by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-447006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}