Observations from Monday’s Texas practice

The media was able to watch a brief portion of practice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

ATLANTA — After arriving in Georgia on Sunday, the Texas Longhorns took the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday afternoon in preparation for the Peach Bowl on Wednesday and the media was allowed a brief window to view the team as practice began.

Because the team wasn’t in pads, it was difficult to gain much insight into, for instance, the potential availability of Texas junior right tackle Cam Williams, who was struggling to move during the open portion of Friday’s practice.

But Williams did look better on Monday, though an accurate injury designation would likely be “questionable.”

Junior wide receiver Isaiah Bond told reporters during the team’s media day on Monday morning that he expects to play against Arizona State, a track that Bond appeared to be on when the team was back in Austin on Friday.

What Monday’s practice did provide was a look into the program’s future — early enrollees Michael Terry, Lance Jackson, and Justus Terry are all in Atlanta with the team and are going through an acclimation period, as are Arkansas transfer linebacker Brad Spence and Purdue transfer defensive tackle Cole Brevard. Spence was not in shells with the rest of the team, but Brevard was going through drills.

Unsurprisingly, Terry already looks like a collegiate defensive lineman — his physical maturity is a big reason why he’s ranked as the No. 10 prospect and the No. 2 defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Jackson and Terry were playing catch together on the sidelines when the media was allowed into the stadium and there’s no question that Jackson physically looks the part, too.

At 6’5, 276 pounds, Jackson has the type of frame that could add as much weight as a strength and conditioning staff desires, but his height and length make him look like a future NFL defensive end, even if he ends up at 285 to 290 pounds. Expect the staff to focus on functional strength with Jackson and keeping him lean so he can remain outside.

The athlete designation certainly fits Terry — at 6’23, 205 pounds, he’s a little bit tall and high cut to be a pure running back, but he’s dynamic with the ball in his hands. How Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian decides to eventually deploy Terry as a do-everything hybrid player on offense will be fascinating to watch.

Physically, Brevard looks like former Texas standout Keondre Coburn because he’s more on the squatty side in terms of his actual height — he’s probably not quite his listed 6’3 — but has an extremely powerful lower body. Since Brevard will be entering his sixth year of college football, he’s had plenty of time to develop physically, so the guess here is that position coach Kenny Baker will be able to maximize the Purdue transfer in 2025.

One current player whose physical development stood out? Because a bunch of players were in black jerseys wearing different numbers, it wasn’t easy to recognize freshman edge Zina Umeozulu, who has made tremendous gains in adding quality mass with nearly a year working under strength and conditioning coach Torre Becton.

Texas and Arizona State kick off in the College Football Playoff at noon Central on ESPN.