Will Matthews and Malik Muhammad: A leader's rise into Year Three

Will Matthews sits down with Longhorns cornerback Malik Muhammad, one of Texas’ defensive leaders, as he steps into a new role heading into his junior year. He reflects on the offseason grind, the lessons learned from last year’s shortcomings, and how consistency on and off the field has been the key to growth. From embracing leadership as “the defense belongs to him” to sharpening his game with more takeaways and improved tackling, he shares how he’s preparing to set the tone this season. With game one just days away, he talks about silencing doubters, proving himself on the field, and what it means to dominate in “high-class fashion.”

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we're walking up into the season, I mean just
a couple of days away, few days or where. Talk
to me about the off season. How how have you
been chomping at the bit to get back on the field.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
So we we didn't get to our ultimate goal last year,
so there's always a lot to improve on, always more
to do. Uh, always always got to push harder, and
uh that's that. That was the biggest thing for us
in the offseason. Uh, just taking that next step, giving
a little more, doing more around the facility outside, being

(00:35):
con outside of the facility, being consistent on and off
the field. That that was our main focus this offseason.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
That you were walking into your junior year and kind
of definitely been a leader since the time that you've
been here, but this is a whole new role, like
the defense belongs to you. How has it been moving
into that role and kind of seeing the other guys
come around you.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Uh? Since nay one Sark had always told me that that,
Uh when I first got in here and when he
first uh see me step on the field.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
As far as workouts and uh, just playing seven on
seven with the team that he we had a meeting
after my first my first springing, he said that I
I could be uh the face of one of the guys,
uh to lead the defense. So I mean I I
always had that in my mind, but I had to
follow the guys that were here before to step in

(01:27):
that role. I had to see what they were doing,
uh to step in that role.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
As you s continue to step into that role, reports
from camp say that you've been intercepting taking the ball
from the offense and adding that to your game.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
What do you feel like that's gonna mean this year
for you? Uh?

Speaker 2 (01:42):
It it It's gonna mean a lot, especially with Sark
and uh my my, my coach is telling me that
I have to work on my tackling and and and
getting my hands on the ball more this off season
to to make my game complete. And so with that
being said, I I focused on that. Yeah, with all
the other attributes to but those were kind of my

(02:03):
main focus. Is uh going going into spring and and
fall camp.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
And so as we start game one, what's getting you excited?

Speaker 3 (02:12):
What are you excited about?

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Who who's been getting you excited on the team, and
and how excited you for this first game?

Speaker 2 (02:19):
I I always been like a chill, mellow type person.
But uh I, I'm overly excited to to to shut
all the doubters up and prove to myself that that
that i'm uh that I'm the one, and and I
wanna do it in a high class fashion too.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Yeah, what'd that look like? High high class fashion?

Speaker 2 (02:39):
I'll say, winning ninety ninety five percent of my reps
I in the game.

Speaker 3 (02:44):
W I.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
I know I might have a I know I might
lose a a few reps, which that's just that's just football,
that's just the nature of plan playing uh position that
I play. But uh, just winning ninety five percent of
my reps in a and dominating four quarters