Ryan Niblett. Remember the name. If you don’t now, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian believes you may soon.
During his Thursday press conference, Sarkisian specifically called out Niblett for his emergence as a weapon for the Longhorns on both special teams and the offensive sets in which he takes part. The reason? World class speed.
Sarkisian says Ryan Niblett has become a weapon on offense and special teams.
Says Niblett hit over 22 mph in game speed on Saturday against Colorado State.
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) September 5, 2024
Wait, 22 miles-per-hour!?! For comparison, the fastest time ever recorded for a 100-yard dash was 23.35 miles-per-hour by Usain Bolt during the 2009 World Championships. Niblett, a teenager wearing football pads, clocked in within one mile per hour of that record speed?
Obviously, Texas has to find more ways to get this kid the ball. Yes, the Longhorns depth at wide receiver is remarkable, with three stars who transferred in who would otherwise have been their team’s No. 1 option (Isaiah Bond from Alabama, Matthew Golden from Houston and Silas Bolden from Oregon State). Yes, redshirt freshman Johntay Cook and true freshman Ryan Wingo look fantastic. There are weapons everywhere.
Still, when you have Usain Bolt on the wing, it’s time to dial up some reverses or straight up out routes to try to help quarterback Quinn Ewers get him the ball.
When Niblett does score on a play like that, don’t say Coach Sark didn’t warn everyone.
