Blue or Red: Texas has questions to answer at the running back spot
One of the huge questions about the Texas football team heading into the 2023 campaign is how it will fill the running back spot, a position where the Longhorns enjoyed a wealth of riches last season while compiling an 8-5 record and a Valero Alamo Bowl berth.
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Gone are unanimous All-American Bijan Robinson, likely a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, and Roschon Johnson, a player considered a tier-two running back by many sports network pundits and one of the most coveted ballcarriers in the draft.
Leading the pack of returners is sophomore Jonathon Brooks, who showed promise when given the ball in 2022 when he rushed 30 times for 197 yards and five touchdowns, including a 70-yard touchdown run, and caught two passes for 37 yards and another score. Returning as well is Keilan Robinson, who amassed 305 total yards and three touchdowns last season. Both are limited due to injury this spring.
Also at the spot are two sophomores: Jaydon Blue and Savion Red – a wide receiver-turned-running back that’s been uber-impressive in Spring drills. Don’t forget freshman CJ Baxter, a highly touted freshman from Orlando rated as the top running back in the class of 2023.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian gave an update on Tuesday on the production of the running backs in the Longhorns’ intrasquad scrimmage that occurred on Saturday.
“Jaydon Blue had a nice scrimmage, made some plays, especially on the perimeter,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a very explosive athlete.”
Sarkisian was asked what Blue has done to progress and what he needs to do take another step forward.
“I think naturally for a young runner, when you come it’s about how much can you learn from the guys in front of you,” Sarkisian said. “When you look at Bijan or when you look at Roschon and then you look at Keilan and his approach to it, there’s a level of maturity that those guys play with. I think Jaydon really has matured in his time here and understands that it’s not always just about one play. It’s about a complete body of work, game by game, scrimmage by scrimmage, practice by practice, and then growing from it.”
Red has been the revelation of the running back spot this Spring and looks set to assume an expanded role for the Longhorns, a huge step up physically for a player who was a wide receiver last season.
“Savion Red, from a position change standpoint, shows a physicality that is really encouraging,“ Sarkisian said. “Savion obviously played receiver a year ago and we know he’s gifted as a receiver but he’s really been strong running between the tackles, which is kind of what he did in high school as a wildcat quarterback. That’s been encouraging.”
Sarkisian said Baxter is learning on the fly in his first work as a collegiate football player.
“Baxter’s first couple plays were not ones that he’s gonna always you know, say those are my best plays in Texas,” Sarkisian said. “He kind of struggled early on, but then settled in and made some plays as a scrimmage went on.
“So Friday, when we get back out there again in the similar format, it’s going to be big for him to take that step of, okay, now I’m comfortable with what we’re doing and then start to see more of him and what he’s capable of doing.”
