AUSTIN - Texas didn’t set out to build Michael Terry III into a running back. The Longhorns originally saw the sophomore as a wide receiver, maybe even an H-back, and that was the plan for most of his first year on campus.
That makes his turn into one of Texas’ more useful backfield pieces all the more unusual.
Terry arrived as the nation’s consensus No. 1 athlete in the 2025 recruiting class out of San Antonio Alamo Heights, and his high school résumé gave the staff plenty to sort through. He lined up at wildcat quarterback, running back, wide receiver and even chipped in on defense. At 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, he was a tough fit for any one spot - too big for a modern receiver in some minds, yet not quite the obvious answer at running back or H-back either.
“He was an athlete by label, right, and so you try to figure out, okay, where’s the best way for this guy to have success? And looking at his body and his structure and his skill set, we initially thought wide receiver, maybe even an H-back, might be the best place for him to go,” Sarkisian said.
So Texas let him settle in at receiver through spring ball, summer work and preseason camp. Then the backfield issues hit.
The Longhorns were dealing with injuries at running back, and they also lost their biggest-bodied back when Jerrick Gibson left the program before the Kentucky game to preserve his redshirt ahead of the NCAA transfer portal. Texas needed someone to handle scout-team duty and mimic Kentucky’s Seth McGowan, a 223-pound runner, along with backup Dante Dowdell, who checks in at 6-foot-2 and 227 pounds.
Terry got the job because Texas needed the body. What happened next changed his path.
Early that week, the defensive staff told Sarkisian to take a look at the tape because the scout-team back was bothering the first-unit defense. Once Sarkisian watched it himself, the switch became real, and Terry moved to running back in what the coach called a “really challenging” change in the middle of the season.
“Not so much physically, but mentally,” Sarkisian said. “You’re learning the offense as a receiver, and now all of a sudden you’re going back to running back, and you’re trying to learn protections, you’re trying to learn run-blocking schemes, you’re trying to learn the nuances of the fundamentals, the techniques at the position.”
He had never been a full-time running back before, but he kept grinding through the move, and that work continued into the offseason. Terry could have looked for an easier lane, especially after Texas added two top-tier backs from the portal and signed Florida’s Derrek Cooper, the No. 7 ball carrier in the 2026 class. Instead, he stayed put and kept competing for a spot as the fourth-team back.
“I’m really proud of Michael because it could have been easy at the end of the year to jump in the portal like a lot of other guys do, and hey, I want to go be this or be that or go somewhere, and this guy just stayed to the grind and stayed working,” Sarkisian said.
New running backs coach Jabbar Juluke has also been working with Terry to sharpen the details of the position. Terry is up to 229 pounds now, and his role has grown slowly.
He logged 10 total carries in late non-conference games against the Bobcats and the Roadrunners, including seven rushes for 39 yards against UTSA. In that game, Pro Football Focus credited him with four forced missed tackles and 31 yards after contact.
Once conference play opened, his usage stayed limited at first. He played one snap against Tennessee and two against Florida, mostly in a 31 personnel short-yardage package.
Then injuries opened the door again.
Senior running back Hollywood Smothers missed the Ole Miss game with a shoulder injury, and Cooper was limited to three snaps. Terry stepped into a much bigger role and made it count, carrying eight times for 41 yards and scoring his first career touchdown. He had two runs of 10 or more yards, and his longest play so far - a 19-yard burst to the goal line - set up Arch Manning’s go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Terry’s 41 yards included 15 after contact, a reflection of a runner who hits his crease with purpose and is hard to stop once he gets rolling. He also showed he can handle at least part of the pass-protection load, giving up one quarterback hurry in four snaps while also posting a strong rep. His size and mass give Texas something workable there, too.
“What a debut for Michael Terry to really play significant snaps at running back. I thought he played a heck of a game, was impactful in the game, not only in short-yardage and third-down situations, but obviously when he had some opportunities to carry the ball on first, second down,” Sarkisian said.
With no clear timetable on Smothers and Cooper still not fully healthy after getting hurt on his first collegiate snap, Texas is likely to keep leaning on whatever depth it has. Five regular-season games remain in the eight-game stretch to finish the season, and Terry now looks like part of that answer.
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