3 takeaways from Texas football’s open fall practice

What looks to be the first and only open practice of fall camp for the Texas football program and head coach Steve Sarkisian took place on the night of Aug. 16. For the first time since fall camp began a couple of weeks ago, Texas fans got to witness their squad in an open practice at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

And there was a really good turnout at DKR on Aug. 16 for this open practice. In fact, this crowd seemingly resembled that of a spring game turnout instead of just an open practice. That’s great to see such a high level of excitement buzzing around this fan base and program in general ahead of the start of a critical 2022 season for Sark and the Longhorns.

With all of this said, Sark still made it clear that he wasn’t going to fully show his hand in this open practice. He didn’t want to divulge all of the concepts and schemes that the Longhorns have put in place this offseason just a few weeks before the start of the upcoming regular season.

Takeaways from the open practice this week for Texas football

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At this point of the offseason, there is still another couple of weeks of fall camp before Texas gets into the first real week of practice in preparation for the opener. Texas opens up the regular season on Sep. 3 at home against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. That gives a little less than two full weeks before the first game week arrives on the Forty Acres.

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Here’s a look at three takeaways from the Longhorns’ open fall practice on Aug. 16.

Casey Cain deserves to get the first-team reps on the outside after Isaiah Neyor’s injury

A very positive return we’re getting out of fall camp has to do with the rise of the former under-the-radar three-star recruit and redshirt freshman wide receiver Casey Cain. From all that we’ve heard even dating back to spring ball, the 6-foot-3 and 195-pound Cain has impressed the coaching staff.

Cain will now get his shot to shine in the spotlight following the unfortunate season-ending ACL tear that redshirt sophomore wide receiver and the projected starter at the z spot, Isaiah Neyor, suffered in the first fall scrimmage last weekend.

If Cain can continue to prove that he can handle these first-team reps on the outside in fall camp, then he will very likely get some starting reps with this offense this season alongside Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington.

Moreover, the physical tools are definitely there for Cain, as he’s got the size at 6-foot-3 and leaping ability to be a threat on the outside. Cain has also made some nice catches in camp working on the outside, which is a sign of his progress since he first arrived on campus last offseason.

It will also help Cain’s case to get the starting reps at the z-wide receiver spot this fall that redshirt sophomore wideout Troy Omeire is clearly still recovering from the season-ending injury he suffered last fall. Omeire didn’t participate in the open practice on Aug. 16 and it appears that the coaching staff is still taking it slow with his recovery, which is probably a smart move given him having season-ending knee injuries for two years in a row in 2020 and 2021.