When CJ Baxter was lost for the season with a knee injury, Texas fans knew they would have to get creative to replace his production. Given Steve Sarkisian's history as an outside the box offensive thinker, perhaps everyone should have been ready for the Longhorns to try some different looks in their first offensive scrimmage of the preseason.
For those looks to include a linebacker toting the ball? That's, well, that's different all right.
Texas linebacker Derion Gullette received reps at running back today. VERY interesting 🤔
— OnTexasFootball (@ontexasfootball) August 10, 2024
The defensive-turned-offensive player in question (as noted in the Tweet above from OnTexasFootball) is Texas redshirt freshman linebacker Derion Gullette, a second-year contributor who arrived in Austin from Marlin (Texas) via Teague (Texas). While Gullette was recruited s a linebacker and spent his first season preparing to play that position, he was a two-way starter in high school.
Despite that versatility, Gullette wasn't a running back, in any primary sense. The star was named a co-MVP of his district following his junior season because of his exploits as a wide receiver at Marlin.
Now, he's apparently getting a look at running back, in part because of his exceptional strength and athleticism; in addition to football, Gullette was a basketball and track star, and posted a 43-0 shot put distance as a high school sophomore.
Will the position switch stick? With Sarkisian calling the shots, who could possibly guess.
