Against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, Texas Longhorns sophomore safety Jelani McDonald made his first career start and was rewarded for his outstanding performance.

In an interview with the media on Monday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian gave McDonald high marks and discussed the unusual path he has taken to reach his current position.

I still believe Jelani has his best football left in him, Sarkisian remarked. “This person in high school comes to mind. He played quarterback in high school and occasionally switched to defense when needed.

He was an offensive player, and his athleticism was evident. We then inquired about his father, who was a standout tackler in TCU football history. It’s in there, somewhere in there, we decided.

We also had no idea how his body would change once we acquired him. After playing outside linebacker one day, he switched to cornerback the next, then to nickel, and finally to safety.

We were just kind of trying to figure out what he could be all the while he had an impact on special teams as we were going and so when kind of finally found a home for him at safety this spring, you can see a lot of growth in his play.

McDonald recorded a career-high seven total tackles (five solo) in the victory.

Getting to play with Andrew Mukuba and Michael Taaffe will be crucial to McDonald’s growth, Sarkisian continued.

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