Texas Longhorns' Jahleel Billingsley suspended, won't play vs. Alabama football
Alabama football won’t get to see Jahleel Billingsley in Week 2 after all.
The former Crimson Tide tight end is in the middle of serving a six-game suspension, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian announced Saturday after the Longhorns’ win over Louisiana Monroe.
Sarkisian said it’s not for anything that occurred during Billingsley’s time at Texas but at his previous stop, Alabama.
Billingsley transferred to Texas (1-0) in the offseason.
“He’s in the process of that (suspension),” Sarkisian said. “He’s got five more games to go. We’ll get him back for Big 12 play.”
While Alabama (1-0) won’t get to face its former tight end when the two teams face off at 11 a.m. on Saturday in Austin, Texas, there will be another recent member of the Crimson Tide who is expected to be available to play.
Receiver Agiye Hall.
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Hall, a second-year player, was reinstated from a suspension for the first game of the season. He had been serving an indefinite suspension after he was arrested in August on a criminal mischief charge.
“Agiye Hall is back with the team, which we’re excited to have,” Sarkisian said. “It’s great to have him back and going with us and having him be part of our program. Proud of the work that he did to get himself back.”
Hall also transferred to Texas in the offseason.
Both drew Nick Saban’s ire at different points in 2021 before their transfer to Texas. Hall was suspended in the spring for a violation of team rules.
"Everybody has a responsibility and an obligation to respect the principles and values and do what they need to do,” Saban said, when announcing Hall’s suspension in April. “They're all there to help them be more successful. To respect those and do those is always really helpful."
Hall entered his name in the transfer portal shortly after. During the 2021 season, Hall didn’t see much playing time, with 78 total snaps, per Pro Football Focus. After the Mississippi State game, Hall tweeted “Yeah nah, calling it quits” before he later deleted it. He wasn’t in uniform before the Tennessee game.
Billingsley had a bumpy start to last season. When asked whether Billingsley had worked his way back up the depth chart, Saban sent a stern message.
"That's up to him," Saban said in August 2021. "That's not up to me. He knows what he is supposed to do in practice. He knows what he is supposed to do. This is not a democracy. Everybody doesn't get to do what they want to do. Everybody doesn't get to do what they feel like doing. You've got to buy in and do what you're supposed to do to be a part of the team and do the things you need to do in practice every day."
Billingsley didn’t start in the opener against Miami, but he went on to see fairly regular playing time. Billingsley finished the season with 17 receptions for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama-Texas football: Jahleel Billingsley suspended; Agiye Hall to play
