- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,149,954
- Reaction score
- 59
Brandon Baker, who started all 13 games for Texas football at right tackle last season, will be moving inside to right guard this spring, according to Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian.
Texas retained its starting left tackle, Trevor Goosby, who came back to school despite being considered one of the best 10 NFL prospects at the position in this cycle by many draft experts. And the Longhorns added Melvin Siani from Wake Forest. There, he was one of the best pass-blocking tackles in the country in 2025. He’ll play right tackle for the Longhorns this year.
“I just think, when you look at Brandon’s measurables and you look at his future in the game, he’s got kind of a guard build,” Sarkisian said Monday after the Longhorns’ first spring practice.
Texas Longhorns linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith (26) lifts the trophy with head coach Steve Sarkisianas the Longhorns celebrate after winning the Citrus Bowl 41-27 against the Michigan Wolverines at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 31, 2025. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
A former five-star prospect, Baker performed adequately as a sophomore as part of an offensive line unit that was largely dysfunctional. In his first season as a starter, he allowed a pressure rate of just 4.6%, but didn’t grade out as well as a run blocker.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) and offensive lineman Brandon Baker after a win against Kentucky on Oct. 18, 2025, at Kroger Field in Lexington. (Icon Sportswire/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
If Baker wins the job at guard for 2026, he’ll be tied with Connor Stroh as the lightest player to start at guard in Sarkisian’s tenure. Baker weighed in at 305 pounds on the spring roster distributed by Texas on Monday, down three pounds from what he measured in at for 2025.
MORE: Jonah Williams dealt injury setback. What it means for Texas baseball, Longhorns football
The average starting Texas guard under Sarkisian has weighed in at just over 325 pounds. Sarkisian indicated that he’d like Baker to add weight, but in the right way.
“Natural weight is important to me,” Sarkisian said. “...One of his strengths is his ability to move and play with great balance and body control. That’s something that I think will benefit him. Now, mass is helpful. But we just want to make sure it’s the right type of mass as his weight goes up.”
MORE: Cam Coleman debuts at first Texas football spring practice with Arch Manning limited
Sarkisian said Texas hoped to deploy Baker at guard last season, but a preseason injury to fellow tackle Andre Cojoe canceled those plans.
Now, Baker will look to help fix what was a disastrous interior offensive line for Texas last season. Interior offensive linemen allowed 78 pressures in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2024, when the Longhorns played three more games, their interior offensive linemen gave up 51 pressures.
In his effort to build a more stable platform in front of Arch Manning for 2026, Sarkisian brought in four fresh offensive linemen from the transfer portal.
Two of them played guard at their last stop. Dylan Sikorski, listed at 6-foot-4, 344 pounds, started six games for Oregon State last year. The season before that, he was playing nose tackle. Western Kentucky guard Laurence Seymore gives the Longhorns a more experienced addition, but Texas is still waiting on an eligibility waiver for him. Sarkisian said Monday that he had no update on the school’s effort to secure another year for Seymore.
Depending on how that endeavor plays out — and on the development of Texas’ younger players at the position — it’s easy to see a world where the Longhorns urgently need Baker to successfully execute this position change.
“I think solidifying ourselves from the inside on that right side of the line with him and (Siani) at right tackle is really beneficial for us long term,” Sarkisian said.
Continue reading...
Texas retained its starting left tackle, Trevor Goosby, who came back to school despite being considered one of the best 10 NFL prospects at the position in this cycle by many draft experts. And the Longhorns added Melvin Siani from Wake Forest. There, he was one of the best pass-blocking tackles in the country in 2025. He’ll play right tackle for the Longhorns this year.
“I just think, when you look at Brandon’s measurables and you look at his future in the game, he’s got kind of a guard build,” Sarkisian said Monday after the Longhorns’ first spring practice.
You must be registered for see images attach
Texas Longhorns linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith (26) lifts the trophy with head coach Steve Sarkisianas the Longhorns celebrate after winning the Citrus Bowl 41-27 against the Michigan Wolverines at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 31, 2025. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
A former five-star prospect, Baker performed adequately as a sophomore as part of an offensive line unit that was largely dysfunctional. In his first season as a starter, he allowed a pressure rate of just 4.6%, but didn’t grade out as well as a run blocker.
You must be registered for see images attach
Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) and offensive lineman Brandon Baker after a win against Kentucky on Oct. 18, 2025, at Kroger Field in Lexington. (Icon Sportswire/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
If Baker wins the job at guard for 2026, he’ll be tied with Connor Stroh as the lightest player to start at guard in Sarkisian’s tenure. Baker weighed in at 305 pounds on the spring roster distributed by Texas on Monday, down three pounds from what he measured in at for 2025.
MORE: Jonah Williams dealt injury setback. What it means for Texas baseball, Longhorns football
The average starting Texas guard under Sarkisian has weighed in at just over 325 pounds. Sarkisian indicated that he’d like Baker to add weight, but in the right way.
“Natural weight is important to me,” Sarkisian said. “...One of his strengths is his ability to move and play with great balance and body control. That’s something that I think will benefit him. Now, mass is helpful. But we just want to make sure it’s the right type of mass as his weight goes up.”
MORE: Cam Coleman debuts at first Texas football spring practice with Arch Manning limited
Sarkisian said Texas hoped to deploy Baker at guard last season, but a preseason injury to fellow tackle Andre Cojoe canceled those plans.
Now, Baker will look to help fix what was a disastrous interior offensive line for Texas last season. Interior offensive linemen allowed 78 pressures in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2024, when the Longhorns played three more games, their interior offensive linemen gave up 51 pressures.
In his effort to build a more stable platform in front of Arch Manning for 2026, Sarkisian brought in four fresh offensive linemen from the transfer portal.
Two of them played guard at their last stop. Dylan Sikorski, listed at 6-foot-4, 344 pounds, started six games for Oregon State last year. The season before that, he was playing nose tackle. Western Kentucky guard Laurence Seymore gives the Longhorns a more experienced addition, but Texas is still waiting on an eligibility waiver for him. Sarkisian said Monday that he had no update on the school’s effort to secure another year for Seymore.
Depending on how that endeavor plays out — and on the development of Texas’ younger players at the position — it’s easy to see a world where the Longhorns urgently need Baker to successfully execute this position change.
“I think solidifying ourselves from the inside on that right side of the line with him and (Siani) at right tackle is really beneficial for us long term,” Sarkisian said.
Continue reading...
