Quinn Ewers and Company: Making the Case That Texas Could Be Back (for Real)

On September 4, 2016, we again declared Texas was "back."

The Longhorns conquered Notre Dame in thrilling fashion, winning their season debut by a basketball-esque score of 50-47. The moment itself felt larger than life. The timing and the sheer abundance of touchdowns created a groundswell of reactions.

At long last, Texas wasn't broken. Or so we thought.

The Longhorns lost to Cal a few weeks later, giving up 50 points along the way. They went on to win a total of five games that season, which prompted Charlie Strong's exit.

Since that point, Texas has won 10 games only once. In fact, the Longhorns have enjoyed just one 10-win season in the last 13 years. In that same time, they have delivered four five-win seasons.

In a word, yikes.

As a result, the notion that Texas is "back" has become a punchline. The years of national championships and memories of quarterback Vince Young gliding into the end zone—putting an exclamation point on perhaps the most meaningful moment the sport has ever known—feels like it occurred in a different universe.

In no way should the 2023 Texas team be compared to that one. In fact, let's remove all connections to previous success in Austin entirely. It is unfair discussion meant for midday television shows seemingly constructed to draw audiences and upset viewers.

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Still, despite this very necessary disclaimer and vast silos of results saying that Texas will undoubtedly fail, this team is the closest Texas has felt to "back" without an ounce of irony attached.

The blueprint to sustained football success—something this program has failed to do on a remarkable level—comes down to a few key pillars: Find a quarterback, recruit elite talent and develop enough players to fill the holes left when elite talent departs.

It is that easy, although the implementation is anything but. Georgia, most recently, has found a perfect rhythm. Alabama, of course, started the movement. While it would be reckless to use Texas in the same breath as those two, a similar path is being structured.

At quarterback, Texas has its QB of the now. Quinn Ewers played well in doses last season for the Longhorns. His first half against Alabama felt larger than life. A shoulder injury cut his day short, which is a shame. If healthy, Texas probably wins.

In general, Ewers flashed. He scored 16 touchdowns despite missing time due to injury. He has since shaved his trademark mullet, remade his body and is positioned for a big year. His growth will likely dictate just how much the Longhorns should be able to accomplish, although expectations are understandably high. As they should be.

What makes this Texas team exciting, though, isn't just the quarterback. Even with the loss of Bijan Robinson, one of the best running backs of the past decade, the offense is loaded.

At wide receiver, they are particularly stacked. Xavier Worthy and transfer Adonai Mitchell headline one of the most talented and deepest units in the country.

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A healthy Isaiah Neyor, who was expected to be an enormous factor before blowing out his knee before last season, will also help. Throw in tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, and you have one of the best collections of weapons in the country. There are younger players capable of stepping into the regular rotation as well.

The offensive line will also be an enormous factor, and every key contributor will return. The headliners are Kelvin Banks Jr. and Christian Jones, although they aren't alone. If this group can stay healthy, it will be one of the nation's best.

This, more than anything, should dictate the success of Texas. But the defense, which was second in the Big 12 and top-30 nationally in 2022, should hold its own. Linebacker Jaylan Ford really came on last year, and he'll be a force in the middle.

The defensive line has options. The secondary has pieces. While the hype will be on the other side of the ball, the Longhorns should be excited about this group.

Which gets us to talent. While having a capable quarterback is crucial, the most critical aspect of sustained football excellence is delivering years of successful recruiting excellence.

Under Kirby Smart, one could argue Georgia underperformed in the years following his arrival. Now, the Bulldogs are favorites to win their third consecutive title and the talent is simply overflowing.

Texas isn't there yet. Sustained excellence will take more. But the last two recruiting classes, according to 247Sports, ranked in the top five. This came on the heels of a top-eight class and a top-15 class in the years prior.

This, of course, doesn't guarantee instant success. Just ask Texas A&M, which has outrecruited most of college football since Jimbo Fisher took the job. But adding talent and speed certainly makes it harder to fail, which is a strange way to look at a sport that is defined by success.

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It's not a sure thing, and it never will be, but having an abundance of elite players can make up for a lot.

Such is the issue surrounding Texas, a college football program baked in narrative. To a degree, it has earned it. Despite a wealth of resources, it has endured more than a decade of mediocrity.

As such, the prospects of the program finally turning the right direction is not a popular stance to take...at least not outside of Austin.

To do so, you must remove the narrative entirely while trying to take an honest assessment of a program's standing. You must instead look at the roster—along with head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff—and decide how it all fits together.

You must also look at the path, which feels favorable. The Longhorns travel to Alabama in Week 2, which will be a mammoth early test. Their remaining road games are at Baylor, Houston, TCU and Iowa State. Other notable games include matchups against Oklahoma along with home games against Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech.

As it is, though, the path is ripe for a flirtation with the College Football Playoff. That is not an exaggeration. And if you're a Texas fan who has been waiting for the right time to feel genuine optimism again, this is that time.

If it sounds like this has been said before, that's because it has. The difference is that no Texas team in recent memory has been this well-constructed.

Indeed, Texas must find a way to avoid losses in games it has no business losing. That grotesque football trend is undeniable, and it's been a staple of this prolonged state.

The only way to break free of this reputation is to deliver, but the pieces are in place. And if those pieces can stay healthy and perform as expected, the exhausting and disingenuous calls of Texas being "back" might soon be put to bed for something completely different.