The first week of the Texas Longhorns' spring football practices has officially wrapped up, and the stars are shining brightly, as are a number of the new faces on campus, like freshmen Michael Terry III and others.
As head coach Steve Sarkisian flies towards his fifth season with the Horns, a few of his returning players had impressive performances during the first few days of spring ball.
Kobe Black was good last season, don't get me wrong, but he was frequently overshadowed by Jim Thorpe Award-winning defensive back Jahdae Barron. This week, Black continued to show off his impressive skills at defensive back and looks like he could be the next Barron-esque player for Texas's secondary.
Last season, as a true freshman, Black recorded 13 total tackles (10 solo) and one pass deflection while coming off the bench for Sarkisian and the Horns.
Yes, you read that correctly, Ryan Niblett worked out with the defensive back group this week. The former wide receiver turned running back has been transformed into a cornerback for his third season with the Longhorns.
Niblett didn't see a ton of snaps during the 2024 season but he did bring in three receptions for 24 yards as well as running the ball for 23 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive end of the ball, he earned three solo tackles last season.
While Alex January is going to only be a true sophomore during the upcoming season, he has the opportunity to step into a leadership role following the graduations and departures of star defensive linemen Alfred Collins, Vernon Broughton, and others.
This week, January showed exactly why he started in 11 games for Texas last season as he showed off his shocking athleticism at the size of 6-foot-5 and 317 pounds.
Wideout Parker Livingstone never saw the field during the 2024 season and was able to utilize his redshirt year. Now, the second-year player is ready to leave his mark on a program that has produced some of the most talented wide receivers in the league over the last few years.
Throughout this week, Livingstone even took an impressive number of reps with the first team offense, led by none other than Texas's new starting quarterback Arch Manning.
Jerrick Gibson looked good this week, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily translate to him being RB1 when the season officially kicks off in August.
This year, Sarkisian and the Longhorns will see the return of star running back CJ Baxter and redshirt freshman Christian Clark, so the running back room in Austin will be filled to the brim with halfbacks and fullbacks that will be fighting for that starting job.
However, with Gibson's impressive work this week and his 377 yards and four touchdowns from last season may give him a leg up this fall.