Earlier this week, it was announced that sophomore running back Jerrick Gibson and senior kicker Will Stone had left the Texas football program with half of the regular season remaining.
On Wednesday, the Longhorns' head coach, Steve Sarkisian, provided a few answers as to why the two returning players had decided to leave the program.
"They wanted to redshirt and transfer," Sarkisian said. "One happened to be a senior who hadn’t redshirted, and so he’s trying to preserve a redshirt year. One is a true sophomore that played as a true freshman that’s trying to preserve three years of eligibility. I understand all that."
Sarkisian described Gibson and Stone's departures as "essentially opting out."
— David Eckert (@davideckert98) October 15, 2025
"When a player asks to do that, I thank them for their time and I wish him the best of luck."
Will Stone stats with Texas Longhorns
Last season, Stone stepped in for just two extra point attempts, successfully converting both, as the backup kicker to Bert Auburn.
For a majority of his four years with the Horns, Stone mainly entered games for kickoffs, with Mason Shipley acting as Texas's place kicker for field goals and extra points this year.
The most surprising part of Stone's departure is that he's an Austin native, attending high school less than 20 minutes from the Longhorns' home at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Jerrick Gibson stats with Texas Longhorns
Gibson is part of a powerful and deep running back room in Austin, and has always played behind stars like Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue.
However, this season, he has become the RB2 and has the second-most rushing yards out of all running backs (ignoring the fact that quarterback Arch Manning leads the team in yards on the ground).
Over the last season and a half, Gibson amassed 529 yards on 111 carries for five touchdowns, as well as earning 25 yards on three receptions, while acting as the Horns' short-yardage back. This year, he had just 37 carries for 152 yards and one touchdown.