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A Lunch Special: Takeaways from Sarkisian’s First Camp Presser

by: RT Young07/31/25
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Jack Endries (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Let’s bring back the lunch special to react to some things Steve Sarkisian said after the first day of fall camp.

No. 1: The Tight End With a Side of Big Brain

The most important portal move of the offseason may have been Sark adding Jack Endries from Cal. Texas couldn’t afford a drop-off at the position after three stellar years from J’Tavion Sanders and Gunnar Helm. Taking Endries from the Calgorithm in the spring window gave Arch Manning one heck of a safety blanket, but also added a dynamic big man who excels in YAC. Sarkisian noted yesterday the transfer made some nice plays in 7-on-7, but it was Endries’ first real practice with the Longhorns, and the former Golden Bear may not have had a tougher critic on the field than himself.

“Jack’s a cerebral guy and he wants to do things right. This was his first practice, so a lot of things we were doing he’s never done before. So he was like, ‘I need to learn how we do things.’ He wants to learn, he wants to know and he wants to feel confident in what he’s doing.”

Sarkisian and Jeff Banks have said over and over again that tight end is the most important position in the offense after quarterback. Endries will have a lot demanded of him over the next month, but it sounds like he is ready for it.

The below was funny commentary on Cal, even if coming from an OU player.

No. 2: Burke’d Up

Fun fact: I know nothing about lacrosse, but I have a friend who does and will probably end up in the Lax Hall of Fame because of his pro and coaching career. He once told me Ethan Burke was the best Lax prospect he’d ever seen. And he saw a lot of them.

I think many people miscast Burke when he first committed to Sarkisian and Pete Kwiatkowski. Fans had a lean, Jason Taylor-type pass rusher in their minds, when Burke is a much more stout, strong-side player. But Barryn Sorrell always limited Burke’s reps because they played the same position. Sarkisian’s comments about the forthcoming Burke season echo Eric Nahlin’s reports. Sarkisian noted what a test it is for the Texas tackles playing players like Burke and Colin Simmons, who are completely different styles of players.

“I think this has been for Ethan the best summer, the best offseason. His commitment to the weight room, his body. He plays a relentless brand of football. He’s got great length, a great football IQ. With Barryn Sorrell moving on, Ethan has really tried to seize this opportunity. He was one of the players of spring for us.”

No. 3: DTappetizers

Not every DT transfer Texas took was a veteran like Cole Brevard and Travis Shaw. I liked hearing about players who got better from the spring to the summer, like Ohio State transfer Hero Kanu. Sarkisian said he “took it to another level this summer” and that Kanu’s effort showed in the first practice. Sarkisian also liked his first glimpse of Syracuse transfer Maraad Watson. This is a reminder the Longhorns will have those guys for multiple years.

No. 4: A Tasty Ball of Clay

“The guy who had his best practice for a young player was Michael Terry. He looked fast, he looked physical, he looked strong.”

I honestly hated when Tom Herman took ball-of-clay-type recruits like Tyler Owens and Ja’Quinden Jackson, because I had very little faith the staff was going to mold them into anything. Just look how it took Sarkisian’s staff taking on several reclamation projects like T’Vondre Sweat and Alfred Collins to bring out their potential. But with this staff, the opposite is true.

Like Eric said, I don’t think Alamo Heights’ Michael Terry will ultimately be a long-term jumbo slot receiver like Lil’Jordan Humphrey, but I’m confident when this staff gets a jack-of-all-trades like him, they’ll put it to good use.

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