Texas Football: 7 Longhorns Who Have Surprised Us in 2015

Sitting at 1-3 with two more tough matchups on tap, it's easy to overlook the pleasant surprises that have littered the early part of Texas' season. Especially since one of them is the emergence of a real quarterback.

There are a couple of ways to assess losing teams. Does the team play hard and make fixable mistakes, or is the quality of play just a total train wreck? Also—and this is equally important—does the team have the talent to improve?

Aside from the 38-3 loss to Notre Dame, this Longhorn team has certainly been competitive. Charlie Strong's group played both Cal and Oklahoma State, two veteran Top 25 teams, to the brink of overtime. The kicking gaffes that cost them chances to win those games hurt, but they're rectifiable. 

More encouraging is the performance we're seeing from this team's young players. The current depth chart has seven redshirt or true freshmen in starting roles, and as many as three more should see starter's snaps.

One of those seven is redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard, who has taken command of the wayward quarterback position. He's given the team a real playmaker at the game's most important position, and his emergence has coincided with a team-wide youth movement.

As long as these young players continue to surprise us with their play, it will be worth it to remain patient.

1. QB Jerrod Heard

Texas may be 1-3, but can anyone imagine how bad this team would look without Heard?

Since taking over the quarterback job, Heard has completely reversed the course of the Longhorn offense. In Heard's three starts, the team is averaging over 405 yards and 37 points per game. Contrast that with a 2014 team that put up 337 yards and barely over 21 points an outing last season.

Heard's numbers haven't been overly gaudy. Even with his school-record 527 yards against Cal, he's putting up around 300 total yards per game. For reference, there are 20 quarterbacks who throw for more yardage on a weekly basis.

However, Heard has been extremely efficient with his opportunities. His 10.95 yards per attempt would rank second in the nation (per cfbstats.com), while his 102.3 rushing yards per start easily dwarfs the numbers of every other quarterback in the Big 12.

Most of all, Heard's ascension has brought a sense of confidence that Tyrone Swoopes could never quite instill. The Longhorns have stood toe-to-toe with two AP Top 25 teams in the same month Notre Dame pasted them by 35 points. Replacing Shawn Watson helps a lot, but that doesn't happen without a player like Heard.

To put it all in perspective, Heard was a distant backup from the summer through the first game of the season. Now VICE Sports' Mike Piellucci considers him the most important player in college football. 

In Heard, Texas finally has a rising star at quarterback. Before long, he's going to turn these close losses into big wins.

2. LT Connor Williams

One would expect a freshman left tackle to go through some growing pains early on. The amazing thing about Connor Williams is that he's almost completely avoided them.

A spring standout, the Texas freshman left tackle has become the team's best offensive lineman. Williams has twice made Pro Football Focus' list of the top eight freshmen in college football, receiving the following praise after his performance against last week:

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Williams returns to the list after another strong outing against Oklahoma State (+3.0 game grade). He remains the only Texas offensive lineman with a positive grade, despite giving up four of his six total pressures last Saturday. Williams has also shown well in the run game with a +2.1 grade, and he’s become one of the few bright spots on the Texas offense.

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Williams made it clear he was the real deal over the offseason, but this is a 3-star prospect, per 247Sports. He's just not supposed to be this good, this early.

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

3. WR Daje Johnson

Through four weeks, Texas' leading receiver is none other than senior Daje Johnson. Yeah, the same Daje Johnson who was almost kicked off the team last season and released a rap single about drug-dealing over the summer.

At long last, Johnson has put his off-field trouble behind him. Drops have still been a problem, but the explosive slot man leads the team in both receptions and receiving yards, has a punt return for a touchdown and ranks 11th in the nation in punt return yardage (per cfbstats.com).

Between the suspensions and other shenanigans, it was fair to wonder if Johnson would ever live up to his potential. Now, he's gotten it together under Strong and has become an indispensable part of the offense.

4. WR John Burt

While we're on leading receivers, let's discuss true freshman John Burt, Texas' newest big-play threat.

