This summer has a different feel for several Texas Longhorns upperclassmen
The group of upperclassmen leading the Texas Longhorns don’t want the lasting memory of their tenure to be Steve Sarkisian’s first season as head coach. That’s why several of them mentioned on Wednesday night there is an extra sense of motivation around the program to expunge the bad taste 2021’s 5-7 mark left in their mouths with a successful 2022 campaign.
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Speaking on a Twitter Space coordinated by The Players’ Lounge and Burnt Orange Heroes, senior running back Roschon Johnson, senior defensive back Anthony Cook, and senior linebacker Luke Brockermeyer discussed the focus the 2022 Longhorns possess entering this season.
“It’s like an extra sense of motivation where you want to win,” Johnson said. “We know the only way we can actually do that is to rely on each other and rely on the leadership of the team to pull us out in those close games. I’ve done the best I can throughout this offseason. What’s done in the dark is going to come to light.”
Cook echoed those sentiments.
“We’ve been using last year as motivation this whole offseason,” Cook said. “That’s been in the back of our mind, and we’re just trying to get the bad taste out of our mouth. We’re just using it as fuel. We feel good about it. We’re positive. We’re motivated. We’re ready to go.”
There was an air of confidence around the players who were in the Twitter Space. They believe the hours spent together during the offseason has helped the team not just become better, but also closer. Last year, as Sarkisian mentioned multiple times during the offseason, a variety of factors led to Texas not being a tight-knit football team.
Brockermeyer, who mentioned he is still in the process of rehabilitating a knee injury suffered late last year, said that is no longer an issue thanks to on and off-field efforts from the whole roster.
“This offseason, we’ve taken more time to really get to know one another,” Brockermeyer said. “On certain days, we meet all together and talk about our past and backstories, and growing closer as a team. Just being able to grow closer to each other has helped us push harder for one another. I think that’s something that’s going to help us in this next season for sure.”
Put simply by Cook, “Everybody is together, and everybody is comfortable speaking with one another. It’s not cliquish or anything like that.”
Offseason workouts are not easy, as snippets shown on Texas social media channels show. Even in the early morning when it’s dark as Johnson mentioned, it can still be quite hot at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium.
Those workouts come with a purpose, not just to improve the bodies of the players but to have them come together as a team and work toward a common goal. The path toward the first game versus Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 3 still has several more of those offseason workouts and the rigors of preseason camp on it.
For these Texas Longhorns upperclassmen, it’s all worth it.
“It’s been a grind but when the season comes, we’ll be ready,” Johnson said.
