Texas Football: 5 immediate impact summer enrollees for the Horns

Ryan Sanborn, P

It’s not often that I would include a punter in a group of immediate-impact summer enrollees for the Longhorns.

That just goes to show how important the addition of the two-time All-PAC-12 Honorable Mention punter Ryan Sanborn can be for special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Banks and the Longhorns this year.

Banks and the Longhorns are getting a good one out of the former Stanford Cardinal four-year starting punter Sanborn. He is a very strong punter technically that can help Texas flip field position much more effectively and consistently than it did last season with the likes of Isaac Pearson and Daniel Trejo.

Sanborn was the highest-graded punter (per PFF) in the PAC-12 last season for a reason. He does an excellent job of placing the ball to help the coverage team while avoiding untimely mistakes such as shanked punts and touchbacks.

In fact, Sanborn was the only punter in the Power Five last season that had more than 20 punts downed inside the 20-yard line without having a single touchback.

To find the last time that Sanborn had a punt that went for a touchback, you have to go back to Week 12 of the 2021 season. Since that time, he’s had more than two dozen punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

The addition of Sanborn should help the Texas special teams unit be one of the best and most well-rounded groups in the Big 12 this fall.