Quintrevion Wisner's opportunity is the result of his versatility

Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner played his first three high school seasons for Waco Connally before transferring to DeSoto ahead of his senior year in 2022. He began the season as RB1 for the Eagles, but eventually embraced a multifaceted role that saw him line up all over the field so DeSoto could get talented sophomore (and current Texas A&M commit) Tiger Riden into the lineup.

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Wisner’s ability was a key part of DeSoto’s march to the 2022 UIL 6A Division II state championship. He tallied 846 yards and six scores on 125 carries, while also recording 466 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 35 receptions.

At Texas during his freshman season, Wisner’s versatility was best seen on special teams. He notched eight tackles, making several forceful stops on punt and kickoff return. Most of his offensive snaps took place in situations where Texas had a substantial lead, and he made the most of those chances to the tune of 12 carries for 73 yards plus a touchdown versus Texas Tech.

Wisner has the chance for increased opportunity during his sophomore season. Though CJ Baxter Jr. and Jaydon Blue are ahead of him on the Texas running back depth chart, Wisner is a prime candidate to step into the role vacated by Keilan Robinson now that No. 7 is off to the NFL.

“I think that’s fair,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said Tuesday about Wisner taking on Robinson’s role. “Tre has been really impressive this spring. I think that started for him the second half of last season. His role on special teams really grew and improved, and he made plays. He had a couple of really big tackles as the year went on for us on teams. I think he got some confidence.”

Last season according to Pro Football Focus, Robinson was on the field for 253 total snaps. Sixty-four of them were when the Longhorn offense was on the field. The rest were when Robinson manned the Longhorns’ kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units.

Robinson totaled 12 carries for 134 yards and three scores last season. He also had eight receptions for 56 yards. As Texas’ kick returner, he brought 22 kickoffs back for 494 yards plus one touchdown against the Red Raiders in the regular season finale.

He went under the radar for most of the season on coverage teams until he recorded a tackle on special teams against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship. That tackle was one play after Robinson brought a 57-yard rush to the end zone during the Longhorns’ rout of the Cowboys.

Wisner is now a top candidate to take on Robinson’s responsibilities. Wisner was on the field for 195 snaps last season with 173 of them on what Texas simply calls “teams.” Most of those, 93 to be exact, were on Texas kick coverage team. But he made impactful plays on punt coverage and punt return, including a key block on Xavier Worthy‘s punt return for a touchdown versus BYU.

Though Robinson’s standard down responsibilities were limited, he knew where to be and could threaten defenses because of his ability to take handoffs and pitches, or to split out wide and run routes. That was a nice bonus to his status as a special teams standout.

Sarkisian has seen signs that Wisner could fulfill similar responsibilities ahead of the 2024 season. In addition, there aren’t many Longhorns on the current roster who work harder than No. 26.

“The one thing about Tre, he is right there at the top of hardest workers on our team,” Sarkisian said. “He goes for it every day, every rep, and it’s paying dividends for him. He’s been a really good runner. He’s catching the ball out of the backfield. He’s been great on teams. I think his understanding schematically of what we’re doing is growing.”

All in all, Wisner’s ability to play as a back, receiver, and as a special teams ace is setting the sophomore from DeSoto up for plenty of playing time this fall.

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“I do foresee him having a role with us in the fall,” Sarkisian said.