Texas is… back? The words that ring in the ears and hearts of every Texas fan. The words that remind Texas fans how bad they’ve been since they lost to Alabama in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.
Texas’s last National Championship appearance was against Alabama in 2009 when they lost 37-21. But last year’s 34-24 win in Tuscaloosa finally confirmed that Texas was, indeed, back.
2023 Texas Recap
The 2023 Texas Longhorns surpassed the expectations of many. The Longhorns went 11-1 during the regular season, with their lone loss coming at the hands of their dreaded rival, the Oklahoma Sooners, in the Red River Showdown. Despite this loss, the Longhorns would run the table and rout the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Phillips Big 12 Championship Game by a score of 49-21.
In the final year of the 4-team College Football Playoff format, Texas would make its long-awaited first appearance as the 3-seed. Facing off against an undefeated PAC-12 champion in the Washington Huskies and Heisman Trophy Finalist Michael Penix Jr., Texas would lose a close game 37-31 and come as close as having the game-winning ball batted down in the endzone as time expired.
High Expectations For 2024
2024, however, is a new season with new expectations. Many media outlets have Texas in their preseason top 5. Texas has not been a preseason top 5 team since 2010.
Texas is also considered the second best team in the SEC, landing only behind the SEC Powerhouse and former Back-to-Back National Champion Georgia Bulldogs. Adding more juice to the burger, the Bulldogs travel to Austin to face the Longhorns on 10/19, just one week after Texas takes on Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown.
Texas Returning Ewers, Increasing Role for Manning
Texas is, after all, returning one of the best QBs in the country in Quinn Ewers. Ewers, a preseason Heisman favorite, is coming off his best season at Texas. In his sophomore season, Ewers threw for 3,479 Yards, 22 TDs, 6 INTs and posted a 78.3 QBR. Ewers showed improvements in nearly every statistical category from his first season at Texas in 2022 to his second season in 2023.
Now that Ewers has had two seasons to learn Texas HC Steve Sarkisian’s system/schemes, Ewers should be posed to make another big jump in his 3rd year as Texas’s starting QB. Not to mention Arch Manning is looming in the background as Ewer’s backup with the departure of Maalik Murphy. If that doesn’t add more fuel to the fire for Ewers, I am not sure what will.
I know a lot of Texas fans do not want to see another year of Arch Manning playing the role of backup. But just imagine what another year of development behind Ewers, a former #1 overall HS prospect, will do for Arch. Arch can come in as Texas’s full-time starter next year, assuming Ewers leaves for the NFL draft, and be a better version of what he is now.
It is also worth mentioning that Ewers has been injured in both of his seasons at Texas, missing multiple games both years. Therefore, the chance that Arch will see the field this year in a larger role is strong. And any time Ewers misses will be a good opportunity for Arch to takeover as QB1 in a limited capacity before taking over as the guy full-time.
Players Lost To The Draft
Texas will enter their first year as an SEC school with a much different team than they had last year. The Longhorns, unfortunately, lost key pieces from last year’s team to the NFL Draft. Xavier Worthy, Jonathon Brooks, Adonai Mitchell, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Christian Jones, Keilan Robinson and Jordan Whittington were all key contributors on offense that Sark and Co. had to replace. Texas also lost DTs Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat (Big 12 DPOY) as well as CB Ryan Watts to the draft.
Replacing Worthy, Mitchell, Sanders, Whittington and Brooks will be tough. All of them were in the top 5 for Texas last year in receiving yards, led by Worthy. Brooks was also Texas’s leading rusher last year, despite tearing his ACL against TCU on November 11th. Defensively, Murphy II and Sweat anchored Texas’s D-Line last year, which was one of the best in the country.
New Additions/Returning Pieces
Steve Sarkisian wasted no time hitting the transfer portal after losing to Washington in the CFP Semifinal. Replacing the likes of Worthy and Mitchell, Texas added receivers Isaiah Bond (Alabama), Matthew Golden (Houston), Silas Bolden (Oregon State) and 5-Star Recruit Ryan Wingo to the mix. To replace Sanders, Texas also stole TE Amari Niblack from Alabama.
Texas will replace Brooks and Robinson with two guys that were on their roster last year and saw increased time after Brooks’ injury with CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue.
Baxter and Blue each ran for over 100 yards in a single game after Brooks’ injury. And with Texas returning four starters from last year’s OL, both RBs should be set up for success and able to pick up where Brooks left off.
Looking Ahead
Expectations for Texas Longhorns Football haven’t been this high in a while. And the hype could not come at a better time.
Not only is Texas joining the SEC, the strongest conference in College Football, but they’re also renewing rivalries with the likes of Texas A&M and Arkansas, and hopefully igniting new ones.
Texas bolsters one of the best rosters in the country, has one of the best/most innovative offensive minds in HC Steve Sarkisian and a Heisman favorite in Quinn Ewers. Not to mention, in the day and age of NIL, Texas offers what few schools can compete with.
Texas opens their 2024 football season on August 31st at home against Colorado State before heading to Ann Arbor for a matchup against the defending National Champion and new-look Michigan Wolverines. Michigan may not be as dynamic as they were last year, but they’re still the defending champions and a good test for a Texas team eager to get back on the mountaintop.
