LONGHORNSON
In the middle of the 2024 season, the Texas Longhorns got an early preview of playing without tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders following a high ankle sprain sustained against the Kansas Jayhawks, the second game of Big 12 play.
JT was almost like a crutch in some aspects for us and I hated it for him at that point in the season when he had the high ankle sprain, he was trying to fight through it, and maybe wasn’t playing his best football,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said on Craig Way’s show at SEC Media Days.
After going over 100 receiving yards in consecutive games against Alabama and Baylor, Sanders didn’t record more than four catches, more than 50 receiving yards, a touchdown, or produce a reception of more than 25 yards until the Big 12 Championship game in December.
Now Sanders is preparing for his rookie season with the Carolina Panthers following his record-setting career with the Longhorns, leaving senior Gunnar Helm as the leader in Jeff Banks’ position room and the the closest to a Texas talisman at tight end the Longhorns possess in a group with more depth than star power.
“What we learned at that time, Gunnar Helm was more than adequate to be a really good player for us,” Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days.
“We put more on Gunnar’s plate and he really responded at a high level. You can feel his confidence this spring — he’s got a great understanding of our offense, he’s extremely smart, he’s tough. He made more plays last year in the passing game and I think we’re seeing that more this
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