His first start at Texas upcoming, sixth-year senior Tope Imade has 'earned his time'
Texas offensive lineman Tope Imade committed to Texas on May 26, 2015 intending to play for former Longhorn head coach Charlie Strong. Six years, four months, and 20 days later, Imade will likely make his first start in a Longhorn uniform Saturday for Steve Sarkisian, his third head coach.
Imade was listed first at right guard on the depth chart Texas released on Monday ahead of true freshman Hayden Conner. Following a shakeup on the O-line after fellow sixth-year senior Denzel Okafor’s season-ending injury, and a dismal performance by the unit in the Red River Shootout, Sarkisian elected to move Derek Kerstetter back to right tackle and switch Junior Angilau to left guard. That created a brief competition for right guard, and Imade received the nod for Saturday’s matchup with Oklahoma State.
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“I think Tope has earned his time,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “He’s put in a lot of time and worked at it. He’s a big, physical player. Excited to watch him and what he can do.”
Imade has been in Austin for some of the highest highs and lowest lows in Texas football’s last 10 years. From the loss to Kansas in 2016, to topping Oklahoma in 2018, to taking home the Sugar Bowl over Georgia, to the disappointing end of the Tom Herman era, to an extra year offered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Imade has experienced more than most college players in his time at Texas.
He even switched from offensive line to defensive line ahead of the 2017 season to alleviate depth concerns, then switched back to the O-line midway through Herman’s first year after injuries struck the position. His on-field debut arrived in 2019, when he received mop-up snaps versus Louisiana Tech as a fourth-year junior. He appeared in two other games that season, then played in five games in 2020.
He took advantage of the Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities available to him during his sixth year, and his interest in Marvel and Disney led him to make a YouTube channel to share all of his thoughts on some of his favorite topics.
After all those events, he’ll be a Longhorn starter come Saturday.
“In this day and age, now more than ever and especially in college football, perseverance is a bit of a lost trait,” Sarkisian said. “So when you have really cool living examples of a guy who is in a sixth year, has never made a start, and now is getting his opportunity… there’s a lot of value in that. There’s a lot of internal value for the individual, but there’s also a lot of value for his teammates to see what can come through hard work, through perseverance, through grit, through staying the course.”
Imade did all of this following the tragic passing of his mother, Betty, in March, and while earning his master’s degree in marketing from the McCombs School of Business. When he walked across the stage in May, he was not alone when he received his second degree from the University of Texas.
Throughout it all, Imade has been a diligent worker on the football field for the Longhorns, from 2016 to the present day.
Imade took reps at several positions along the offensive line ahead of Sarkisian’s first season. Though he was not able to crack the starting lineup to begin the year, Flood considered him one of the top eight linemen in the room and a candidate to be first off the bench in case of an injury.
Sarkisian noted Thursday that Imade isn’t just a player who punches in, puts on the uniform to practice, and punches out. Even in his sixth season, Texas’ head coach noted development from the 6-foot-6, 361-pound Arlington native.
“I couldn’t be more proud of him for what he’s done because quite frankly, he’s improved all year long,” Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian gave a lengthy answer Thursday when asked specifically about Imade and what he means to the program. Not only was he happy for Imade’s successes, but he highlighted Imade as a great example for others, not just in the Longhorn program, but around college football.
“This isn’t a guy that just practices just to practice, he’s been working on his craft,” Sarkisian said. “He’s really improved his game. I’m proud of him, but also what a great teachable moment for his teammates to see the value of perseverance.
“And in this day and age of ‘I’m not playing. I’m not playing as much as I want. I’m going to go get in the portal. I’m going to take my ball and go home and go somewhere else,’ to have a couple of real living examples on our roster speaks to the volume of the culture we have on our team. That guys continue to work, that guys want to be part of this team and want to earn their opportunity.”
That opportunity arrives Saturday for the first time in Imade’s career, a moment over six years in the making.
