Texas Football: 5 New Year's Resolutions for the Longhorns

Just a year into their tenure, the 2015 season is already looking like a make-or-break campaign for Charlie Strong and his staff.

This isn't a season in which Strong could or should be expected to win a ton of games. The Longhorns will lose a lot of experienced talent this offseason, and the cupboard is still bare due to Mack Brown's underwhelming talent aggregation.

However, Strong must get the program moving forward and put performances like the 31-7 loss to Arkansas well behind it.

That starts with the New Year's resolutions of finding a quarterback, establishing an offensive identity, fixing the offensive line and making the most of a significant recruit.

Find a Quarterback

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Redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard should get his chance in 2015.

Texas' first priority for the 2015 season, as it has been basically since 2009, is to find a quarterback who can consistently produce wins.

Despite some promising moments, it looks like Tyrone Swoopes' days of quarterbacking this team have come to an end. Arkansas and TCU both overwhelmed the big sophomore, holding him to 56 percent passing and two total touchdowns against seven turnovers.

Swoopes' mishandling by the previous coaching staff is unfortunate, but Texas must move on or at least make him prove he deserves another chance. In all likelihood, he's going to be beaten out this summer by redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard.

Considered the top dual-threat in the country by 247Sports, there's a lot to like about Heard's physical and intangible abilities. He's a two-time state champion, boasts some ridiculous wheels (all hand-timing caveats apply) and spent last spring working with quarterback guru George Whitfield.

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We'll get our first good look at Heard during the spring game, and the hope is he can run with the starting gig. Otherwise, we may see the staff accelerate recruit Zach Gentry's timeline.

Establish an Offensive Identity

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Running lanes and big completions were tough to come by the Longhorns.

Struggling in nearly every offensive phase of the game, the Longhorns spent the 2014 season without an offensive identity and anything they could lean on when they needed yardage. That needs to change in 2015.

Averaging only 3.8 yards per rush and 6.2 yards per pass, the Longhorns were a bottom-half Big 12 offense in 2014. That might even be putting it lightly for a team that finished ahead of only Kansas in terms of points per game.

In finding a quarterback, the Longhorns must focus on a reliable means of moving the football. It seems like a run-heavy attack with lots of play-action would work with a player like Jerrod Heard, but anything would be better than what we saw this season.

Of course, the Longhorns must be able to block somebody for this to happen.

Fix the Offensive Line

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HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 29: Braylon Mitchell #34 of the Arkansas Razorbacks tackles Malcolm Brown #28 of the Texas Longhorns in the first half of their game at the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium on December 29, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by

Down three starters, Texas' offensive line all but torpedoed whatever success the offense could have had with Tyrone Swoopes at quarterback.

Allowing 28 sacks and blocking for the aforementioned 3.8 yards per carry, the Longhorn offensive line did its raw quarterback zero favors this season. Swoopes had nothing resembling a reliable running game this season, then he scarcely had time to generate big plays downfield.

The good news here is that help should be on the way. Mauler Desmond Harrison should finally be out of the doghouse and bringing some real talent to one of the woeful tackle positions.

Texas also has six offensive line commits for the 2015 class, including stud interior prospect Patrick Vahe and solid JUCO tackle Brandon Hodges. Given the lack of talent outside of right guard Kent Perkins, these two should be starters next season.

Whether that makes a difference remains to be seen, but Texas won't go anywhere until this unit improves.

Make the Most of Malik Jefferson

Forget the 6-7 record, the quarterback troubles and the general sour taste the end of the 2014 season has left behind. This year was a success because the Longhorns landed Malik Jefferson, their most important recruit in five years.

A consensus 5-star prospect by 247Sports, Jefferson is a truly special talent. What the 215-pound linebacker did at The Opening last spring was just absurd. He posted a faster 40 time than any NFL linebacker since 2006, per SB Nation's Jason Kirk.

In Jefferson, the Longhorns have an every-down linebacker with the ability to play in space and thump running backs. With this athleticism, his ceiling sits even higher than All-Big 12 player Jordan Hicks, who had almost 150 tackles in 2014.

More than what Jefferson brings to the field, he's a mover of mountains on the recruiting landscape. His decision immediately brought 4-star athlete DeAndre McNeal into the fold and prompted 5-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack to decommit.

Before signing day, Jefferson's commitment and early enrollment could add as many as five top-tier commits to this class, as explained by Burnt Orange Nation's Wescott Eberts. 

Jefferson's commitment will bring in the talent to revive some championship aspirations, and it's the staff's job to make the most of his impact.

End the Blowouts

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Texas must do a better job of remaining competitive in losses.

It's one thing to lose. It's another to get humiliated—which is what happened to Texas five times this season. It needs to stop.

The blowouts have been the direct result of Texas' offensive issues. The Longhorns proved unable to move the ball, which forced the defense to do far more than it ever should have been required to. In five of their seven losses, the Longhorns were beaten by 20 points or more and put up only 31 points.

It's been an embarrassment, and Strong knows it's unacceptable. After the 31-7 loss to Arkansas, he said:

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The last two games is just so frustrating because you look at the TCU game and you look at this game, that's not an indication of what this football is and what this football team is all about. For that to happen, it's an embarrassment to the program. That should never, ever happen within this program. But we got work to do. We just got to get it done.

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Strong's also been proactive in fixing part of what he perceives to be the problem, axing two staff members before the new year. It should be the first of many changes the head coach makes this offseason.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com.