Texas Longhorn Football: 5 Players Who Are Key to 2011 Season

In 2010, the Texas Longhorns suffered their worst season under head coach Mack Brown, 5-7, ending a streak of nine straight 10 or more win seasons.

Brown and the Longhorns look to return to relevancy in the 2011 season but will need players to make big strides in order for that to happen.

Here are five players who are key to the Longhorns' return to the top.

Quarterback Garrett Gilbert

Garrett Gilbert was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school and tabbed as the future at quarterback for the Texas Longhorns.

With just over a season under his belt, including some experience in the 2009 National Championship game against Alabama, Gilbert has yet to live up to the high expectations of being such a highly touted recruit.

In his first season as a starter, he passed for just 10 touchdowns with 17 interceptions, a stat line that doesn't lead to many victories.

Gilbert is under extreme pressure in the quarterback position this season for the Longhorns to return them to prominence as his predecessors before him did.

If Gilbert shows little improvement, Mack Brown has three quarterbacks sitting behind him hungry for game action. 

Linebacker Emmanuel Acho

In order for the Texas Longhorns to have a successful season, they will need to become more solid defensively.

One of the leaders of that defense is senior linebacker Emmanuel Acho, brother of former Longhorn and current Arizona Cardinal, Sam Acho.

Acho needs to take his game to the next level in his senior year and become an elite outside backer for the Longhorn's. 

He has improved in each year he has played at Texas. He progressed from four tackles in his freshman year to 44 in his sophomore and 79 in his junior year. He also improved his sack total slightly from zero in his freshman year to two in his sophomore year and two and a half his junior season. 

The Longhorns need him to improve again and dominate at the outside backer position along with preseason All Big 12 selection, Keenan Robinson.

If Robinson and Acho can dominate the outside, the Longhorns should have one of the best linebacking cores in the Big 12.

Tailback Fozzy Whitaker

With Cody Johnson making the switch to fullback, Fozzy Whitaker slides in as the starting tailback for the Longhorn offense.

Whitaker could prove to be as integral a part as anything in the success of Garrett Gilbert in the 2011 season. 

The Longhorns leading rusher in 2010 was Johnson, with just 592 yards and six scores followed by Gilbert who ran 380 yards and five scores. 

Whitaker needs to be more effective than last year's backs. If he can create a solid running game for the Longhorns like they had in the days of Jamaal Charles, Cedric Benson and Ricky Williams, Gilbert will not have to do as much through the air.

With a solid running game, less pressure will be on Gilbert to perform through the air making it easier for the struggling quarterback to man the offense.

Wide Receiver Jaxon Shipley

True freshman and brother of former Longhorn standout Jordan Shipley, Jaxon could come in right away and provide Garrett Gilbert with a solid target.

Shipley, a 4-star recruit from Brownwood, Texas, has slotted himself atop the depth charts at wide receiver in the Longhorn offense.

Gilbert has lacked a go-to receiver in his time at Texas and Shipley could become that man in his first season.

As a senior at Brownwood High School, Shipley caught 86 balls for 1,656 yards and 27 touchdowns.

If Shipley can step right in and carry over his high school success to the college level, the Longhorn offense could be a dangerous down the field threat.  

Quarterback Case McCoy

Case McCoy, could very well turn out to be the most important player on the Texas Longhorn roster.

In the event that Garrett Gilbert doesn't show enough progress to continue to start for the Longhorns, McCoy will be the man to take his place.

He comes from a good bloodline as he is the younger brother of Longhorn legend, and current Cleveland Brown, Colt McCoy.

According to ESPN, McCoy made a push for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart with a good performance in the spring game before Gilbert was ultimately named the starter.