Category: Texas Football

Texas’ QB Arch Manning shares playing time expectations for 2024

Longhorns’ QB Arch Manning discusses what playing time he expects to see this year at Manning Passing Academy

Everyone around the Texas Longhorns program knows that Quinn Ewers is the guy. Ewers will be a third-year starter for Steve Sarkisian in 2024 having already claimed a Big 12 title, a road victory against the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Longhorns’ first-ever CFP berth a season ago.

Many experts project Ewers to be the first QB taken in the 2025 NFL draft, and people often forget how highly sought after Ewers was out of high school. Not only was Ewers the No. 1 ranked QB in the 2021 recruiting cycle, but he was the No. 1 overall player.

However, when Texas was able to land a commitment from [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], there was much speculation as to what that would mean for the QB situation on the Forty Acres. Especially on the outside looking in.

Similar to Ewers, Manning was also the No. 1 overall recruit in his recruiting class. So, I do find it quite remarkable that not only was Sark able to recruit both guys, but he was able to keep them. Truthfully though, Sarkisian has done an outstanding job devising a plan that helps both players develop on their timelines.

Manning knows that he would start at just about every school in the country, yet, he knows that taking his time to see the field may be the best thing for his career.

With both Ewers and Manning down in Louisiana for the Manning Passing Academy, Arch spoke to On3 regarding his expectations for the upcoming 2024 season saying, “I feel like I’m getting better every day. Just trying to stay ready. Anything can happen. I’m excited and I’m gonna be ready.”

I think that Arch is wise beyond his years and taking this time to learn from Sarkisian and Ewers is only going to benefit him down the road. If Ewers ever went down with an injury Manning would be more than ready to step in, but for now, Arch is just focused on getting a little bit better every day.

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Texas Longhorns among five best overall teams in ‘College Football 25’

Texas football ranked as one of the Top 10 overall teams in ‘College Football 25’

In just three weeks, EA Sports is set to release the highly anticipated video game “College Football 25.” The anticipation is unlike any sports game in recent memory with it being the franchise’s first collegiate game since July 2013. Fortunately, NIL and athlete compensation paved the way for returning our favorite game.

The Texas Longhorns will be one of the best teams in the game with the No. 4 ranked offense and the No. 8 ranked defense. So, it should come as no surprise that they are the No. 5 overall ranked team (92 overall) in the game behind only the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It has been nearly 20 years since the Longhorns were able to claim a national title, so they will become a fan-favorite team to play with, especially with Quinn Ewers calling the shots and some of the most electric playmakers in the college game. The game will even have playbooks tailored for each college and coach, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has proved to be one of the best offensive minds in football.

The Texas A&M Aggies enter the list as the No. 14 ranked team with an 88 overall while the Oklahoma Sooners are ranked No. 17 and are an 87 overall.

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Quinn Ewers and Isaiah Bond rated as top duo in CFB

The Texas duo were at the top of the list according to one analyst

As the Texas Longhorns prepare for their first year in the Southeastern Conference, they will have a few key advantages that will make the transition much smoother for them than their bitter rivals the Oklahoma Sooners.

When the two schools announced their decision to leave the Big 12 a few years ago, many thought that Texas would be the school in for a rude awakening, however head coach [autotag]Steve Sarkisian[/autotag] has done a phenomenal job getting the Longhorns back on top of the recruiting trail as well as establishing a culture. After guiding the Longhorns to a Big 12 title and Playoff berth a season ago, the expectations haven’t been this high on the Forty since the days of Mack Brown.

With the playoffs expanding to 12 teams, it is pretty safe to assume that Sark and his Longhorns will be competing for one of those spots come December. Especially considering the fact that QB [autotag]Quinn Ewers[/autotag] will be returning for his third season as a starter.

There will be some growing pains on the offensive side of the ball as WR Xavier Worthy, WR Adonai Mitchell, TE Ja’Tavion Sanders and RB Jonathon Brooks were all selected in the 2024 NFL draft.

