Goosby steps in, earns team’s trust

Thomas Jones

Austin American-Statesman USA TODAY NETWORK

LONGHORNS FOOTBALL

Before the season began, Trevor Goosby didn’t draw much attention from Texas football fans.

And why would he? A long, lean athlete who played multiple sports at Melissa High School north of Dallas, the 6foot-7, 315-pound redshirt freshman offensive tackle wasn’t expected to see much, if any, playing time on one of the nation’s most experienced offensive lines.

With Texas just two wins away from playing for a national championship, however, it’s hard to ignore how much Goosby’s stock has risen. Right tackle Cam Williams will probably miss Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Arizona State with a knee injury, which means Goosby would draw his second career start at the most pressure-packed time.

But Goosby already filled in for Williams for most of the first-round CFP win over Clemson and replaced the injured Kelvin Banks Jr. at left tackle in the win over Texas A&M a month ago as well as in the SEC championship game against Georgia. He’s gained his coaches’ trust, Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood said during a Zoom meeting with the media Saturday. And he’s earned the respect of his teammates.

“He’s definitely proved that over the past few weeks that he’s more than capable of coming in at any moment in time and being able to go play ball,” Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers said. “I’m just super proud of the way that he’s carried himself and prepared himself to be able to do that throughout this year.

“Going into the season, you’ve got two really good tackles (Banks and Williams). He’s probably thinking he’s not going to get much playing time this year. And then for him to be able to kind of flip that switch late in the season, it’s been really cool.”

Goosby seems cool under pressure, regardless of the circumstances. In the first half against A&M, he stepped in for Banks and didn’t give up a sack against the Aggies’ array of NFL-level edge rushers. He earned a pass-blocking grade of 87.1 from Pro Football Focus, which led all Longhorns in the game. Against Clemson, he replaced Williams in the first half and drew praise for his ability to play at either tackle spot.

But that versatility is by design. Flood said Texas cross-trains its linemen to bolster depth and limit the impact of any injuries.

“Trevor has been playing both sides the entire season,” Flood said. “Some weeks he would play one side; some weeks he might play the other. He’s had to be trained like that, so I think it’s a testament to him to be able to do it and to play at the level that he did.”

Banks, a consensus All-American and projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, credits Goosby for “being a sponge” when it comes to learning the responsibilities of playing either tackle in Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s offense.

“He soaks in everything you’re telling him,” Banks said. “And he’s not too big for criticism or too big to be taught anything.”

Senior Jake Majors, the patriarch of the offensive line who will start a school-record 56th game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, says Goosby shows his growth as a player even during the tense moments in the middle of a game.

“He’s always wanted to keep learning,” Majors said. “He asks great questions to Kelvin and Cam. And whenever he asks a question and he gets the answer, he applies it to the field immediately. That’s very unique to do that at such a fast pace.”

Ewers has enough trust in Goosby to treat the redshirt freshman like Banks or any other veteran when it comes to making audibles or pointing out assignments. But he also knows Goosby is a young player with a bright future who still needs the proverbial pat on the shoulder pads.

“I think what helps him the most, and what I’ve noticed is just the smaller things, whether that could be as simple as a high-five or knuckle-bump and just telling him, ‘Hey, you’re doing a heck of a job out there,’” Ewers said. “And I think that goes a lot of a long way for young guys. I know for sure when I was young that would help me a whole lot if an older guy, a leader of the team, came up to me and just told me I was doing a good job.”