Texas Football: Charlie Strong's 3 Biggest Challenges for the Longhorns in 2015

Charlie Strong has a tough challenge ahead of him this season.

Coming off Texas' second losing season since 2009, the second-year head coach will be expected to improve on last year's 6-7 record. 

Fair or unfair, Strong will have to do it with continuing question marks at quarterback and along the offensive line. To make matters worse, he also won't be able to lean on an elite defense, having lost six of his starters to the NFL.

Ultimately, any sort of improvement will have to involve Strong finding a dependable quarterback, developing his offensive line and overcoming a defense riddled with inexperience.

1. Finding a Dependable Quarterback

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Does Heard have what it takes to revamp Texas' downtrodden quarterback position?

Good quarterbacks can cover a lot of deficiencies. They control the flow of the game, finish drives and generally make the game more winnable by playing sound football.

The Longhorns haven't been able to enjoy a signal-caller who fit that description in quite some time, and Charlie Strong will be in desperate need of one in 2015.

It's no mystery that the overall struggles of this program have directly coincided with a brutal five-year stretch in which Longhorn passers have put up only 83 touchdowns against 69 interceptions. Those numbers would tank any team, especially in the Big 12.

Until the Longhorns reverse this trend, they'll continue to come up short in every sense of the word. That will be especially true in 2015 with the defense now replacing six starters.

Last season, defense was almost the sole reason Texas became bowl-eligible. While the worst passing offense in the conference, per cfbstats.com, only generated 21.4 points per game, the defense allowed a conference-best 5.7 yards per attempt.

With so much departed talent, the Horns can't count on the defense to prop up the rest of the team. The offense has to score a lot of points, which means better quarterback play.

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#ND didn't give a release to Everett Golson for schools it'll play in 2015 such as #Texas as well as several other BigTen tms, per source.

@BruceFeldmanCFB, 10 May 2015

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Now that Everett Golson is off limits, either returning starter Tyrone Swoopes or redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard must step up to pick up the slack. Swoopes, the junior, has the most experience and understanding of the college game, but Heard is the most electric athlete the Horns have had since Vince Young.

Moving to an uptempo offense, that athleticism should give Heard the edge because of his ability to run the option. Though to make his ascension official, he must prove a worthy enough passer to win with his arm as well as his legs.

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On Jerrod Heard, Strong said: "I have no fear at all playing a redshirt freshmen (QB), if he earns it … I’m good with it

@suzhalliburton, 21 Apr 2015

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Otherwise, Strong will have to go through another wild year with Swoopes at the reins.

2. Sorting out the Offensive Line

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The Longhorn offensive line struggled to get consistent push in 2014.

Quarterback was far from the only problem with the Texas offense in 2014, as the patchwork offensive line barely got by with four new starters.

In addition to its struggles through the air, the offense ranked in the Big 12's bottom half in third-down conversions, red-zone scoring percentage and rushing yards per carry, per cfbstats.com. Many of those issues extend to the quarterback, but those numbers also stem from an inability to generate push up front.

Last year's group was almost entirely brand new by the third game of the season, so there's a lot of room for improvement. The problem is there's not much depth behind the projected starters, with as many as four linemen leaving the program since last fall, per SB Nation's Westcott Eberts.

Strong has to hope that last year's starters improve and that his six commits from this year's recruiting class can provide immediate depth. Without better play in the trenches, both the passing and running game have little hope for consistently moving the ball.

3. A Young, Inexperienced Defense

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Jefferson (right) is one of several young players who will be forced into early action next season.

It's a foregone conclusion that the defense's youth and inexperience will undoubtedly give up more points and yardage than last year's stellar unit. Of course, the side effect is that the Longhorn offense loses its margin for error.

We've already covered how ineffective the offense was in 2014. Still, Texas won six games because the defense could get after the quarterback, finish tackles and defend the pass with the best of them.

Six of the most important contributors to that effort have now moved on to the NFL. Four of those defenders came from the back seven, leaving very little experience behind to replace them. 

Almost every position will begin the season with a qualified starter, but depth will be a major issue. According to a depth chart projected by 247Sports' Jeff Howe, as many as eight first-year or redshirt freshmen could crack the two-deep, all of which belonged to that depleted back end.

There's no doubt that these players, especially linebacker Malik Jefferson, are still talented. But even the best freshmen have their growing pains.

Strong's as good a defensive coach as we have in the college game, so still expect this defense to have some teeth. Ultimately, that's of secondary importance compared to the offense, which has held this program back for five years.

Honorable Mention: Jump-Starting the 2016 Recruiting Class

247Sports

Strong needs more than Buechele to dub his 2016 class a success.

The 2016 class won't affect Charlie Strong's team in any way this season. Still, he's got to figure out how to get some more talent committed to play for him.

After pulling in 28 commits for the nation's No. 10 class, per 247Sports, Strong's recruiting efforts have hit the skids. He has four commits for next year's class, which is barely considered a top-40 effort at this point in the process.

Granted, these four commits are great talents. Collin Johnson has the look of a true every-down receiver, and Horns247 sees a future star in quarterback Shane Buechele:

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Smart passer, makes excellent decisions with the ball. Excellent work ethic in the film room and on the field. High football IQ, really understands the game. Excellent communication and command skills on the field, natural leader in the huddle. Shows good speed and play-making ability as a runner with the ball in his hands. Flawless mechanics.

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Past those two, Strong is striking out. Few of his top targets are projected to commit, with monster tackle Kendell Jones the latest to start leaning toward another program.

Per Rivals.com, the Horns should expect some good news from athlete Christian Wallace, but that's hardly enough. Strong needs to get at least 10 more commitments before bowl season, or else he's looking at a huge letdown from what he pulled off last season.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com, with recruiting data courtesy of 247Sports.com.