Fortunately, the Longhorns were able to add one of the best wide receivers in the country via the transfer portal this season in [autotag]Isaiah Bond[/autotag. As the Alabama Crimson Tide’s No. 1 receiver a year ago, Bond had 48 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns.

Heading into 2024, JD Pickell of On3 Sports ranks the Top 10 QB-WR duos in the NFL. The Longhorns duo of Ewers and Bond ranks No.1 on the list saying,

“Here’s your top combo going into the 2024 season, featuring a Heisman candidate and an Alabama transfer. Bond is eclectic and he only adds to the Longhorns’ offense. Bond spent two years at Alabama, compiling 65 catches, 888 yards, five touchdowns and 13.7 yards per catch. But he had 48 catches last year, vastly improving. Ewers threw 22 touchdowns and nearly 3,500 yards in 2023.”

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Texas Longhorns among the 10 best defenses in ‘College Football 25’

‘College Football 25’ ranks the Texas Longhorns defense among top 10

The college football season is just over eight weeks away, and for the first time in over a decade, college football fans will have a brand new video game to preoccupy that time. It is already expected to be one of the hottest games of the year even though it won’t officially be released until July 19.

However, with the game being on hiatus since 2013, EA Sports has been dropping teaser trailers for the new “College Football 25” that includes fun features like the toughest stadiums to play in and team rankings

As the Texas Longhorns transition from the Big 12 to the SEC this year, one of the biggest challenges will be adapting to the speed and physicality of the SEC. The Big 12 has been traditionally known more as an offensive league with guys like Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield dominating the league in recent years.

Related: Texas offense ranks among top 10 according to EA Sports

Over the past few years, many thought that the Longhorns’ move would be hard for them because of their defense, or lack thereof. Yet, heading into the 2024 season Texas will have one of the strongest defenses in the country as they are the No. 8 ranked defense in “College Football 25.” The Longhorns’ defense is an 88 overall and is the third highest-rated SEC defense behind only the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide.

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Texas Longhorns among the 10 best offenses in ‘College Football 25’

Texas football ranked as a Top 5 offense in new college football video game

After averaging 35.8 ppg and nearly 480 yards of offense a game a season ago, the Texas Longhorns will head into the 2024 season with one of the best offenses in the country.

The Longhorns did lose WR Xavier Worthy, RB Jonathon Brooks, WR Adonai Mitchell, and TE Ja’Tavion Sanders to the 2024 NFL draft, however, there is still no shortage of talent on the Forty Acres.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Quinn Ewers make for the best HC-QB partnership in college football as this will be their third season together. Ewers is widely regarded as a future first-round draft pick and with Texas transitioning to the SEC he will have no shortage of opportunities to impress scouts.

With NCAA 14 being the last college football game released, it has been nearly 11 years in the waiting for ‘College Football 25’. The release date is scheduled for July 19 and is anticipated to be one of the biggest releases of the year.

Earlier in the week, EA Sports released the Top 25 toughest places to play in the new game and today they ranked the top 25 offenses. Ewers and the Longhorns offense is currently the No. 4 ranked offense in the game behind only the Georgia Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, and Alabama Crimson Tide and is rated as a 91 overall.

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Best, worst case for Texas Longhorns in 2024 college football season

What is the best and worst case scenarios for the Texas Longhorns’ first season in the SEC?

The expectations couldn’t be higher for the Texas Longhorns heading into the 2024 college football season. And the anticipation for the upcoming season is right up there as well.

Coming off their first Big 12 title since 2009, the Longhorns head to a loaded SEC along with long-time rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners. There is also the return of old conference matchups with the Arkansas Razorbacks and the return of the Lone Star Showdown with the Texas A&M Aggies.

The season is much more than just getting an opportunity to stick it to old rivals, Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian have national championship aspirations. This might be the best chance the Longhorns have had in recent years. Quarterback Quinn Ewers returns for a third year as the starter along with a bevy of talented receivers, tight ends, and running backs. Simply put the offense is loaded.

