Texas TE Jahleel Billingsley serving six-game suspension

Texas Longhorns senior tight end Jahleel Billingsley served the first game of a six-game suspension during the season-opening win against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks on Saturday.

Listed third on the depth chart behind sophomores Ja’Tavion Sanders and Gunnar Helm, the 6’4, 220-pound Billingsley didn’t dress as a result of an issue with the NCAA, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game — it was not an internal suspension and it was not a suspension related to Billingsley’s time at Alabama.

“I’ll say that Jahleel has been a great teammate. He’s worked hard,” Sarkisian said.

A January enrollee who is listed as a senior, Billingsley signed with Alabama in the 2019 recruiting class as a consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 308 player nationally and the No. 11 tight end, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

As a freshman, Billingsley played sparingly with two catches for 19 yards before emerging as a receiving threat in 2020 as a backup to blocking tight end Morris Forristal with 18 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns. In 2021, Cameron Latu passed Billingsley for playing time and played a big role in the passing game, but Billingsley still made an impact in Bill O’Brien’s offense with 17 catches for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Among Billingsley’s 36 appearances for the Crimson Tide, he started five times.

Billingsley will be eligible to debut for Texas in the Oct. 15 game against Iowa State in Austin.