Texas coach Steve Sarkisian praises improvement of early enrollee freshman skill player

USA Today

21-07-2025

Mixed in the Longhorns No. 1 2025 recruiting class was all-purpose back Michael Terry III. The San Antonio native, who was ESPN's No. 30 prospect in the 2025 cycle, had over 3,000 career all-purpose yards his senior year and was Texas' District 13-5A MVP.
During his time at Alamo Heights, Terry got snaps at wide receiver, running back, and on special teams. Rivals analyst Adam Gorney called him a "jack of all trades."
'If there is a concern it's whether Terry is a jack of all trades and a master of none. I like to think of it the other way, though, that Terry can play anywhere, fix any issue and be a tremendous contributor to the team. Does he lead the Longhorns in one statistical category? Probably not. But he contributes everywhere and his impact is felt in that sense." Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney on Michael Terry III
This week, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian echoed Gorney's assessment and said the coaching staff wants Terry to focus on one position first, then branch out into some of the other things he can do.
"He's a guy who did everything in high school. From wildcat quarterback to running back to receiver to even at times looking like a tight end. So what we've done with Michael here through spring and through summer is let him hone in on one thing." - Steve Sarkisian on Michael Terry III
What position do the Texas coaching staff have the San Antonio native focusing on? Wide receiver.
"We've really got him honed in on receiver right now. And you see real flashes of the physical ability that he has. When you're a jack of all trades, like he was in high school, we're trying to get him to be a master of one first." - Steve Sarkisian on Michael Terry III
Sark says once Terry masters the wide receiver position, then the coaching staff will be let him branch out.
"Once he can master that, or come close to, then we can start to let him begin to spread his wings and do more things for us. Time will tell the impact it will have for us this fall." - Steve Sarkisian on Michael Terry III
The Longhorns coach says Terry is well on his way to mastering his first positional task.
"From where he was Day 1 of spring ball to where he is in the middle of July, this summer, the amount of improvement he's made. I think last Thursday was one of his best days of just being comfortable and playing the position and looking natural to him. He's going to catch on quickly, because he's such a gifted athlete." - Steve Sarkisian on Michael Terry III