Bohls: No offense — well, lots — but Ja'Tavion Sanders wanted no part of playing defense

NEW ORLEANS — There was a time when it was widely considered that Ja’Tavion Sanders would become the next great Texas defensive end.

He had the credentials.

The tremendously athletic Denton Ryan product came to Austin as a five-star, two-way player off a Class 5A state championship in 2020 capable of developing into either a highly skilled pass rusher or an explosive receiver.

Or both. Maybe even a top basketball player.

Instead, he’s emerged as one of the best tight ends in school history with 93 career catches for 1,220 yards. He’s posted three of the top six single-game performances from a Longhorns tight end and put his name in a conversation with David Thomas, Jermichael Finley, Pat Fitzgerald and Lawrence Sampleton, the elite of the elite at Texas.

Sanders chose to stick with offense under new offensive-minded head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Smart decision.

“When Sark got there, I knew I was going to play on offense,” Sanders said Friday just days before Monday’s College Football Playoff semifinal game against Washington in the Sugar Bowl. “He’s one of the best play-callers in college football. I never had a doubt in my mind. I always wanted to be on offense and score touchdowns.”

Uh, about that.

Sanders is extremely gifted as a tight end for the No. 3 Longhorns, but a touchdown machine, he is not.

Not through any fault of his own.

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In truth, Sanders ranks as one of the premier tight ends in all of college football. While he may not draw the headlines and accolades that Georgia’s Brock Bowers has, the Texas team and coaching staff are fully aware of what the junior brings to the table, even if he’s ranked only 21st among tight ends by Pro Football Focus.

Some of Sanders’ numbers pale even in state against other tight ends like former Longhorn Jared Wiley of TCU, who scored eight touchdowns this season and 15 in his career, and SMU’s R.J. Maryland, who reached the end zone seven times this season and 13 in two years.

“But,” Sanders offered, “look at where they’re at and where I’m at.”

Ja'Tavion Sanders is more than just the numbers

He knows he’s improved his blocking and remains as a key cog in the Texas game plan as any in this Sugar Bowl, which could well be the first of Sanders’ final two career games in a UT uniform. He didn’t announce he was turning pro a year early, but it didn’t take a genius to decipher the handwriting on his wall.

When I asked him on Friday what will be the primary factors in his upcoming decision, Sanders said, "Honestly, how we finish this season. If everything is in God's plan, hopefully I'll enter my name in the draft. If not, then I guess we'll see.”

In other words, he gone. No one would blame him.

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He doesn’t need glittering numbers to impress. He’s the complete package.

“I think JT is an excellent player and a huge part in what we do,” Texas offensive coordinator Kyle Flood said. “It’s not as easy for receivers and tight ends (to get the ball). We can get running backs carries. But in the passing game sometimes, we may have a play that’s supposed to go to him, but because of the coverage, the ball goes somewhere else. But he’s an explosive player.”

On a roster full of weapons, Sanders remains a top one

Sanders is just caught up in a wealth of offensive firepower on a loaded team that has weapons everywhere you turn. In fact, he’s often lost in the shuffle.

I mean, seriously.

Adonai Mitchell, the physical, sure-handed receiver who transferred from Georgia, has led all Texas receivers with 10 touchdowns. He’s been so consistent; he’s rarely dropped a pass and has scored touchdowns in every one of Georgia’s CFP games the last two seasons.

His teammate, Xavier Worthy, has five touchdowns but 25 in his career. He’s money.

Even tailback Jonathon Brooks found the end zone 10 times before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 10 against TCU and missing the last three games.

Sanders? He’s got just two.

Two. One came in the opener against Rice, the other in the Big 12 title game, his best of the season. Targeted nine times, he caught eight balls for 105 yards and a touchdown. He’s had two other 100-yard performances, including a 114-yard game in the win over Alabama, but he had just a single catch in the loss to Oklahoma, one reception versus Kansas and three other games with only two catches.

And guess what. Sanders couldn’t care less.

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All of his teammates have his back.

“JT’s a dog. He’s one of the best tight ends in the country,” slot receiver Jordan Whittington said. “He’s willing to do things not all tight ends will do. He’ll do the dirty stuff.”

Said quarterback Quinn Ewers: “He’s never complained about not getting the ball enough. I think he’s got a tremendous role in our offense. And I think that goes to show you how much of a team guy he is because he’s not out there complaining, even though he’s one of the best tight ends in the country. He’s not a selfish guy at all.”

Sanders has come a long way

By his own admission, Sanders wasn’t always that way.

He acknowledges that he thought more about himself and wasn’t “the best leader I can be. I had to learn it the hard way.”

Sanders is universally embraced these days as a team guy who can find as much satisfaction in making first downs as touchdowns.

Worthy asked what Sanders’ numbers are and was actually impressed with his teammate’s stats. Sanders has 39 receptions — down from the 54 he hauled in last season — for 607 yards.

“Those are pretty good numbers,” said Worthy, who also conceded that he’s not 100% healthy from his ankle injury.

Through 13 games, Sanders has caught one more touchdown than Texas’ two defensive tackles each has. That’s right. Byron Murphy II had a touchdown reception from the 1-yard line against Wyoming. And not to be outdone, the 362-pound Outland Trophy winner, T’Vondre Sweat, matched that with a touchdown catch of his own in the mauling of Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game.

More: Texas' T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy have been among Longhorns' all-time best | Golden

But he’s still ticked off by a sack he gave up on the second play of last year’s Alamo Bowl loss to Washington.

“That’s a bad memory I have of that game,” he said.

He’s ready to put it behind him, the same as those conversations about him playing edge rusher as a freshman.

Asked how many sacks he’d have if he had stayed there, Sanders said, “Right now? None. I’ve got no pass rush moves any more. That was in the Tom Herman era.”

Those are times gone by. Kind of like his Longhorn career, which may be winding down as well. As he’s said, he’s got zero complaints and a whole lot of fond memories.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Sanders could have played both ways but preferred a way to end zone