4 takeaways from Texas's full pads practice on Tuesday

Juan Davis making some noise at tight end

Another development that was pretty surprising in the last few days of fall practice for the Longhorns is the rise of senior tight end Juan Davis. In the first handful of fall practices that had shoulder pads on for the Longhorns, Davis has been getting reps with the first-team offense in team drills.

Davis has reportedly been very stout and physical with his blocking assignments and overall physicality in team drills in the last few days of practice.

This is very positive to hear that Davis has become a more physical presence and has put on good weight by adding muscle mass to his frame during offseason workouts this year. The one big thing Davis lacked was the size and ability to hang as a blocking tight end consistently against P5 defensive linemen and linebackers.

Sarkisian was complimentary of Davis' development when he spoke to the media after the first practice of preseason camp last week.

"Juan has probably been the biggest surprise and most pleasant surprise. Everybody's journey and path is different from a developmental standpoint. Everyone forgets he came in with JT and Gunnar, and he had a great spring and a good summer. And he's gonna be a guy that we're gonna count on this fall. He's earned it. He's earned that so far. And as long as he continues on the trajectory he's on, he's gonna play a fair amount as well."

- Steve Sarkisian on Juan Davis

While I do still believe that junior Amari Niblack and senior Gunnar Helm will be the most commonly utilized tight ends for Sarkisian and the Longhorns in live-game action this season, it looks like Davis will still be very involved in the offense too this fall. Davis has clearly established himself as the No. 3 tight end for Jeff Banks' group entering the regular season after a solid start to team drills in fall practice in the last week.