The Longhorns are expected to have one of the top offenses in college football over the next three seasons.
Adam Rittenberg of ESPN recently projected the nation’s top 25 offenses over the next three seasons (exclusive content). He noted that elite quarterback play and record-setting offenses is still what largely drives the college football landscape, and it’s tough to argue against that.
Each offense was evaluated based on the current roster as well as recruits and transfers that are expected to join the program. Coaching changes also factored into the rankings, hence the reason USC is listed in the top three due to the hire of Lincoln Riley.
Steve Sarkisian’s offense at Texas landed at No. 9 in the country. It was just behind the likes of Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Miami, but ahead of programs such as Mississippi State, UCF and Clemson.
Coach Steve Sarkisian’s impact in Austin should begin to show more during the next three seasons, both in recruiting and on the field. Texas’ quarterback competition between Hudson Card and Quinn Ewers will be a top national storyline, and the team has some insurance with Maalik Murphy, an ESPN 300 prospect in the 2022 class. Whoever wins the starting job will share a backfield with Bijan Robinson, who rushed for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore. Although Robinson is almost surely gone to the NFL after the 2022 season, Texas has other options with senior Roschon Johnson, junior Keilan Robinson and incoming freshman Jaydon Blue, an ESPN 300 recruit. Texas will have a featured receiver through at least 2023 in Xavier Worthy, who earned Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors after leading the team in receptions (62), yards (981) and touchdowns (12). The Longhorns added a key transfer in Wyoming’s Isaiah Neyor (878 yards, 12 touchdowns in 2021), and will look for a healthy Jordan Whittington to produce. Marcus Washington (seven starts) adds a veteran to the mix.
Offensive line is the area where Texas needs the most upgrades, and they could be on the way. The team’s top three incoming recruits are linemen, headlined by Devon Campbell, ESPN’s top-rated guard and No. 9 overall player in the 2022 class. How soon Campbell, Kelvin Banks, Neto Umeozulu and other young players enter the rotation will be interesting. Texas returns interior line experience with center Jake Majors (12 starts as a redshirt freshman) and guards Junior Angilau and Hayden Conner. Texas has experience at tackle, but Banks (ESPN’s No. 32 recruit for 2022) could make an early push for playing time. Sarkisian added tight end transfer Jahleel Billingsley, whom he coached at Alabama in 2020, to a group that lost production. – Adam Rittenberg
Texas has a plethora of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, even after Robinson departs for the NFL. Sarkisian and wide receivers coach Brennan Marion are also known as two of the most creative offensive minds in college football.
If five-star quarterback Arch Manning joins the mix in the near future, it’s tough to imagine Texas’ offense as anything less than lethal.
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