Steve Sarkisian addresses limiting Jahleel Billingsley in practice on Wednesday
As Texas gets practice going, the Longhorns limited Jahleel Billingsley on Wednesday. Afterward, Steve Sarkisian revealed the reason — and it sounds precautionary.
Sarkisian said Billingsley was experiencing some tightness in his hamstring, and Sarkisian didn’t want to risk making the injury worse. The former Alabama tight end could wind up taking on a big role with the Texas offense, which is why Sarkisian didn’t see a need to force Billingsley to do more in an early practice.
“You start talking about player safety of just monitoring these guys, I just didn’t feel the need to make it any worse,” Sarkisian said. “So we kind of limited him today.”
Billingsley headed to Texas via the transfer portal and became the No. 11 transfer to hit the open market, according to the 2021 On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. Last year at Alabama, he totaled 17 receptions for 256 yards and three touchdowns to help the Crimson Tide to the national championship.
Billingsley was part of an impressive transfer portal haul for the Longhorns, headlined by former Ohio State quarterback and one-time Texas commit Quinn Ewers — a former Five Star Plus+ recruit and the No. 4 transfer portal prospect in 2021. Former Wyoming wide receiver Isaiah Neyor is also in the fold, giving Texas four of the top 12 transfers this offseason.
Quinn Ewers must emerge as ‘the guy’ for Texas
For somebody who has been good with quarterbacks throughout his career, Steve Sarkisian was undecisive with the position last season. Hudson Card originally won the job for Texas to open the season but by the third game of the season, Casey Thompson had taken over.
Now, just a year later, Sarkisian is facing another quarterback decision and according to On3’s J.D. PicKell, there’s only one option.
PicKell thinks Ohio State transfer Quinn Ewers should be the starter for Texas, saying he didn’t come back home to sit on the bench. However, the difference compared to last year was the changing of who is the headman. If Ewers is the guy for the season opener on Sept. 3, he also needs to be the guy in the season finale on Nov. 26.
“You can expect stability at quarterback because you need it,” PicKell said. “It is a prerequisite to success. Quinn Ewers need to be the guy for you. He needs to be the guy in Game One, he needs to be the guy in Game 12, he needs to be the guy beyond.
“Because if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. That’s the way that works, that’s the math there. For Quinn Ewers, he didn’t come to Austin to sit. He’s not there to hold a clipboard. Quinn Ewers came here to be the guy.”