Phil Steele joins On Texas Football to preview the Longhorns’ season

“Across the board I have Texas No. 1 or tied for No. 1 (in the Big 12) at every single position.”

College football analyst Phil Steele has Texas winning the Big 12. He jumped on the On Texas Football podcast to discuss his reasoning. According to Steele, it all comes down to talent.

Steele has the Texas offense making a significant leap in the upcoming season. He said the following about why he is buying the Longhorns to win the conference.

“I looked at Texas’ schedule and I said, you know, everybody’s gonna be gunning for Texas this year. I don’t want to pick Texas No. 1. I’ll be flat out honest with you. And they play, of the top six teams in the Big 12, they are the only one that plays each of the other five. The Big 12 schedule maker didn’t do them any favors. But it comes down to talent.

Steele then went into roster specifics he likes about this team.

“You start with quarterback. Quinn Ewers comes in. I loved what I saw (against Alabama). … I don’t think he was 100% (after injury). I think he was one of the most improved players. After talking to Coach Sark, he’s highly confident. … Receiver corps is amazing. Bringing in Adonai Mitchell from Georgia to team with Whittington, Worthy, one of the best tight ends in the country in Ja’Tavion Sanders. … (The offensive line is) bigger, stronger, better. So they’re gonna be potent offensively.

Many of Steele’s talking points revolved around the same areas of strength we have been touting this offseason. An interesting nugget Steele shared involved the Texas defense. According to Steele, the unit held opponents on average 70 yards below their season average. That really pokes a hole in the notion some are asserting that the Longhorns defense isn’t all that great.

Steele spoke highly of a number of Texas defenders including Arkansas transfer Jalen Catalon. When healthy, Steele asserted, Catalon is among the nation’s best at the safety position.

Road games at Baylor, TCU and Iowa State were mentioned as tough battles for Texas. I have the Longhorns losing to TCU and Iowa State despite my 10-2 prediction for the team.

Notably, Steele’s projections have Texas scoring over 39 points per game while allowing just under 22 points per game. If his success at projecting past seasons is any indication, the Longhorns are in store for a huge season.