Jordan Washington, TE
The tight end position played a crucial role in getting the Longhorns the victory in the first round of the Playoffs against Clemson a couple of weeks ago. Senior tight end Gunnar Helm was quarterback Quinn Ewers' favorite target in the first round of the Playoff in a true offensive battle against the Tigers and quarterback Cade Klubnik through the air.
Helm not only led the Longhorns in receiving yards against Clemson, but he also scored the eventual game-winning touchdown on a 19-yard catch from Ewers late in the first half.
Fellow senior tight end Juan Davis was also an important run blocker and held up on a handful of pass-blocking snaps against Clemson against the Tigers' athletic EDGEs, linebackers, and blitizing safeties.
If Texas is able to get some of the younger players at the skill positions on offense valuable live-game postseason snaps, that could be huge at the tight end spot for a true freshman like Jordan Washington.
This part of the list is more contingent on the Longhorns getting up by multiple scores in the first half against Arizona State in the Playoff on Wednesday. Assuming the Longhorns can hypothetically build a two or three score lead by halftime and really control the clock in the second half with the ground game, Sarkisian could get some of the younger tight ends and wideouts valuable live-game Playoff snaps without adding games played to their redshirt tally.
Washington is expected to be a significant contributor to Texas's tight end room on the two-deep depth chart in 2025, with Helm and Davis both set to exhaust their eligibility in college after this 2024 season comes to an end. If he could get additional live-game snaps in the Playoff for the first time since Week 4, that could be huge for his exposure and development entering the upcoming offseason.