On July 17th, Texas Longhorns will be featured at its first SEC Media Days at Omni Hotel in Dallas. Yes, Dallas. Despite Texas A&M being in the conference for over a decade, it wasn’t until Texas joined the SEC that Media Days were held within the state of Texas.
Steve Sarkisian, as well as previous Texas coaches, typically take four players to meet with local, regional, and national media. This year, Sark only needs three players to convey his program’s message. They are junior quarterback Quinn Ewers, junior offensive lineman Kelvin Banks, and senior defensive back Jahdae Barron.
None of the three come as a surprise.
Ewers is readying to not only enter his third-year as starting quarterback, he’s also a preseason Heisman frontrunner after helping guide Texas to the playoffs in the 2023 season. As a leader he has come a long way since his arrival to Texas. Fans should expect a more confident, yet still humble, delivery from the gunslinger.
Despite his more quiet demeanor, Banks is also not a surprise. He has always been mature beyond his years and is beginning to find his voice in the locker room. As a potential Top-10 NFL Draft pick, he’s also an excellent advertisement for the program.
Barron has long been a vocal leader for the defense and is highly experienced. His inclusion makes sense for a number of reasons. Perhaps most enticing for media will be to learn why he returned for one more season despite the consensus being he’d depart for the NFL. His answers will also make for a good advertisement for the resurgent program.
If there is any surprise, it’s that Sark is electing to only take three. There are a handful of other candidates who would have made sense, including senior offensive lineman Jake Majors, senior Edge Barryn Sorrell, and senior linebacker David Gbenda.
A number of players are likely one year away from going, namely sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill and sophomore cornerback Malik Muhammad.
As Texas enters the season as a Top-4 team, it’s clear there’s no shortage of talent, experience, and quality representatives within the program.
SEC Media Days will extend from July 15 to July 18.
As always, follow Inside Texas to keep up with the latest program and recruiting information.
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