There is plenty of young and veteran talent on the defensive side of the ball. Losing linebacker Jaylan Ford along with defensive tackles Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat are massive for this team. Roles for Anthony Hill Jr, Colin Simmons, Jermayne Lole, and Tiaoaalii Savea should help alleviate the losses. Pete Kwiatkowksi’s defense should be ready to roll in 2024.

Worst Case for Texas in 2024

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

What CBS Sports Says…

Texas could see a bit of a drop off if it can’t handle the weekly rigors of an SEC schedule. It isn’t hard to fathom three losses — a worst-case scenario for which most programs can only hope — if everything goes wrong. Despite what Michigan may have lost, the Wolverines should still have one of the nation’s most ferocious defenses, and it’s never easy to win in Ann Arbor. And then there’s Georgia, which has been the toughest out in the SEC over the past few seasons. Those are two potential losses right there. Oklahoma always presents a tough challenge, and Texas’ regular-season finale reviving the rivalry against Texas A&M could be a sneaky upset pick with emotions sure to fly high. First-year Aggies coach Mike Elko will be gunning hard for a cornerstone win within the friendly confines of Kyle Field on which to build his program.

As Backus states, the Longhorns could at worst be 9-3 after year one in the SEC. That might still be good enough to land in the College Football Playoffs expanded field. There will be a lot of teams wishing that was their worst case scenario.

Best case for Texas in 2024

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

What CBS Sports Says…

Texas could take this thing all the way to a national title. The Longhorns are already a trendy pick to compete for an SEC championship and seem about as close as one can get to a lock for a return to the College Football Playoff. Coach Steve Sarkisian has this program firing on all cylinders, with elite recruiting and a steady build towards a national breakout finally paying off in 2023. QB Quinn Ewers is back to lead an offense bolstered by key receiver transfers, a rising star in running back CJ Baxter and an offensive line loaded with talent. An early road game against a rebuilt Michigan team could set the tone for the year, while an October home game against Georgia gives Texas the opportunity to announce its arrival to the SEC in grand fashion.

I think the best-case scenario is a return to the College Football Playoffs and securing the national title for the first time since the 2005-2006 season. Texas has the talent on offense and defense, the big key will be the new additions to the team. Can the wide receivers match the output of last year’s team and can the defense get to the quarterback consistently? If both occur, there is a confidence that Texas could return to the title game picture.

Texas has dominated their record at home in each season since 2000

It is a tough place to play.

Playing football at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium can be a daunting task, especially for visiting teams. Since the year 2000, Texas is 112-33 at home.

Recently, EA Sports ranked Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium as the No. 19 toughest place to play in college football. Once upon a time, especially in the 2000 to 2009 era of Longhorns football, it was among the toughest venues to play a game if you were a visitor.

Texas was a combined 56-4 during that decade. They averaged 43 points per game and only gave up an average of 14.8 points.

Here is a look at the home record by year since the turn of the century for the Texas Longhorns at DKR.

Texas Longhorns home record by year

Year Record Avg Points Scored Avg Points Allowed
2000 6-0 46.5 10.0
2001 5-0 45.4 7.0
2002 6-0 32.8 9.3
2003 5-1 42.5 21.7
2004 6-0 42.3 15.8
2005 5-0 54.2 12.2
2006 5-2 37.4 14.4
2007 5-1 36.8 24.8
2008 7-0 47.7 16.4
2009 6-0 46.8 14.7
2010 2-5 24.7 24.7
2011 4-2 30.8 16.7
2012 4-2 43.2 23.7
2013 4-2 33.2 23.2
2014 3-3 23.8 30.8
2015 3-3 40.0 30.0
2016 4-2 30.3 24.8
2017 4-2 35.3 25.3
2018 5-1 30.7 20.0
2019 5-1 40.8 30.8
2020 3-2 30.8 17.6
2021 4-2 44.7 26.5
2022 5-2 31.7 19.3
2023 6-0 38.8 12.8
Total 112-33 37.6 19.8

Only once during this stretch did the Texas defense give up more points than the offense could score, it was during the forgettable 2014 campaign under first-year head coach Charlie Strong.

