When a team goes 5-7 it is fair to say that everything needs to be improved upon going into the next season.
However, that doesn’t mean one aspect of the team struggled more than the other, and that applies perfectly to Texas’ defense. Now granted it was the third defensive scheme change in three years, but that is still no excuse for the way the Longhorns were absolutely gashed by every opposing running back.
247Sports addressed the area that each Big 12 team needed to improve upon the most during the spring, and Texas’ defensive side of the ball was the recipient of that not so prestigious declaration.
Here is what Taylor Estes of 247Sports said about the Texas’ defense:
Texas’ first season under Steve Sarkisian was brutal and left a lot to be desired. A big reason for those struggles was the defensive side of the ball. The Longhorns ranked 99th in the country in scoring defense, giving up 31.08 points per game and 100th in total defense, giving up 425.6 yards per game. If the Longhorns want to have a shot, they need to fix their defense in a bad way.
After finishing with a 5-7 record in 2021, there’s no denying Texas has plenty to improve upon entering Year 2 of the Steve Sarkisian era, and it starts with the defense. The Longhorns finished Sarkisian’s first season with one of the worst defenses in school history, and there really wasn’t just one position deserving of the blame for the poor performances. Whether it was the lack of pass-rush, giving up way too many big plays against the run, especially in the second half of games, the defense as a whole was a huge problem for Texas last year and needs to improve at every position this spring.
Whether the improvements come from players plucked out of the transfer portal, or recruits that the Longhorns brought in as apart of the No. 5 class they assembled, Texas needs to see improvement on this side of the ball or people will lose jobs.