Jack Endries is leading Texas’ most talented tight end group yet

Last Saturday, Texas gave five different tight ends a combined 100 snaps over 69 offensive plays. The Longhorns have been known to use 12 personnel early and often in games, but even by these standards, this was a lot of usage for their big pass catchers.

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“Our tight end, probably after the quarterback, might be the most important position in our offense,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s definitely the most taxing when you think about the multitude of formations, personnel groupings, motions, shifts that they’re responsible for and part of.”

Knowing that Sarkisian sees it as one of the most important positions in his offense, it’s surprising to see him so willing to trust five different players to play, even in a game against San Jose State.

In Week Three of 2024, following the win at Michigan, Sarkisian used five tight ends, but only three played over six snaps. It was pure garbage-time usage for Spencer Shannon and Jordan Washington, who combined for 51 snaps last weekend.

It was even worse in 2023, when Sarkisian only let two play against Wyoming following a big win at Alabama. Juan Davis was the only scholarship TE to earn snaps all season after Ja’Tavion Sanders and Gunnar Helm, and that was just 53 total.

Now, Texas has a group of five players that are forcing Sarkisian to take a look. It’s the most talented room we’ve maybe ever seen in Austin.

It all starts with Jack Endries, a Cal transfer who’s already looking like one of Arch Manning’s favorite targets. He scored twice on Saturday and is tied for the team lead in receptions while accumulating the second-most yards.

Despite being fairly new to the team, entering the program as a spring transfer, Endries has already transformed into a leader in the room.

“To Jack’s credit, I think his experience at Cal has been very helpful for him. He looks very comfortable when he plays. There are some things in his game that we want him to do better, like all the players. But again, I have to remind myself, this is his second game in our offense, and he wasn’t a guy who was here in spring ball with us,” Sarkisian said. “He got here in the summertime, so he just doesn’t have as much volume of running our plays. But he’s a very quick studier. He’s a quick learner. He works at his craft. He’s very bright, and he’s picked our stuff up really well.”

Endries is the true No. 1, but there are four players who all could earn that No. 2 spot. The main competition is between Shannon and Washington, with the older Shannon slightly ahead, having taken the majority of snaps at Ohio State.

As our own Eric Nahlin said, both need another year to become good in-line blockers, but Shannon is ready to play now, and Washington is already a strong receiver.

That idea of waiting a year is the theme with this tight end room. At the end of the day, the TE2 behind a future NFL player won’t become a star, and that’s what’s happening right now. Endries will probably be one of the first five TEs drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.

But next year brings both Shannon and Washington at a higher blocking level, as well as the emergence of no-longer-freshmen Nick Townsend and Emaree Winston. Despite not being an early enrollee, Townsend has already logged 18 snaps in two games of action. He’s someone the staff knows will be an NFL player because of his raw athleticism and physicality.

But there’s also Winston, who entered early and shone in training camp. Without Endries or Townsend there yet, he had a chance to emerge in the thin room and looked up to the part. He played the fewest snaps of the five, and that’s probably how it will be in 2025, but he will eventually contribute.

Texas has a wealth of riches at this position in what feels like the only spot on this offense that the community can agree to be confident in. Endries is a stud, and the future is extremely bright for the four behind him.