Multiplicity on offense is hard to stop, and Amari Niblack allows for multiplicity
Texas’ additions of Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond, and Silas Bolden to a wide receiver room that already had Johntay Cook, Ryan Wingo, and DeAndre Moore ensured Steve Sarkisian would be able to run plenty of 11 personnel (one tight end, one running back) during the Longhorns’ first season in the Southeastern Conference in 2024.
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The returns of 2023 regulars like running backs CJ Baxter, Jaydon Blue, and Savion Red plus tight end Gunnar Helm solidified Texas’ ability to utilize multi-back sets, with Bolden also factoring into the equation as a potential replacement for Keilan Robinson.
And with the Thursday night addition of Alabama tight end Amari Niblack, Sarkisian can enter 2024 confident he can run multiple tight end sets that feature the former On3 five-star in Niblack and the senior-to-be in Helm.
Sarkisian likes to say the more things his offense can run well, the harder it is to defend. The personnel Sarkisian has accumulated via recruiting, portal additions, and roster retention gives him the opportunity to remain multiple on offense, something that boosted the Longhorns in 2023 to heights not seen in Austin since 2009.
Why this matters so much for Sarkisian the play-caller and therefore Sarkisian the head coach can be seen in the ways Texas scored during its Big 12 Championship win over Oklahoma State.
The first touchdown of the day from Quinn Ewers to Adonai Mitchell? The Longhorns were in 12 personnel with Helm and Ja’Tavion Sanders on the field.
Ewers’ flea-flicker touchdown pass to Sanders? Eleven personnel.
The touchdown pass to T’Vondre Sweat? It’s a goal line set but technically it was 23 personnel with Sweat, Helm, and Malik Agbo at tight end plus Baxter and Byron Murphy behind Ewers.
Baxter’s second quarter touchdown rush? Another instance of 11 personnel.
Blue’s touchdown reception? 11 personnel.
Keilan Robinson’s 57-yard touchdown run? 21 personnel with two backs and one tight end on the field.
Robinson’s final coup de grâce, an 11-yard rush that put Texas’ point total at 49? 12 personnel.
Texas scored seven touchdowns in Arlington on December 2 and used four different personnel packages in the process.
Conversely, offenses Sarkisian put on the field in 2021 and 2022 didn’t have a similar level of multiplicity and were far more inconsistent than the 2023 unit.
Before Niblack joined the program, it wasn’t clear how the Longhorns might deploy 12 personnel, which features two tight ends and a running back. Helm was sure to be a staple, but his partner? Options available to Sarkisian and Jeff Banks were Juan Davis, Spencer Shannon, Will Randle, and Jordan Washington. Their combined career production comes from Davis’ with one catch for no gain and one carry for three yards over the course of his three seasons in Austin.
While there was a chance one of Davis, Shannon, Randle, or Washington could have developed into the auxiliary tight end Sarkisian would likely move around formations as opposed to attach to the end of the line of scrimmage, Niblack arrives ready for that role. He tallied 20 catches for 327 yards and four touchdowns for the Crimson Tide in 2023, including a 39-yard touchdown reception versus the Longhorns that showcased his athleticism and ability after the catch.
Previous portal additions made it so the dropoff from productive wideouts Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, and Jordan Whittington would not be so steep.
Returns of Helm and the running backs kept multi-back sets as an option for Sarkisian.
And with the addition of Niblack, Texas can credibly run a 12 personnel set that threatens defenses both on the ground and through the air.
The more stuff Sarkisian can run, the harder it is for opponents to defend.
Opponents are going to have a hard time defending the Longhorns in 2024 thanks to all the portal pickups but especially the most recent one in Niblack.
