Texas team notes as Spring ball enters its third week of practice

Fresh off the Saturday scrimmage work the team was back in pads on Tuesday. Normally they’d go to helmets and spiders (pseudo shoulder pads) but scheduling is different this week due to Easter. The team will be in helmets and spiders on Thursday before a full pad practice/scrimmage on Friday. They’ll return again the following Tuesday.

Tuesday’s practice was average by Texas standards. Some good points, some not so good points. Practice might have started a step slow but things picked up. In particular, “There were some good throws and catches. Very few dropped balls.”

Due to some unwarranted consternation over Quinn Ewers‘ Spring performance we decided to ask some questions about the second-year Texas quarterback. We’ve been a bit tempered in our discussion of Ewers because some fans are poor at digesting information about quarterbacks. There’s just no middle ground between Heisman Trophy winner and portal candidate. And we don’t like fake narratives. By all accounts, and with today’s practice in mind, Ewers is much more comfortable in the pocket. He knows where to go with the ball without Sark telling him. He’s better at checking into the right plays. He’s getting to his second and third progression more. He’s becoming more of a quarterback, not just a talented passer. “There’s a noticeable difference between Year 1 and Year 2.”

Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning are effectively splitting the No. 2 reps.

Some other notes based on today’s practice:

– “David Gbenda continues to show it’s his spot (Will linebacker) to lose.” 

– “Don’t short Hayden Conner at guard. His experience is an advantage and that’s his spot right now. That could change but as of now Conner is the most reliable guard.”

– “Jaylan Ford and Jerrin Thompson are playing as expected. They picked up where they left off.” We still need to check in on the ‘knowns’ every so often.

– Larry Turner-Gooden and B.J. Allen are both said to be putting together solid springs. LT-G is with the twos, Allen with the threes. Their understanding has improved and both are playing with physicality.

– Anthony Hill had a good day today. That included an interception on a pass he had to go up and get after getting into his drop. With Gbenda and Morice Blackwell doing well at Will, expect Hill to get acclimated to the field of play at Sam, similar to Blackwell last season.

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