Texas TE Gunnar Helm has been the 'real deal' this season

The skill talent on the offensive side of the ball for No. 1 Texas football shined up and down the depth chart during non-conference play. After the season's first four weeks, Texas had a dozen skill players with multiple catches and a dozen with at least one touchdown on offense.

Texas football getting big contributions at TE in 2024 largely thanks to senior Gunnar Helm

Tight end and wide receiver have been two particular notable positions of strength for the Longhorns in the non-con. Led by seniors Juan Davis and Gunnar Helm, Texas's tight end room has really produced at a high level in the blocking and receiving games this season.

Helm has already put up career-high receiving stats after just four weeks. He's caught 11 passes for a career-best 197 receiving yards (averaging a career-high 17.9 yards per catch) and one touchdown catch. Helm played a vital role for Texas's passing game as one of quarterback Quinn Ewers' top target in the big double-digit win over the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines on the road in Ann Arbor on Sep. 7.

He put up nearly 100 receiving yards on a team-high seven catches, including the game's first touchodwn to get the Longhorns on the board in the first quarter against Michigan's defense.

It's not only the impact on the receiving game that has made Helm one of Texas's biggest success stories on offense early this season. He's continued to shine as a blocking tight end, especially in pass protection.

Helm leads all SEC tight ends in pass-blocking grade after four weeks. He hasn't allowed a single quarterback pressure on nearly two dozen pass-blocking snaps this season.

The emergence of Helm as a receiving threat in addition to his proven ability as a blocking tight end has been extremely valuable for Texas's offense this season. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns are getting a ton of value from the tight end position, providing even more go-to targets in the short and intermediate passing game down the seams for Texas's quarterbacks.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the leadership traits that Helm and Davis bring to Texas's tight end room and the offense this season. Inside Texas reports that Jeff Banks and the Longhorns are getting "much more out of the tight end position" than the staff was expecting coming into the season. That says a lot, given that this was already a well-viewed position group with pretty high expectations entering the SEC for this campaign.

As the only multi-year contributors on Texas's roster for longer than the past year, dating back to the 2023 offseason at tight end, Helm and Davis are providing valuable leadership and stability to help continue to grow the strength of this position group heading into the future with talented freshmen like Jordan Washington and Spencer Shannon.

Texas has gotten many younger players valuable live-game reps early this season. Freshmen Shannon and Washington have both played over two dozen offensive snaps over three games coming out of the non-con to get more live-game experience and development for the tight end position for the future.

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