AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Texas football nears the annual Orange-White Spring Game, they took a slightly longer break for Easter weekend. When they returned to the practice field Tuesday, Texas knew it was time for business.
“We really got after it in today’s practice,” Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “When you get three days off, that’s when we feel like we can really start pushing ourselves.”
Steve Sarkisian met with the media Tuesday and hit a number of topics. Here are some of the ones that stood out.
Freshman standout
Boasting another highly-ranked recruiting class, the Longhorns have much of that group already with the team. When asked if any of them stood out, Sarkisian mentioned one of the most highly touted prospects.
“I would say the one guy that has probably shown up the most in my eyes would be Ryan Wingo. I feel like the last week, he is really starting to make some plays. We’re starting to see the size, speed and athleticism,” Sarkisian said.
Wingo is a five-star recruit according to 247 Sports. The wide receiver stands 6’2 and is from St. Louis, Missouri.
Excited Ewers
Quinn Ewers is entering year three as the starting quarterback with Texas. A lot is expected of the junior who elected to stay in Austin despite the option of declaring for the NFL Draft.
When Ewers was made available to the media last week, he mentioned how he felt he’d been rushing things over the past few years. The idea of trying to slow down and appreciate things is something that his head coach sees as well.
“I think Quinn is really enjoying his time right now and that’s how you should be in year three…He really enjoys his teammates. I think he really enjoys the challenge of getting that rapport with the receivers. I think he’s got great rapport with his offensive lineman and those runners.”
New DL Coach
One of the new faces in burnt orange this season is on the coaching staff. Kenny Baker joins the Longhorns as defensive line coach from the Miami Dolphins staff.
The longtime college coach will have a tough task in front of him as two of the best defensive linemen in the country, T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy, declared for the NFL Draft. Sarkisian does like what he sees from Bo Davis’ replacement.
“One thing Kenny provides is a ton of energy, a ton of juice. He’s a really good technician. Not just the interior defensive lineman, he’s got a lot of pass rush to his repertoire,” Sarkisian said.