Texas Longhorns Season Preview

Vince Young won a Heisman and a BCS National Championship and went 30-2 as a starter. Colt McCoy lost a BCS National Championship (played just five snaps) and fell short of a Heisman Trophy but currently has the most wins in the history of the FBS, with 45. 

Garrett Gilbert automatically drew comparisons to the former legends coached under Mack Brown, but an awful 10-17 TD-INT ratio has slowed the progression and has lowered the expectations quite a bit.

Gilbert has not lost his arm strength or all of his swagger as he is still just a 20-year-old kid that is learning his reads and progressions under new co-coordinator Bryan Harsin, who is teaming up with former Longhorn quarterback Major Applewhite.

Talent Dip at Texas?

Gilbert can still become a first-team All-Big 12 quarterback if his team can learn how to run the damn ball. Texas was just 66th in America, averaging only 150.50 yards per game, last year. If the struggles continue, watch for Colt’s younger brother, Case, to step in.

Mack Brown said he was committed to running the pigskin, but the talent level has dipped down ever since Jamaal Charles left the program in ’07.

They now bring in the top runner in the entire country coming out of high school, who goes by the name of Malcolm Brown. A solid, 6’0”, 215-pound freshmen star is waiting in the wings and will attempt to put this offense on his back.

The depth chart is not too thin, but it lacks the punch that most Longhorn fans are accustomed to seeing. 

Taking More Hits off Than on

The receiving unit took a small hit when two-sport star Marquis Goodwin hung up his football cleats for the moment to concentrate fully on track and Malcolm Williams left for “family issues.”

Goodwin was a speed demon that had 31 catches for 324 yards and a TD, and he was expected not only to start but perhaps lead the team in yards after catch. He was the team’s biggest deep threat.

Malcolm Williams is a bigger loss since he was quickly living up to the hype, coming off a junior season in which he had 24 catches for 334 yards and 2 TDs.

He was one of the top players going into Texas not too long ago, and entering his final season in burnt orange, he was supposed to put on a clinic as the offensive leader both on and off the gridiron.

How can the ‘Horns improve in their passing game without these two producers?

Well, Dan Buckner leaving the program two years ago to play at Arizona really tells the story, but there are other guys who fill in admirably. Guys like Mike Davis, Dairius White, DeSean Hales, Chris Jones, and incoming freshman Jaxson Shipley (Jordan’s brother) are solid talents. 

Davis is the guy who is my pick to become the breakthrough player on this team since he has all the talent in the world and he will be counted on to make all the big catches. He is just a sophomore and has a ton of potential. 

Lack of Playmakers

Texas supposedly had sexy playmakers who were supposed to lead them to a Big 12 crown last year. That never happened, though, because the Longhorns offensive line was plain offensive. 

Losing three starters is usually considered a bad thing, but when the unit played so poorly a year ago, you can only hope there will be improvement made.

Center David Snow and right guard Mason Walters are the two returning starters, but Snow anchors the line clearly as he is one of the premier centers in college football. He is the true leader and captain of the team and will need to be there for the starting quarterback through all the ups and downs. 

Solid Duo

Defensively, six starters return for the new defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz (former Mississippi State DC).

Diaz is an aggressive coach who loves to dial up the blitzes as well as mix up the offenses with many different looks. 

Texas had 29 sacks a season ago, ranking 31st in the nation, and Diaz will try to improve upon that with a great unit of linebackers. The ‘Horns have one of the elite linebacking corps in the conference, led by outside linebacker Keenan Robinson and middle linebacker Emmanuel Acho. 

Robinson notched 113 tackles, two sacks, and six tackles for loss, and Acho totaled 87 tackles, three sacks, and nine tackles for loss.

They are a two-man wrecking crew and should both produce and get some help from Jordan Hicks, who is a very young but talented, 6’2”, 228-pound outside linebacker.  

Big Bevo Up Front

The front four really needs to mature and grow up, or else they will struggle against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M.

The interior of the line has been a huge concern for Diaz and the coaching staff. Ashton Dorsey came in and saw some time in 10 games but only made two tackles the whole year as a backup.

This year he is the expected starter and must play up to the high praise he received during high school.

The other defensive tackle will be the stud known as Kheeston Randall (6’5", 295 pounds). Randall is the best defensive tackle in the Big 12 and is among the top 10 in America.

Loaded with Highly Touted Players

The edge rushers are not elite, but they are still very good. Alex Okafor has moved back and forth between tackle and pass-rusher, but he is now officially and only a defensive end.

Opposite of him will be Jackson Jeffcoat (6’5”, 253 pounds), who was another highly touted player coming out of high school, and he will be expected to perform in his sophomore season.  

The line also includes former linebacker Dravannti Johnson (6’2”, 235-pound junior), who was yet another highly touted player out of high school that will be expected to provide a much-needed spark rotating in and out with the rest of the Longhorn linemen. 

Texas needs to shore up the run as they gave up on average 138 yards per game, which ranked only 44th in the nation.

The previous three years, Texas ranked first, third, and sixth in the nation.

Secondary Needs to Grow Up

The Texas Longhorns secondary was amazing last year, ranking sixth in the nation. They do, however, lose Aaron Williams (No. 2 DC BUF), Curtis Brown (No. 3 DC PIT), and Chykie Brown (No. 5 DC BAL).

Those three corners were huge parts of the success Texas had last year, and new players must step in and be able to produce similar numbers.

The issue this year will be replacing those guys with new players that have little experience. Carrington Byndom (6’0”, 175-pound sophomore) and Adrian Phillips (5’11”, 199-pound sophomore) are highly-touted players that run really well for corners. 

Texas lacks the elite height that you would love to see in a conference with stud receivers (Broyles, Blackmon, and Fuller). Luckily, there is some depth in AJ White, Quandre Diggs, Nate Boyer, and Sheroid Evans. Those players are all either true or redshirt freshmen, however.

Also luckily, the safeties—Blake Gideon (6’1”, 205-pound senior) and Christian Scott (6’1”, 217-pound senior)—are top notch.  

Scott has been suspended for the first three games, which will challenge Kenny Vaccaro and the Longhorns' depth.

Gideon is most remembered as the one who dropped the interception against Texas Tech which eventually led to a heartbreaking loss and ultimately cost the Longhorns a trip to the BCS national championship.

Drama's Forecast

Gideon has moved on, and so have (some) Longhorns fans because Mack Brown has been around the block a few times and they realize he will have a few more cracks at BCS appearances.  

This will likely not be one of those years, with still a developing signal caller and offense for that matter. The defense is damn good, but the offense is at least a level or two behind.

The Red River Rivalry on the second Saturday of October will be a testing call to how good this Texas team can become, but the second game of the year, against a solid BYU squad, may be telling as to if they can even a put up a fight against the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Oklahoma.

A nice accomplishment for Texas to look at would be going 5-4 in Big 12 play since there are no divisions and no Big 12 title game, with Colorado (Pac-12) and Nebraska (Big Ten) moving on to their respective conferences. 

Don't forget Texas had 30 turnovers and were 111th in the nation. Look for the Longhorns to drastically improve their record from a season ago since they will not be nearly as bad at turning the ball over. 

Predicted Finish: 8-5 (4-5, Big 12)

Predicted Bowl:  Meineke Car Care of Texas 

Predicted order of finish in Big 12: Sixth