Ja'Tavion Sanders used the spring to improve his game
The prize of Texas’ 2021 recruiting class was Ja’Tavion Sanders, an On3 Consensus five-star and the highest-rated prospect Steve Sarkisian inherited when he took over as head coach of the Longhorns in January of 2021.
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With a lofty rating, there was an expectation Sanders, who helped Denton (Texas) Ryan to a state championship in 2020, would make an immediate impact as a tight end in Sarkisian’s offense. While Sanders played in all 12 games, it was mostly on special teams. He didn’t catch a pass during his freshman season.
It made sense he couldn’t pass experienced players on the depth chart like Cade Brewer and Jared Wiley. Sanders was labeled as an athlete by On3 and other recruiting services, and he burst onto the scene as a two-way player for the Ryan Raiders. He spent much of his sophomore year at defensive end, but over time Sanders played more and more receiver. His senior year, he recorded only 12 tackles compared to his 1161 yards and 16 touchdowns on 63 catches.
It was clear that tight ends coach Jeff Banks would have to work extensively with Sanders. After a developmental year, Sanders has made real strides as a tight end this spring and is contending to be at the top of the depth chart when game one arrives next season.
“I think JT is a really cool example of, here’s a kid who was a five-star recruit coming to the University of Texas,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “And in this day and age, if a guy doesn’t play as a true freshman and start as a five-star, what’s wrong, you know? Something’s wrong with him. It’s this idea of instant gratification. Everybody builds these kids up and they’re just going to walk in and win the Mackey Award when they show up.
“I give JT and Gunnar (Helm) a lot of credit for putting in the work last year. I thought coach Banks did a really good job. I know they weren’t every week players for us offensively, but they worked at their craft.”
Much of the reason why Sanders spent most of his time on Saturdays on the sideline had to do with the various requirements of the position. Sanders was no longer just responsible for catching passes split wide. He had to deal with defensive ends, players who can match up physically with hi 6-foot-4, 253-pound frame. He had to learn his assignment in run-blocking, and learn how to effectively operate in that aspect of the game. He even needed to work on pass protection, something he almost was never tasked with at Ryan.
“I’ve said this numerous times to y’all that the quarterback is the most important position in sports,” Sarkisian said. “But the tight end in our offense is probably the second most important position because of all that we ask them to do.”
This spring, Sanders has been at the top of the depth chart for most of the recent practices, just ahead of Helm, Jahleel Billingsley, and others in Banks’ position group. Behind the scenes, he’s drawn praise for his work ethic during offseason conditioning, development at the position, and for his ability to catch the ball. He even had a standout performance at last week’s scrimmage.
Sanders’ development has him primed to become one of several weapons at Sarkisian’s disposal for his 2022 offense.
“I think he’s had a really good spring for us,” Sarkisian said. “He has really evolved as a player. I think he’s a much more confident and comfortable blocker, but he is definitely a weapon in the pass game.”
