Now in his fifth season in the Texas football program, Jake Majors is finally the center of attention.

Well, kind of. There’s only so much notoriety that a center can get, even if you’re one of the best players at your position in the nation. And the veteran offensive lineman wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s really just about how we perform as a group,” said Majors, a four-year starter and the team’s iron man inside. “I've been here for so long and I take pride in anchoring this O-line. The (coaches) have trusted me with that role, so I'm super excited and just looking forward to building the team chemistry in the O-line group. I take on that responsibility with pride, and I don't take it lightly.”

Jake Majors: 41 starts and counting

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian calls Majors “one of the veteran leaders on the team.". As a freshman in 2020, he seized the starting job late in the season and has been a mainstay in the lineup ever since, with 41 consecutive starts.

Despite opening holes for former All-American running backs Bijan Robinson and Jonathon Brooks and protecting current all-conference quarterback Quinn Ewers, Majors hasn’t received anything more than an all-conference honorable mention nod (last year).

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Not that the lack of flowers means anything.

“I feel like in our program, Jake is definitely not overlooked,” said All-American left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., a likely first-round NFL draft pick in 2025. “But if I was to go in the outside world, I couldn't say, I'm not really too much in the social-media aspect. But in my eyes, I feel like Jake is the best center I could ask for. In my eyes, he's not overlooked at all.”

Conner, Banks: Majors brings the juice

Whether the 6-foot-3, 315-pounder cares or not, Majors is finally getting some love this preseason. He recently earned a spot on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which gets doled out to the best center in the nation. He’s one of 15 Longhorns who's been invited to the 2025 East West Shrine Bowl as a prospective draft pick, and he picked up a third-team nod on the coaches’ All-SEC preseason team.

All of which comes with a shrug from Majors, 22, who graduated from the McCombs School of Business in May and will spend his first semester of graduate school as the anchor of a veteran line. Texas welcomes back four starters from last season, with right tackle Cam Williams the only new face. Left guard Hayden Conner, who has started each of the 27 games over the past two seasons alongside Majors, says Majors has earned his status as the group’s leader, on and off the field.

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“Jake always brings the juice,” Conner said. “He has this saying that he loves. It goes, ‘If you’re juiceless, you're useless.’ He says that every day. He's always got energy, and he’s one of the smartest dudes on the team, for sure. He’s a guy you can always count on.”

UT defensive tackle Vernon Broughton, one of five players still on the roster from Majors’ freshman season, has gone against the center in practice as much as any other player on the team.

“What makes him effective is his willingness to work and his work ethic,” Broughton said. “Every day, he comes with that energy. Going against him, we know we have to bring that same energy.”

That energy also crackles away from football, Banks said.

“Jake brings so much to the field and locker room as far as his leadership, knowing where guys have to be, helping them out when they mess up and trying to help fix mistakes," Banks said. "In the locker room and even off the field, he makes sure guys are together and always makes sure we talk. When we'll be just sitting around and not talking, he'll just start up conversations and try to get guys to just talk to each other."

Jake Majors: More ‘left in tank’ for 2024

Majors, from the distant Dallas suburb of Prosper, brings more than good vibes to the offensive line. He’s an effective run blocker despite often matching up with behemoths that outweigh him by 30 or 40 pounds, but he shines in interior pass protection. The former tackle in high school earned a pass-protection grade of 84.4 from Pro Football Focus, which was the third-highest among any center in a Power Five conference. He gave up only one sack in 1,383 passing snaps, according to PFF.

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But winning football games and contending for a national championship matter more to Majors than any blocking grade, especially for the No. 4 Longhorns, in the preseason top five for the first time since they entered the 2009 season at No. 2.

“Whenever I first committed here, I told myself I wanted to make Texas better than what it was whenever I got here,” Majors said. “I feel like I've done that, but I'm not done. I feel like there's a lot more left in the tank, and I feel like the best memories are ahead, so I'm looking forward to it.”

Saturday's opener

Colorado State at No. 4 Texas, 2:30 p.m., ESPN, 1300

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas OL Jake Majors readies for final Longhorns season