Last season the Longhorns defense gave up just 12.8 points per game at home, the lowest number since the 2005 national championship team. That season they surrendered just 12.2 points per game, but scored a blistering 54.2 points per game.

For the better part of two-plus decades, Texas has averaged a scoring margin of 17.8. During the first decade of the 2000s, that margin was a massive 28.7 points per game.

EA Sports ranks Texas among the 25 toughest places to play

Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium ranked as one of the toughest places to play in CFB.

The college football season is just over two months away, but for the first time in over a decade, college football fans will have a video game to hold them over for the time being. EA Sports ‘College Football 25’ is set to release on July 19 with a brand new set of features and a massive upgrade in graphics.

Among the new details coming to the game, one of the coolest features is going to be the inclusion of home-field advantage. EA Sports’ ranked the Top 25 toughest places to play in the new game, and unfortunately, Kyle Field and the Texas A&M Aggies come in at the No. 1 spot.

Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium cracks onto the list at No. 19. The Texas Longhorns have won seven straight home games dating back to the 2022 season when they lost to the eventual national champion runner-up, TCU Horned Frogs 17-10.

Texas-Memorial Stadium will have a few chances to rise in the rankings this year as the Longhorns are set to host both the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators.

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A pair of Longhorns DB’s named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

Texas DB’s Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mubuka named to Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

Every year since 2004, the Lott Trophy has been awarded annually to the nation’s defensive IMPACT player of the year. While the award does revolve around on-the-field performances, much more is factored into it as IMPACT stands for “Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity.”

The list of former winners is quite remarkable with the likes of DeMeco Ryans, J.J. Watt, Luke Keuchly, and Manti Te’o headlining the group. Michigan’s Junior Colson was the 2023 Trophy winner with Aidan Hutchinson and Will Anderson Jr. having taken home the award in the two previous years.

Heading into the 2024 season, a pair of Texas Longhorns find themselves on the Lott Trophy watch list in cornerback Jahdae Barron and safety Andrew Mukuba.

Barron is entering his fifth year with the Texas program and recorded 59 total tackles a season ago with one interception and five passes defended. Mukuba on the other hand enters his first year on the Forty Acres after transferring from Clemson this offseason.

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Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers among the favorites to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy

Texas’s Quinn Ewers looks to become fourth straight QB to win the Heisman Trophy in 2024

Heading into the 2024 college football season, the race for the Heisman Trophy will be as wide-open as it’s ever been. With no returning winners and the top five vote-getters from last year all going to the NFL, there is no clear front-runner.

The award has become increasingly more of a quarterback award with seven of the eight last winners being signal callers. Winning the award has turned out to be a great sign as the last three winners have gone on to realize a ton of success in the NFL draft with Bryce Young being drafted No. 1 overall in 2023, Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in 2024, and Jayden Daniels No. 2 overall in 2024.

After guiding the Texas Longhorns to a Big 12 title and Playoff appearance in 2023, the expectations will be sky-high for QB Quinn Ewers. On3’s Jesse Simonton ranks Ewers No. 2 in his Top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates for 2024 behind only Georgia’s Carson Beck. Simonton says of the Longhorns QB1:

“Ewers has yet to truly live up to his No. 1 overall prospect billing but perhaps that comes to fruition this fall. The Longhorns’ third-year starter has been at his best in big games (see: Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State last season) and Ewers will have plenty of chances to play in the spotlight against a schedule that includes Michigan, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

He threw for 3,500 yards last season, and although he’s working with a whole new cast of wideouts, Texas has another loaded receiver room this fall. If Ewers plays with more consistency and continues to lead a Texas team back into a national title contender, then he’ll be a Top 5 candidate — not just in the SEC but for the whole field.”

If Ewers is able to bring home the award this fall, he would become the third Longhorn to ever do it with Ricky Williams being the last winner in 1998.

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