Steve Sarkisian names DJ Campbell as Texas' starting right guard vs. Rice

Programs across the country are announcing depth charts, lineups, and starters heading into their week one openers throughout this weekend. That includes Steve Sarkisian at Texas as he shared a new update on a starter for the Longhorn’s opener against Rice.

Per Joe Cook at Inside Texas, Sarkisian has announced that DJ Campbell will be Texas’ starting right guard against the Owls. The sophomore appeared in half of his games as a freshman and has now earned the starting role down on The 40 Acres.

Campbell became a more consistent player for the Longhorns as the year went on. Over their final eight games, he played in six including each of the final three against Kansas, Baylor, and Washington.

This is a major nod for one of the nation’s best freshmen from the past cycle. Campbell, an Arlington native, played at Bowie High School where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 11 overall recruit in 2022 according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also finished as the No. 1 IOL and the No. 3 player out of the state.

Campbell has plenty of potential as a former highly-touted prospect who saw some decent action as a freshman. With this designation, though, it’s a sign from Sarkisian that he’s ready to take the next step as a reliable option for Texas.

Sarkisian reveals how Texas will handle their quarterback rotation during season-opener

Many are calling Texas’s quarterback room the best in the nation, and on Saturday when the team opens up the season against Rice, fans may get to see all of Longhorns’ quarterbacks on display.

Saturday is supposed to be a hot one at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin and, as a result, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian revealed that a lot of the Longhorns’ two-deep will play in the team’s opener.

“At a lot of the positions, we’re going to roll a pretty fair amount of our two-deep because we have to from a weather standpoint. It’s going to be in triple digits Saturday,” Sarkisian said according to On3’s Joe Cook.

Sarkisian had previously said that the Longhorns’ backup quarterbacks will play only “if the opportunity presents itself” during the game.

He also answered a question about whether either Manning or Murphy had separated themselves as the No. 2 quarterback. He kept his answer brief and forecasted that Saturday’s game could play an impact on their standing behind Ewers.

“We’ll find out,” Sarkisian said.