This year was a historic run for Joe Burrow who went from a solid quarterback for the LSU Tigers to Mr Heisman over this past season. The question now becomes who will be the next and can it be Longhorns gunslinger Sam Ehlinger? When you look at how the 2018 season went for Burrow it was hard to fathom what he would become in 2019. Following up a campaign with 16 touchdowns, no one saw a 48 touchdown season in which Burrow took over for the Tigers.
What changed for Burrow cannot be understated, he was the ultimate underdog who wanted nothing more than to play for Nebraska and eventually found himself in Baton Rouge. Joe Brady had just as much to do with rise. Brady was an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints the last two seasons before taking the job at LSU.
So what about Ehlinger? The former Austin Westlake product preseason was a top ten Heisman candidate according to the Vegas odds at (+4000). His play in last year’s bowl game brought Ehlinger’s name to the forefront of the conference after the Longhorns took down fifth ranked Georgia. A big performance against the Utah Utes could be a huge step in that direction for Ehlinger heading into 2020. A new offensive coordinator in Austin could just be the launching pad that he needs much like Burrow got in Brady.
If the Longhorns do indeed bring in Mike Yurcich who is the current passing game coordinator for the Buckeyes, look for the Texas offense to become more dynamic. The Ohio State offense scored 32 more touchdowns than Texas this year and averaged 70 more yards of offense per game. This could be a marriage that helps propel Sam Ehlinger and the Texas Longhorns to new heights that they haven’t seen since the Colt McCoy era ended.