Vahe paving way on O-line
Seasoned veteran stepping up under new position coach
AUSTIN — Patrick Vahe spent the 2017 season flanked by uncertainty.
One by one, to his left and right, linemen kept dropping. Elijah Rodriguez didn’t make it past the second week of August. AllAmerican left tackle Connor Williams made it to Week 3 before incurring a severe knee injury in the first half against Southern Cal. There was no reprieve.
Week after week, as the injures mounted, the only constant was Vahe — but even he didn’t escape unscathed. A sprained MCL kept Vahe sidelined for the regularseason finale against Texas Tech, snapping his streak of 13 consecutive starts at left guard.
Despite the blip, Vahe recovered to start in the Texas Bowl, making him the only Texas offensive lineman to start at least 12 games. Then the offseason arrived, and with it, even more change.
Word leaked in early January that Texas coach Tom Herman was eyeing Auburn offensive line coach Herb Hand for the same position with UT. On Jan. 17, it became official: Vahe would soon be introduced to his fourth position coach in four years.
“I think it can be an issue because of personality and system, more than anything,” Hand said of the turnover throughout Vahe’s career. “What I did coming in is I learned their language, for the most part. There are a couple little things that we have tweaked, but the majority of it, 95 percent of it, I wanted to be consistent so that it wasn’t another first year with a guy. It’s really Year 2 in the same system.”
Vahe hasn’t complained. He controls what he can and leaves the rest to those cashing checks.
After starting 31 games over three often-turbulent seasons, Vahe is this group’s undisputed leader, both physically and spiritually. He’s weathered staff firings, a pair of 5-7 seasons, and the departures of some of his closest friends.
He was thrown headfirst into the fire as a true freshman, starting the first 10 games at right guard before a knee injury ended his season. The next year, a midseason benching sent Vahe off to do some soul-searching; he reclaimed the job for the season’s final two games and has held a vicelike grip on it ever since.
“It makes me more grateful for the game of football, knowing that it’s my last time putting on burnt orange and going out in front of the crowd in Austin,” Vahe said. “I’m just taking it all in right now.”
Hand recruited Vahe out of high school, and though he obviously didn’t land the former Euless Trinity star, the pre-existing relationship has helped both men acclimate. The new coach has leaned on the seasoned senior to motivate those who will start beside him and guide promising newcomers, like freshman Junior Angilau.
Even with battles being waged for starting spots at left and right tackle, Vahe has kept the intensity from boiling over into actual turmoil. Critiques are as welcome as
compliments, and both fly during practice and film sessions.
“We have a lot of guys with a lot of experience, so we’re having the older guys teach the young guys exactly what to do,” Vahe said. “That’s chemistry building right there. We built our unit based on trust. I’m trusting the guy behind me to do their job, and I’m expecting everyone else to keep me accountable. Everybody’s words matter.”
His matter more than most on this team, certainly more than any other offensive lineman.
Vahe is more than a knowledgeable overseer, though. In July, the 6-3, 325-pounder was named to the Outland Trophy watch list, given annually to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman, and a resurgent year from the UT line could position him to be a 2019 NFL draft pick.
“His size and strength are elite,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “He’s got great feet. And he’s a great leader; he’s a great kid. ”