Texas Longhorns Football: Offseason To-Do List for the Horns

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With recruiting season safely over with for the upcoming year and another top-five class coming to campus, Mack Brown and the Longhorns can now turn their complete attention to what they need to do to win more games next season.

A bowl victory and an 8-5 finish is definitely an improvement over going 5-7 the prior year, but there is still lots of work that needs to be done if the Longhorns want to be back in the BCS and national title discussion.

Here's a look at a few things the Longhorns need to focus on this offseason.

Decide on a Quarterback

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This is definitely at the top of the Longhorns' list.

Texas spent most of last season experimenting with this, seesawing quarterbacks in and out of games, but neither Case McCoy or David Ash stood out as a great leader under center.

Ash did a good job finishing the season off with a victory against Cal in the Holiday Bowl, but he still has to show a lot of improvement if he wants to be the leader of the team all of next season.

With the defense being the best in the Big 12 last year and likely to be just as strong in 2012, the offense needs to improve if they want to be more competitive.

Even with a strong running game and a formidable passing attack, good quarterback play is crucial to getting victories.

The Longhorns needs to make sure they know who they can count on next season.

Evaluate the Recruits and Stir Up Competition

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If you want to get the most out of your players and always have them playing at their best, let them know that every position is up for grabs.

Sure, a lot of the incoming recruits will redshirt and aren't ready to be playing college ball, but there are also a handful of players that can make an immediate impact.

Let Case McCoy and David Ash know that Conner Brewer isn't a joke, and that neither one of them will just be handed the starting job for the entire season.

Let Malcolm Brown show the other defensive tackles on the team his superb talents and how he can potentially contribute right away.

Let Johnathan Gray go out there and show the other running backs on the team why he was the two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year.

No matter how you frame it at any position or with any player, be it a freshman or a senior, keeping all positions open for grabs will only make the team better.

This is the mentality that the Longhorns should enter spring practice with. Even putting the new recruits aside, if the players who earn a starting spot on a team know that it can be taken from them at any time they will always play with an extra step in them.

Decide on a Kicker

With the departure of four-year starter Justin Tucker, the Longhorns are left with a fresh group of kickers, none of which really have much experience at the collegiate level.

Incoming freshman Nick Jordan will compete with William Russ and walk-on Ben Pruitt to decide who will get to make the kicks for the Longhorns next season.

We have to look no further than some of last season's major bowl games (for example, the Michigan State, Stanford and Michigan games) to see the difference kicking can make in a game, even from a punting and field-position perspective.

The Longhorns have to find a reliable kicker if they want to win some of the close games they are bound to have next season. 

Stay Healthy

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This is more prevention than action, but considering the number of crucial injuries the Longhorns sustained last season, it's a big point.

With no true passing game, the Longhorns relied heavily on their running game to plow them down the field to score points.

At some points in the season, such as when the Longhorns combined for over 400 yards rushing against Kansas, it worked.

However, at other points, such as when Fozzy Whittaker was gone for the season and neither Joe Bergeron or Malcolm Brown could play against Baylor, the Longhorns struggled to move the ball and lost the game.

With incoming phenom Johnathan Gray and a backfield already filled with Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron, the Longhorns are likely to rely heavily once again on that rushing attack.

If they want to sustain this style of offense though, the Longhorns have to make sure they come into the season as healthy as possible.