Texas football players returned to campus in June to begin the summer strength and conditioning program. For the summer semester, Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian also welcomed more than six new players to the roster.
Which Texas football players have made a splash during the first few days of summer practice?
Regarding the new Longhorn recruits for this summer, there is roughly a 50/50 split between those who come through the transfer portal and those who come out of high school.
The job of strength coach Torre Becton is to prepare and condition the Longhorns players for the upcoming start of preseason camp in a few months. Texas will hit the weight room and the practice field for summer conditioning. The Longhorns also work out 7-on-7 during the summer.
Given that Texas had so many spring enrollees participate in camp earlier this offseason, there won’t be as much getting players up to speed as usual for the start of summer workouts. This summer, Texas can concentrate more on advancing the young players and cultivating leadership.
Summer workouts have only been going for a little over a week, but already several Longhorns players have received recognition. These three Longhorns players are “turning heads” in early summer S&C.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers
Quinn Ewers, a redshirt junior quarterback in his third season as Texas’ starter, is undoubtedly the leader of this offense and the new receivers. Ewers has blocking in front of him along the offensive line and an established group in the backfield. Two of Texas’ three most productive backs from the previous campaign are back, along with four of the five starting linemen in the trenches.
During summer workouts, Ewers’ job is to help bring up the younger quarterbacks in addition to settling in and developing chemistry with this receiving corps that will be losing all of its starters this offseason.
Within Eric Nahlin of Texas stated (paid content) that Ewers has advanced to the position of mentor in various film room and practice scenario scenarios. In addition to setting the tone for summer S&C, he is assisting Trey Owens, the true freshman quarterback, in learning what is expected of him in various situations.
In terms of his relationship with the receivers during the offseason, Ewers is said to have looked excellent during 7-on-7 practice. He has a natural rapport with players like Ryan Wingo, an Oregon State transfer, Isaiah Bond, a former transfer from Alabama, and new enrollee Silas Bolden.
In Sarkisian’s scheme, Ewers is fulfilling every expectation regarding mentality and maturity for a third-year starting quarterback.
WR Silas Bolden
Of the four portal guys and the eight summer enrollees at Texas, Bolden is the only transfer on the offensive end of the ball. At the start of summer workouts, Bolden made a significant impact on people in and around the program very quickly.
According to Orangebloods (subscriber content), Bolden is “seriously turning heads” following his first week of summertime training. Bolden’s speed and agility, even in the first few days of summer conditioning and 7-on-7 work, have impressed the coaching staff.
When defensive backs talk about how difficult it is to cover and contest Bolden in the open field, you know he has left a lasting impression on both his teammates and the coaches.
Bolden seems to be among the Longhorns’ fastest players this summer at the skill positions as well. He has undoubtedly made some noise in the otherwise competitive wide receiver room, where some of these extremely talented players may find it difficult to get reps and may not even be in Sarkisian’s top four or five group come fall.
Whether he is lining up out wide, in the slot, or out of the backfield, Bolden is doing just what is required to demonstrate that he is deserving of his fair share of offensive touches in the SEC this coming season.
Leonardo Hill Jr., LB
Defensive back Anthony Hill Jr., a former five-star recruit, is a sophomore linebacker for Texas who is arguably the best player in the program. The DFW Metroplex linebacker, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 245 pounds, is still learning more about the defense and working out to gain strength.
Imagining what Hill can accomplish after spending his second full offseason in PK’s defensive scheme and the S&C program is a very unsettling thought. As Hill begins his sophomore season, he already has the appearance of a linebacker who could be selected to the First Team All-SEC.
Early on in the summer training season, Hill looks to be making even more progress. Through the first week of summer S&C, he is said to have been one of the program’s biggest standouts by those in and around the defensive side of the ball.
It’s interesting to note that before preseason camp starts in August, Hill is reportedly expected to shed a few pounds by the coaching staff. Having weighed about 245 pounds when he first arrived on campus this summer, he is working hard to get closer to 240 pounds.
Hill is still carrying his weight at the linebacker position as well as he can, despite the staff’s efforts to lighten it a little. While keeping his speed and explosiveness when playing in the box and near the line of scrimmage, it sounds like he’s even more powerful and rangy than he was last fall.
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