3 pleasant surprises for Texas in non-conference play

True freshmen standing out on both sides of the ball

The insanely-talented 2024 Texas signing class has seen the field plenty in the season's first four weeks. In three of the first four weeks this fall, the Longhorns got over 65 players on both sides of the ball live-game reps this season, including two contests where Sarkisian and staff got over 70 players live-game reps during non-conference play.

Now that many freshmen from the Longhorns' last high school recruiting class for 2024 are running up the four-game redshirt rule to maintain this year of eligibility, we won't see as many of them in the coming weeks to start SEC play.

Not all of Texas's true freshmen from the 2024 signing class will be taking redshirts this year. Freshman edge rusher Colin Simmons, wide receiver Ryan Wingo, running back Jerrick Gibson, and even punter Michael Kern will be key contributors on each side of the ball for the Longhorns for conference play in the SEC.

Simmons, Wingo, and Gibson have been the three most important true freshmen for the Longhorns. On the defensive side of the ball, Simmons has been very impactful in the pass rush, wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks in the pocket game in and game out for the last few weeks for the front seven.

Simmons is Texas's only defender with double-digit quarterback pressures after four games. He is also tied for the team lead with two sacks.

Wingo and Gibson have also been integral to Texas's explosive and balanced offensive attack at the skill positions. Gibson has stepped into a critical role in the backfield, amid Texas's rash of running back injuries early this fall. He's led the team in rushing yards and is tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns after four weeks.

To say that Wingo has been impactful for Texas's receiving corps and passing game early this season would be understating how good he's been out of the gates. Wingo has been Texas's most proficient possession receiver, leading the team with three contested catches, while still showing off insane explosiveness and yards-after-the-catch ability when he gets the ball in space.

Wingo leads Texas in receiving grade, yards per catch, and yards per route run this season.