Since Monday, the Omni Hotel in Dallas has been the center of the Southeastern Conference’s universe.

Football players and coaches from LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt kicked off SEC media days on Monday. Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee were featured a day later.

On Wednesday, it's Texas’ turn in the spotlight. Just two weeks after it officially joined the SEC, Texas will be represented at media days by head coach Steve Sarkisian, quarterback Quinn Ewers, defensive back Jahdae Barron and left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. Alabama, Florida and Mississippi State also will meet with the media.

"It's going to be exciting just to see new coaches, new players that I kind of know from social media and things like that," Barron said. "But it's going to be a cool experience, just to kind of connect with the new conference we're in."

Paying homage to a Texas legend

Speaking of things that are new, Barron will wear a new jersey number this season. After four years wearing No. 23, Barron has switched to No. 7.

He originally chose 23 as a way to honor his late friend, Tardrick Fowler, who died in 2020. But a reflective Barron recently said that, "I've done a lot in that number to represent him. He's still with me, no doubt, but it was time to live on my legacy because obviously it's my last year here in burnt orange and so I want to kind of live it out and do it the right way."

For Barron, the right way meant to acknowledge a legendary Longhorn. In an offseason video announcing his decision to return to Texas for a fifth season, Barron was greeted by former UT defensive back Michael Huff at the team facility. Barron was then handed a No. 7 jersey by Huff, a two-time All-American and four-year starter who wore that number from 2002-05.

Huff was the first Longhorn to win the Thorpe Award, which has been given annually to the nation's top defensive back since 1986. In his final game at Texas, he earned defensive MVP honors in the BCS championship game win over USC. He's on the ballot for enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame.

'He's just the perfect guy to wear seven'

Texas has not retired Huff's number. In fact, 15 Longhorns have worn No. 7 since Huff was taken with the seventh overall pick of the 2006 NFL draft. Seven of those 15 No. 7's were defensive backs.

So, No. 7 was readily available. But that doesn't mean that Barron just took it.

"It was more of a mutual thing," Huff recalled. "Because just for me, just honestly, that No. 7 means a lot to me and I prefer to see it on the field, running around, making plays every Saturday as opposed to on the sidelines with me. We kind of sat down and talked one day and the idea kind of came up. (I said) if Sark will let you do it, I'm all for it."

Huff works at Texas as an assistant director of player development, so he has known Barron since he arrived at Texas in 2020 as a four-star recruit out of nearby Connally High School. Barron refers to Huff as a "big brother." Huff said their relationship has organically grown over the years, and Barron will sometimes stop by the DBU elder's home to play with his daughters and eat home-cooked meals cooked.

When asked if he sees parts of himself in Barron's game, Huff pointed to the 5-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back's versatility. Barron has earned starts at nickelback, safety and cornerback during his time as Texas.

"He can play corner, nickel, safety, dime, the same way I could," said Huff, who also lauded Barron's leadership qualities. "He's just the perfect guy to wear seven."

Goals to go: make No. 7 his own

Barron was a Thorpe semifinalist last season and a second-team honoree on the All-Big 12 team, although that latter decision by the league's coaches led Sarkisian to rebuke that "I don’t quite understand why Jahdae Barron wasn’t a first-team all-conference player." Barron has recorded 160 tackles, three interceptions and 16 pass deflections in his career. He also has scored three non-offensive touchdowns — a blocked punt return, a pick-six and a fumble recovery.

As a returning starter on a Texas team that reached the College Football Playoff in 2023, Barron enters this fall with plenty of goals. First and foremost? "I most definitely want to leave winning a natty," he said.

Barron also wants to join Huff and Aaron Ross as UT's Thorpe winners. He aspires to become an All-American. And finally, he doesn't want to be seen as someone wearing Huff's old number. He wants to make that number his own.

"I have to live up to the standard that he set in the number, but I have to go better and beyond," Barron said. "I have to reach limits and do things that he didn't do. He did so much, so obviously it's going to be hard, but I'm up for the challenge. That's why you come to Texas, to live up to big challenges like this."

Barron doesn't lack confidence. So if he's able to accomplish those personal goals, he'll let Huff know about it. And the OG is ready.

"He came in his freshman year (saying), 'I'm going to break all your records, I'm going to win a Thorpe, I'm going to do everything you did, but on another level,'" Huff said. "If we got here two, three, four years later and he wasn't still talking the same way, I'd think something was wrong. That's just him, and that's what I love about him. That shows his mentality, and that's what makes him a great DB on the field and off the field being a leader."

SEC media days

This year's SEC media days started Monday and end Thursday. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, quarterback Quinn Ewers, left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and defensive back Jahdae Barron will speak on Wednesday along with Alabama, Florida and Mississippi State. Follow our live coverage from Dallas on hookem.com.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas' Jahdae Barron out to share more than just Michael Huff's No. 7