Arch Manning Expectations, RB Pros and Cons, and Star Rotation Headline Texas Camp Notes

All righty — Texas will have a lighter practice on Friday before holding the second scrimmage of August camp. We’re inching closer and closer to opening day in Columbus.

For this update, I put some questions from the Q&A to our sources.

“Does No. 7 on defense have to be earned?”

A source chuckled at that one and said there’s no formal rule — he just thinks nobody wants to be No. 7 after Jahdae Barron reinforced the Thorpe-level status of the number. Michael Huff is overlooking every practice, too.

“How healthy is Derek Williams?”

Coaches are happy with where he is health-wise, though he’s not quite as explosive as he was the last time we saw him. He looked like a first-rounder against OU. That said, he’s a smarter, more consistent player as he enters his third year in the program. Fear not — athletically, he still looks good roaming centerfield.

“Have they done the Torre Becton test that foreshadows win totals?”

No. But they’ve had the best offseason from an S&C perspective to date. We’ll keep monitoring this. The program tends to be a bit hush-hush on that indicator and I try to abide their wishes.

Pros and Cons of Each Running Back

CJ Baxter has been mentioned first in three or four straight practices, though we continue to hear he’ll be on an early pitch count.

• Tre Wisner: Toughness, improved burst, fights through contact; still not the biggest back.
• CJ Baxter: Smart, patient, good burst for his size; could improve pad level.
• Christian Clark: Elusive, balance, great lateral agility, “most talented”; top-end speed is good but not great.
• Jerrick Gibson: Power, downhill style, “2010s power back”; same top-end speed note as Clark.

Here’s a bit of good news — when asked about Gibson’s ball security, the source said all the backs have done well protecting the football.

“How will Justus Terry and Lance Jackson be used?” + NASCAR

Special teams, especially Jackson, plus blitz packages. “With limited early snaps, each could step up over time and earn more.”

The NASCAR blitz package is well known at this point, with Ethan Burke as the DT in that look — but that role could eventually be Terry’s. They’re still unsettled on the true DT to pair with Burke in that set but a number of guys are in contention, including Maraad Watson and Alex January.

That Brings Us to Trey Moore

“Did Trey Moore return to be a rotational player?”

No, not at all. Moore almost went pro because he didn’t want to be an afterthought to Colin Simmons. The coaches pitched him hard on a variety of roles, all meant to enhance his NFL value. He will play off-ball but is also featured prominently in the NASCAR package moving all over the place.

“Anything on Star?”

While Ian Boyd frets about Star, I’m resigned to the idea they’ll play matchups this year. At times, Jelani McDonald will be in; at others, it’ll be Graceson Littleton or Wardell Mack.

McDonald has had a quiet week at Star, while Littleton and Mack have split reps fairly evenly. That already tells us we’ll likely hear about a more 11-personnel-heavy scrimmage this weekend.

“How good is Arch going to be this year?”

“He’s going to be a stud, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some bumps in the road,” the source said. It all depends on what your expectations are. Internally, expectations are high, but they don’t believe Arch is ready to carry the load alone in Week 1. He should improve steadily as the season goes on. Yes, a Heisman run is plausible.

For a comparison, Cade Klubnik last year was ahead of where Arch is right now. That shouldn’t be surprising, but it does provide a solid waterline.