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With Senior Night looming for the Texas Longhorns next Saturday against the Iowa State Cyclones, the school released the list of the 26 players who will be recognized before playing their final game in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Two notable names were not on the list — wide receiver John Burt and defensive lineman Jamari Chisholm. On Monday, head coach Tom Herman said that the intention is to redshirt both of those players, as Burt has only appeared in two games this season and Chisholm has appeared in one. That means that Burt could play in two more games and Chisholm could play in three more games without losing a season of eligibility thanks to new NCAA rules put in place before this season.
Burt, a 6’3, 195-pounder from Florida, has been a big-play threat at times during his Texas career, as he’s averaged 14.6 yards per catch on his 55 receptions for 844 yards. As a freshman, his longest catch went for 84 yards. As a sophomore, he caught a 72-yard pass. And last season, he had a 90-yard catch, the longest play of the season for the Longhorns.
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This season, however, a foot injury during fall camp resulted in a longer-than-expected setback and he’s been on the redshirt track ever since.
With the possibility that junior Collin Johnson could forego his final season of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft, Burt could compete for playing time at the X position next season, as well as the Z position he’s been competing at when healthy in 2018.
Chisholm was a late addition to the 2017 recruiting class and will provide valuable, experienced depth next season following the departures of all three starting defensive linemen. The 6’4, 300-pounder played in 10 games last season, recording three tackles, one tackle for loss, and a quarterback hurry. In his season debut this year, Chisholm recorded a tackle against West Virginia.
And a year after a handful of redshirt juniors opted to give up their final seasons of eligibility, including starting right guard Jake McMillon, Herman said that he’s not aware of any players who will opt to do the same this season. However, junior linebacker Cameron Townsend was listed among those who will receive recognition on Saturday.