Texas Football: The Biggest Offseason Storylines for the Longhorns

2014 was an intense year for the Texas football program. The Longhorns hired a new head coach and replaced almost every assistant coach, dismissed nine players from the program and underwent the second losing season in the last 16 years.

Change is often followed by rough times, which is exactly what the Longhorns endured in 2014.

Texas ended year one of the Charlie Strong era with a 31-7 loss to Arkansas in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl, and the Longhorns finished with a 6-7 record.

Even though the loss stung Texas fans, the future appears to be bright with Strong at the helm, and his recent recruiting success proves it.

National Signing Day

One could argue a team that struggles on the field will also struggle in recruiting. That is simply not the case for the Texas Longhorns.

The 2015 recruiting class will be the first true class Strong will sign as the head coach of Texas. And this class has the chance to be a big one for the head coach.

Strong has received the verbal commitments of 5-star linebacker Malik Jefferson, 4-star defensive backs Davante Davis and Tim Irvin, 4-star linebackers Cecil Cherry and Anthony Wheeler, 4-star tight end Devonaire Clarington and 3-star wide receiver Gilbert Johnson over the last month.

A handful of prospects will take official visits to Texas in January, including 4-star quarterback Kai Locksley.

It will be interesting to see if the Longhorns can land more talent for the 2015 signing class leading up to national signing day.

Coaching Changes

Strong knew something needed to change following the 6-7 season. And he took action into his own hands.

The head coach released first-year wide receivers coach Les Koenning and 17-year tight ends coach Bruce Chambers. With these two coaching spots open, Strong will need to find viable replacements.

Even though Strong has not made any official hires, and no media outlet has officially reported names of expected candidates, the rumor mill is swirling that the Longhorns are looking at a variety of options. 

It's always interesting to follow coaching changes, and when it happens at a school like Texas, it is must-follow news. 

Quarterback Competition

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It wouldn't be recent Texas football if there weren't a quarterback issue, right? As much as it pains Longhorns fans to hear, Texas will not return to the top of college football ranks with the current state of the quarterback position.

That may come off as harsh, but it's the reality of the situation.

Does it mean Texas is doomed? No, because there are viable options on campus and coming to Austin who could change the course of the lackluster quarterback play since 2009.

The one name every Texas fan knows is Jerrod Heard. The redshirt freshman had all year to learn the offense and adjust to the college game. Strong said the quarterback position will be open for competition, which means Heard can snag the job during spring practice.

The positive news for Texas fans is the Longhorns finally have a redshirt quarterback who has four full years of eligibility. And if you saw Heard in high school, you know what kind of difference the talented quarterback can make.

The progression of Heard and the quarterback competition will be one of the most important storylines to follow throughout the entire offseason.

Regardless of the time of year, the Texas Longhorns typically tend to make headlines. There will likely be more storylines to follow as 2015 progresses, but these three topics are must-follow stories for any and all Texas fans.

Recruiting information via Rivals.com.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Taylor Gaspar is Bleacher Report's featured columnist covering the Texas Longhorns. Follow Taylor on Twitter: @Taylor_Gaspar.