Texas showcased its receiver depth in the season opener against Colorado State. All three transfers had touchdowns, and quarterback Quinn Ewers found 10 different players in the first half alone.
If you don’t see Ryan Niblett’s name on the receiving list this week against No. 10 Michigan, check the rushing stats.
Niblett has been cross-training at receiver and running back, giving the third-ranked Longhorns (1-0) some extra depth at a position that was hurt by injuries during training camp. The redshirt freshman had three carries for 12 yards on the ground against Colorado State along with one catch.
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Niblett and freshman Jerrick Gibson have been steady producers behind the top two running backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner. The Horns are likely to see the number of plays cut down this week against the 1-0 Wolverines, a team that runs the ball and eats up the clock. So every chance must be a good one for Texas to be successful.
“I love kind of having cross train Ryan Niblett because of the fact that he can do things out of the backfield and at receiver, and so it gives us a lot of versatility” to run normal packages, coach Steve Sarkisian said.
Niblett is the classic case of someone who earned playing time by catching the coach’s eye in practice. In mid-August after one of the team’s intrasquad scrimmages, Sarkisian brought up Niblett on his own, praising the Houston Eisenhower product for his efforts.
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“Ryan Niblett has really come on here in the last week, week and a half, and have been very impressed with him, not only offensively, but also on special teams,” Sarkisian said on Aug. 19. “And so that’s a credit to him. I told him that today on the field. I was really proud of him, because he just continued to work.”
Had Niblett not shown some versatility, he likely would have been the odd man out of a stacked receiver rotation. The Horns have “at least six” receivers they can play at any given time, Sarkisian has said repeatedly.
Niblett came to Texas ranked the 11th-best overall prospect in the state of Texas, according ot 247Sports. His high school team wasn’t the best, but Niblett stood out for his athleticism. He caught 55 passes for 1,088 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. Niblett also ran the 100 and 200 meters in high school track and did the long jump.
While it’s unclear where he’ll play each week, having a utility player is going to come in handy for the Horns.
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