Offseason Update: Texas banged up but impressing 20 days out

The Texas Longhorns’ first scrimmage took place Saturday morning. There were several newsworthy items for the team to address.

The list of noteworthy occurrences start with freshman quarterback Arch Manning, who seems to have hit another gear in his acclimation to facing college quality talent.

Not every Texas offensive player had a great day. Wide receiver Jordan Whittington appeared to sustain an upper body injury, which we’ll address later.

Context matters with injuries, though many outsiders will jump the gun as they did with Kelvin Banks’ injury last camp. That said, we don’t know the severity of Whittington’s injury, so we will not claim it is insignificant. It’s not yet reason for panic, however, and nothing yet changes in regard to expectations for the team and loaded receiver unit.

Here’s a look at some of the major takeaways from the scrimmage.

Arch Manning is an ATHLETE

Seventy yards is a long way to run untouched, and I have to think coaches would blow the whistle if the defense got near the team’s prized highly touted quarterback prospect. Sources told Orangebloods’ Anwar Richardson that Manning looked better than the other backups. The Louisiana quarterback’s ability to run is one of the more underrated parts of his game.

Whittington and Worthy out

While it’s a potential prelude to a story, whatever injury or malady plagued Jordan Whittington and Xavier Worthy is a non-story for now. Whittington has a while to recover before the season and Worthy’s illness is not a concern. As for the effect on the roster, rolling out a lineup with AD Mitchell and Isaiah Neyor on the outside probably still favors Texas over opponents.

Several offensive players contributed

AD Mitchell, Johntay Cook and Keilan Robinson were among the skill players to reach the end zone. Robinson and Cook are not expected to be focal points for the offense this season, but have proven they can contribute. This offense will be dangerous and Cook and Robinson are prime examples of the game-breaking speed present among mere role players on this team.

Alfred Collins emergence

Sleep on Texas defensive lineman Alfred Collins at your own peril. Collins makes plays. It appears Saturday’s scrimmage was no different. The Texas interior defensive line is still a strength for this team.

Malik Muhammad impresses

Muhammad was perhaps my favorite pickup for Texas in its 2023 recruiting class. The Oak Cliff native figures to play a huge role in the future of Longhorns football but might factor in this season as well. Fellow freshman Anthony Hill was said to have also had a strong showing on the day.

Quinn Ewers looks really sharp

Quinn Ewers is following an unstable offseason with a stable and consistent one this year. Reportedly he threw three touchdowns to one interception in Saturday’s scrimmage. He did so without big-time target Xavier Worthy. That two touchdown passes went to Johntay Cook leads me to believe we could be underestimating Cook’s role on the team. AD Mitchell was said to have a strong connection with his quarterback in the passing game after reaching the end zone Saturday. The Ewers to Mitchell connection is probably the big story of the offseason and one that could carry Texas through games lost last season.

Story originally appeared on Longhorns Wire