Texas Football: The forgotten TE that could make an impact in 2023

After the first few weeks of spring camp, we’re starting to get a good idea of how various position groups are shaking out for head coach Steve Sarkisian and Texas football. Texas is proving to be deep and talented at almost every position group on both sides of the ball this spring, and we don’t even have every highly touted recruit from the 2023 class on campus yet.

Sark and the Longhorns have a lot of experience and production returning on the offensive side of the ball, in particular. Texas is returning a whopping 10 starters from last year’s team, including each starting wideout and the quarterback.

Texas also returns both starters at the tight end position, rising junior JT Sanders and junior Gunnar Helm.

Given that Texas is returning nearly all of its production in the tight end room from last season’s squad, you would think that this would be one of the stronger position groups on the offensive side of the ball heading into the fall.

And while there is a reason to be confident in the state of the tight end room this spring, largely thanks to the presence of the reigning All-Big 12 First-Team selection Sanders, there are still some questions in the latter stages of camp.

One of the biggest question marks in the tight end room this offseason is who will step up as a receiving threat beyond Sanders.

Helm is a quality blocker, but he has yet to make much of an impact on the passing game in the last couple of years. He was targeted sparingly as a receiver in the last two seasons, getting just five passes tossed his way in the last two years. Those five targets resulted in five catches for just 44 receiving yards and no touchdowns.

I do think there is a way to get Helm more involved as a target in the passing game, mainly as an outlet in the flats or on designed short and intermediate routes between the numbers. The 6-foot-5 and 235-pound Helm has a large enough catch radius and reliable hands to be an easy target in the middle of the field and out in the flats.

Yet, there is a ceiling on the threat that Helm could pose as a receiving tight end. Helm’s role is likely going to be limited more to a blocking tight end this year.

The next tight end up in this group with the most experience is rising junior Juan Davis. The 6-foot-3 and 215-pound former three-star recruit is looking to make a big leap forward in terms of his ability to pose a threat as a receiving tight end this offseason.

Junior Texas football TE Juan Davis could be the forgotten flex tight end that steps up in 2023

I believe there could be something to Davis breaking through as the best option as a receiving tight end on the depth chart behind Sanders. Davis already has the speed, reliable hands, and route-running ability to thrive as a legitimate threat in the passing game from the tight end position.

He just hasn’t proven that ability consistently in live-game action. In his first two seasons at Texas, Davis was targeted just once in live-game action, which was a catch for no gain that he reeled in as a true freshman in 2021.

The good news is that it sounds like Davis is making progress as a receiving tight end this spring. A practice report from a couple of weeks ago from Eric Nahlin of Inside Texas (paid content) mentioned Davis as someone that made a nice touchdown catch in team drills on March 22.

And from the limited information we’ve received from the performance of the tight ends in practice (besides Sanders), Davis has looked at least a little bit more impressive in the receiving game than Helm.

I don’t want to drag on too long about the incremental differences between Helm and Davis in receiving drills in spring practice, though.

The fact of the matter is that Davis probably has the best chance to get on the field this fall in two tight end sets where Texas needs a more potent receiving threat in the mix. With the loss of senior tight end Jahleel Billingsley this offseason, Texas doesn’t have many options beyond looking to the NCAA Transfer Portal at tight end than to finally give Davis the chance to shine in live-game action.

Davis has the skill set as a quicker flex tight end with a pretty dynamic route tree for a player at this position. He’s also got excellent verticality and timing on contested 50/50 balls.

I’ve seen enough film and spring game reps from Davis, along with covering him in camp and combine settings, to know that he can ball as a receiving tight end. He just has to prove that he can overcome the limitations as a blocker given his smaller size and stature.

I’ll admit that I have yet to see or hear enough noise coming from the tight end room, specifically about Davis’ play in receiving/team drills this spring, to say that I feel confident about him stepping up in live-game action this fall.

Unless Sark and the Longhorns want to hit the portal to add depth at the tight end position following the conclusion of spring ball, I don’t know if this staff has many other answers beyond Davis as a receiving threat.

Texas began spring ball with the first day of practice on March 6. As of the writing of this article on the evening of April 3, the Longhorns have a little under a half-dozen practices remaining before the spring football game at DKR on April 15.