A 4-star recruit out of Florida, Burt was a big recruiting win for the Longhorns. 247Sports gave the Longhorns just a 17 percent chance to land his services last cycle, so his commitment gave them both the big receiver and out-of-state victory the program needed.

But, as InsideTexas' Ian Boyd notes, Burt was considered more of an athlete than anything. While the physical talent was obvious, Burt's route-running and overall polish needed some work.

That hasn't stopped Burt from becoming one of Texas' most explosive players through four games. Second on the team with 186 yards, Burt has receptions of 48, 69 and 43 yards, and was a debatable illegal forward pass away from a 53-yard score against Oklahoma State. Had it stood, he would be on pace for almost 1,000 yards.

Even without that play, Burt's 26.6 yards per catch would rank in the top five in the nation, according to cfbstats.com. With plus size, sprinter speed and great hands, Burt's future is exceptionally bright as Texas' X receiver.

5. The Freshmen Cornerbacks

Joining Williams on PFF's list of standout freshmen is Holton Hill, who leads a tremendous trio of young cornerbacks.

Hill got off to a slow start because of a leg injury, but he's been tremendous since busting into the rotation. The true freshman has seven tackles, two passes defensed, one breakup and one interception that he returned for a touchdown. His breakout performance against Oklahoma State vaulted him into the national spotlight, per Pro Football Focus:

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A huge game against Oklahoma State vaults Hill onto the list, as he picked off a pass and defended one more. He played a season-high 60 snaps on his way to a +3.7 grade that has seen him play well both against the run (+2.0) and in coverage (+2.5).

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Hill made the splashy play, but Kris Boyd and Davante Davis have been just as impressive. These two helped Hill essentially take control of Texas' defensive backfield last week, working to hold the Cowboys to 16 points over the final three frames.

It's easy to see the similarities between Hill and Davis. With each coming in at over 6'2", they can body up and run with bigger receivers on the outside, which is exactly what Strong said he wants on signing day:

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You like those big corners because they can body up the wide receiver, so when jump balls come, you hope they can go up and defend. [Hill] can cover and he's long. You are looking for those long guys instead of those shorter ones. I like big defensive backs because I know he can be physical enough where he can make tackles.

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Boyd's a little different. At 6'0", he's not as big as his classmates, but he makes up for it with good instincts and a physical style of play. Already he's proven himself to be a special teams ace, and his aggressiveness in the backfield forced the fumble that Malik Jefferson returned for a touchdown.

These three will have their moments against Big 12 passing attacks, but they're collectively way ahead of schedule. This time next season they'll be downright suffocating the opposition.

6. TE Caleb Bluiett

Though he's been quiet in the box score, Caleb Bluiett has established himself as a name to watch over the final eight games of the season.

Since switching from defensive end in the fall, Bluiett has been making his presence felt at tight end. 247Sports' Jeff Howe already considers him one of the best perimeter blockers on the team, and he showed off his hands on a tough 29-yard catch against Oklahoma State.

That one catch gave Bluiett more yardage than "starter" Andrew Beck has for his entire career. Wide receivers coach Jay Norvell will certainly take some note of that and begin to treat Bluiett as the every-down tight end he should be. 

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

7. LB Malik Jefferson

Nobody should be surprised that Malik Jefferson, who runs a 4.38 40-yard dash at 230 pounds, is really good. But the way he's taken to the middle linebacker position has been something to behold.

Through four games, Jefferson's been Texas' most consistent defender. The true freshman is second on the team with 29 tackles, is tied for the team lead with 3.5 tackles for loss and easily leads the Horns with five quarterback hurries.

This comes from a player who's playing the middle linebacker position for the first time. And it's been a treat to see how naturally Jefferson's taken to the job. Just watch him (courtesy of SB Nation's Ian Boyd) drop into coverage, read the quarterback's eyes and break up an otherwise easy completion.

At the rate he's going, Jefferson has a chance to exceed the hype.

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