Culture-building Texas seniors to receive recognition on Saturday

The group of transfers, signees from Steve Sarkisian’s transition class, and the last holdovers from the Tom Herman era have built a lasting legacy on the Forty Acres.

AUSTIN, Texas — Before Saturday’s game against the Kentucky Wildcats, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns will honor its senior class. There may be some “gangster tears” from cornerback Jahdae Barron, walking for the second time, and plenty of other emotions from a group that features head coach Steve Sarkisian’s 2021 transition class in addition to a few other holdovers from the Tom Herman era and players out of the NCAA transfer portal.

Some of the players experienced the COVID year that marked the end of Herman’s tenure. Others endured the 11-11 start to Sarkisian’s time on the Forty Acres prior to an important culture-building summer in 2023 that vaulted the Longhorns to a 12-2 record, the program’s first Big 12 title since 2009, and its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoffs.

Since the start of that season, Texas is 21-3 with all three defeats coming against teams ranked in the top 12 of the AP Top 25 poll as the current senior class helped carry over the culture gains made by last year’s group.

“Looking forward to celebrating Senior Day — a lot of these guys have done so much work for us and have been such a catalyst for our culture and what we do, and so to celebrate them, looking forward to that,” Sarkisian said on Monday.

The process wasn’t always easy as roughly half of Sarkisian’s initial roster ended up transferring. For the players who will receive recognition on Senior Day, they stuck around even after the 5-7 season in 2021 or the 8-5 season in 2022.

“They didn’t jump off and go somewhere else. They stayed the course with what we were trying to do, and so super grateful for these guys. I owe a ton to them and I get a little emotional about this stuff because without this group, we wouldn’t be where we are, and so like I said, I’m very grateful and thankful for them,” Sarkisian said.

“I tried to get some of the emotional stuff out of the way today, so we did that today post practice. I had a nice discussion with them and then the team celebrated them coming off the field,” Sarkisian said on Thursday.

“I recognized this with them, too — I said, ‘Hey, I want you to make sure you take in Saturday and you have your moment, but the best memory you’re going to have from Saturday of your Senior Day is playing really well and winning the game.’ And so that’s the best way we can honor them.”

Texas hasn’t yet released the full list of players who will receive recognition on Saturday, but the players without remaining eligibility will receive mention here.

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Wide receiver Silas Bolden

The Oregon State transfer arguably provided the culture play of the year, becoming an instant Longhorn legend with his hustle fumble recovery in the end zone against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

In a deep wide receiver room, Bolden has recorded 17 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown, less production than expected from him this season, and has also been up an down as a punt returner, taking frequent risks, including muffing one near the goal line, but also producing some explosive plays with a long punt return of 55 yards.

Tight end Gunnar Helm

One of the team’s breakout players this year after Ja’Tavion Sanders declared early for the 2024 NFL draft, Helm has allowed Sarkisian to ditch the jumbo package he’s used in the past because of his in-line blocking ability while showcasing surprising athleticism and sure hands.

After entering the season with 121 yards after the catch on 21 career receptions, Helm leads the Longhorns with 37 receptions for 493 yards while adding three touchdowns and 272 of those yards have come after the catch, aided by nine forced missed tackles. Helm has also made the first two contested catches of his career and avoided any drops in burnt orange and white until last week’s game against Arkansas.

As a pass blocker, Helm has been reliable with only two pressures allowed this season, but his run blocking still needs some improvement with five penalties on the year and a 47 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Considering that Helm was the lowest-ranked non-specialist in Sarkisian’s transition class, the Colorado product hasn’t just overachieved — he’s also played himself into a mid-round draft pick with some real NFL upside.

Tight end Juan Davis

Mostly a special teams contributor over the last two seasons, Davis was finally healthy this season, replacing Sanders as the H-back in Sarkisian’s offense. Like Helm, he was better as a pass blocker than a run blocker, but he’s been a solid contributor with seven catches for 42 yards.

The most important thing, though? Davis persevered, kept working, and became a late-career contributor on offense. That’s worthy of respect.

Left guard Hayden Conner

One of two offensive line signees in the disastrous 2021 recruiting class at the position, Conner’s ability to develop into a starter as a true sophomore was significant for Kyle Flood. The Katy Taylor product has now started 37 games for the Horns, turning in one of his best performances last week in the win over the Razorbacks, earning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors by grading out as the team’s top offensive lineman.

Conner hasn’t allowed a sack this season, according to PFF, and has only committed two penalties, making him one of the steadiest players on a line that has earned recognition as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award given to the nation’s best offensive line.

