The University of Texas and Texas A&M face different spring football questions.
Texas coach Tom Herman practically sailed through a smooth offseason. The Longhorns went 7-6 in 2017, snapping the program’s three-year losing streak. New athletic director Chris Del Conte paid to keep critical staff members. In February, UT hauled in a dynamite recruiting class that ranked among the top three in the nation.
The Horns have lost a slew of veterans, including left tackle Connor Williams and linebacker Malik Jefferson. All six UT players who attended the NFL scouting combine were told by the NFL’s evaluation committee that they should return to school, multiple sources said. Punter Michael Dickson has the strongest case to leave early. He won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best punter.
But those six players were on teams that posted a combined record of 17-20 last three seasons. Losing wears you down. Herman’s attitude? Go find better players to replace them. Here’s a look at five things to watch leading up to the spring game April 21:
The full quarterbacks room
1Texas’ quarterback quandary ruined Charlie Strong’s tenure in Austin. David Ash’s concussion history and the staff ’s inability to find someone other than Shane Buechele fueled three losing seasons.
Buechele, who’ll be a junior this fall, enters the spring as the battle-tested — and injury-scarred — veteran. Sam Ehlinger is the player Herman desperately wanted to fall in love with. But Ehlinger’s key late mistakes in three losses (Southern Cal, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech) have dampened that “Bachelor” feeling.
Early enrollees Cameron Rising and Casey Thompson will go through spring drills and compete for the starting job as well.
Herman didn’t want to rotate quarterbacks last season. Injuries and inconsistency forced him to alternate between Buechele and Ehlinger. At least now he’s got more choices.
Rebooting the receiving corps
2The deepest, most-talented position group on the roster last season proved to be the most disappointing. The receivers never found their groove.
Armanti Foreman and his father got crossways with Herman. He got benched in October but still finished as the team’s leader in receiving touchdowns. Collin Johnson wasn’t physical enough for the staff ’s liking. Reggie Hemphill-Mapps suddenly transferred.
Johnson has the highest stat total of those returning, but Lil’Jordan Humphrey has everyone’s attention. Incoming freshman Brennan Eagles was among the top recruits in the state.
Who’s calling plays?
3Herman is genuinely amused by the vast attention paid to the biggest question around Austin: Who’s calling the plays? In his mind, the entire offensive staff puts together the game plan during the week. Offensive coordinator Tim Beck is merely the one who radios down to the sideline what specific play to call in various situations.
In Herman’s mind, mediocre quarterback play, having no clear playmaker at running back and an injured-filled offensive line was the problem in 2017. Not the play-calling.
Herman took the headset himself in the Texas Bowl against Missouri. After watching all season long, he wanted to see what Beck and Co. were up against in the heat of battle.
Rebuilding the defense
4Texas lost Jefferson, Poona Ford, DeShon Elliott and Holton Hill to the NFL draft. But in all honesty, is anyone really that worried about defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s ability to find a solution?
Del Conte stepped in and gave Orlando a raise to $1.7 million this offseason when other suitors came calling. Orlando, who has not spoken publicly since prior to the bowl game, wants to stay at UT and get the Horns back to national relevance.
He’ll have some interesting pieces to work with. Gary Johnson is poised for a breakout season. Breckyn Hager and Charles Omenihu will move from role players to center stage. Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo are projected as two talented newcomers this August.
Special teams
5How different would last season look if Texas had a consistent kicker? Texas tied for seventh nationally with 30 attempts on fourth down mostly because Herman didn’t trust his kicker.
Cameron Dicker, widely considered the best kicking prospect in the nation, will enroll this summer.
Meanwhile, the Horns are pinning their punting hopes on Dickson’s cousin, Australian-born Ryan Bujcevski. He enrolled in January and followed a similar path to Austin. Bujcevski played Australian-rules football until he was 17 and then moved to Melbourne to train with American rules.