New Texas Longhorns offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is no stranger to the Big 12. He spent 2013-2018 in Stillwater with the same title for Oklahoma State. After one season as the passing coordinator for Ohio State, Yurcich is back in the conference as the playcaller for the Longhorns. With Sam Ehlinger returning for his senior year, there could be big things on the horizon in Austin.
During his time as offensive coordinator for the Cowboys, his average number per season were slightly above where the Longhorns were a season ago. In the passing game, Yurcich finished his Cowboys coaching tenure with four straight seasons of passing for north of 300 yards per game with an average of 2.5 touchdown passes per game.
| Team | Year | PPG | Ranking | Total | Passing | TDs |
| Oklahoma State | 2013 | 39.1 | 14th | 448.8 | 277.2 | 2 |
| Oklahoma State | 2014 | 27.6 | 76th | 378.8 | 242.2 | 1.5 |
| Oklahoma State | 2015 | 39.5 | 14th | 479.6 | 353.2 | 2.7 |
| Oklahoma State | 2016 | 38.6 | 17th | 494.9 | 323.9 | 2.2 |
| Oklahoma State | 2017 | 45.0 | 4th | 571.3 | 389.2 | 2.8 |
| Oklahoma State | 2018 | 38.4 | 13th | 499.4 | 308.7 | 2.5 |
| Texas | 2019 | 35.2 | 17th | 466.5 | 289.3 | 2.5 |
In 2017, Yurcich’s offense was top five in total offense. With current Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudoph under center, offensively they were difficult to deal with. Rudoph finished with 37 passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 170.6.
For Ehlinger, a similar rise could be coming. Those numbers came in Rudoph’s final year as he continued to progress as a college quarterback. Ehlinger is also coming into his final year at Texas after improving as a passer in the previous two seasons. Sam Ehlinger could be putting together a Heisman level season, with a similar rise. His 2019 season put him ahead of Texas Longhorns legendary quarterback Vince Young, trajectory leads you to believe a big season is coming.