Center Jake Majors

When Sarkisian and Flood arrived in early 2021, Majors had started against Kansas State and Colorado to end the season, putting enough on film that the new staff sold him on becoming the lynchpin of the offensive line under Flood.

Majors has been exactly that, starting every game in the Sarkisian era and earning Outland Trophy National Player of the Week and SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week honors after the win over Michigan in Ann Arbor. Like Conner, Majors hasn’t allowed a sack this season and just two quarterback hits.

After concerns early in Majors’ career about his ability to hold up against powerful nose guards, his gains in strength and technique have allowed him to become a reliable presence inside for Texas known for his leadership and communication ability along the line.

Jack end Barryn Sorrell

A strong late evaluation by Herman’s staff in the 2021 class, Sorrell always had a four-star frame and upside even though he was ranked as the No. 682 player nationally and the No. 86 defensive lineman, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Now a three-year starter, Sorrell has been a solid contributor over his career, recording 44 tackles (16 solo), nine tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble, seven quarterback hurries and one pass breakup as a sophomore in 2022, 37 tackles (17 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss and four sacks last season, and 27 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and 11 quarterback hurries this year.

Sorrell is also frequently cited as one of the team’s best and most important leaders.

Defensive tackle Alfred Collins

A holdover from the Herman era who used his COVID season of eligibility this year, Collins has finally translated his talent into consistent production, playing the best football of his career down the stretch of this season and drastically improving his draft stock as a result.

Defensive tackle Vernon Broughton

Like Collins, Broughton has made a big leap in 2024 after stepping out of the considerable shadows of Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat. Broughton has 20 tackles, one sack, one pass broken up, and one forced fumble along with 17 total pressures.

Defensive tackle Jermayne Lole

The third defensive tackle addition from the NCAA transfer portal during the offseason was a key flip from Oklahoma after previous stops at Arizona State and Louisville. Lole has come on strong during conference play, earning a role as the third defensive tackle for the Horns and turning in excellent performances against Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Vanderbilt. For the season, the 6’3, 315-pounder has recorded 24 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss with seven total pressures.

Defensive tackle Bill Norton

After transferring from Georgia and Arizona, Norton has factored into the defensive tackle rotation with five tackles and five quarterback hurries this season.

Defensive tackle Tia Savea

The UCLA and Arizona transfer hasn’t appeared in a game since the blowout win over Louisiana-Monroe in non-conference play, seeing the field for just 37 snaps.

Linebacker David Gbenda

Once upon a time, the sixth-year senior had to move to running back during the 2019 injury crisis at the position before settling in at linebacker and emerging as a key contributor and team leader.

His high-effort sack last year against Alabama was a highlight of the upset in Tuscaloosa.

This year, his ability to decleat the Michigan center showed off his old man strength.

Cornerback Jahdae Barron

The nation’s highest-graded cornerback returned for a fifth season intent on winning the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back while wearing No. 7, a tribute to his mentor Michael Huff, back on the Forty Acres as the assistant director of player personnel.

As Sarkisian mentioned several weeks ago, Barron has made himself a lot of money with his decision and subsequent improvement, culminating last weekend with the strong case that he made to win the Thorpe with an impact performance against Arkansas.

Safety Andrew Mukuba

After three years at Clemson, Mukuba transferred back home to Austin to play with Barron, his longtime friend, and focus on improving his ball skills to bolster his draft stock. Mukuba has done exactly that, coming up with three timely interceptions this season while recording 34 tackles, two tackles for loss, three passes broken up, and a quarterback hurry.

Kicker Bert Auburn

Technically, Auburn could return for another season at Texas to take advantage of a redshirt year after appearing in one game in 2021, but if he departs, he’ll do so as one of the most prolific place kickers in school history. The Longhorns had to lean hard on Auburn last year thanks to the team’s red-zone struggles as the Flower Mound product set school and conference records for consecutive made field goals with 19, as well as single-season team records for most field goals made (29) and attempted (35). His 143 points scored were the third-most in Texas history and the single-season record for a kicker.

The Longhorns haven’t needed Auburn as much this season — he’s only attempted 11 field goals — and he hasn’t been quite as accurate, hitting 3-of-6 attempts of 40 or more yards, but if he wants to return, there’s a good chance the staff would welcome him back without a scholarship kicker committed in the 2025 recruiting class.

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Texas also has a handful of players who could declare early for the 2025 NFL Draft who could choose to receive recognition on Saturday — redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers, junior wide receiver Isaiah Bond, junior wide receiver Matthew Golden, junior left tackle Kelvin Banks, and junior right tackle Cam Williams.