Tag: big 12 football news

Texas QB Quinn Ewers puts up another pinpoint highlight over defense

If you think Quinn Ewers is losing this job, you might not be paying attention.

Texas quarterback [autotag]Quinn Ewers[/autotag] is primed for a breakout season if his offseason highlights are any indication. The Longhorns’ quarterback doesn’t belong in early Heisman conversations, but he could be the most improved quarterback in college football.

On Tuesday, Texas football social media accounts posted footage of Ewers dropping a dime past several Longhorns defenders. The highlight shows him arching the ball over Jalen Catalon and past two other Texas defensive backs to AD Mitchell. We could see much more of that this year.

For all the discussion around Arch Manning and a potential Manning takeover in Austin, Ewers seems quite relaxed on the field. His passes are surgical and his choices are decisive. He’s having a quietly great offseason, and it’s clear whose team this is for those who are paying attention.

Ewers is at the heart of Texas’ breakout prospects this year. He’ll look to carry a strong offseason into a pivotal 2023 season for his program.

Texas’ Steve Sarkisian sees a different AD Mitchell now than in spring

“I’ve been proud of AD. I’ve seen a different AD Mitchell today than I saw in spring ball.”

Texas wide receiver AD Mitchell had a good spring for Texas. He’s having an even better summer according to his head coach. Steve Sarkisian has noticed a shift and it signals Mitchell could be the lead target for the Longhorns in the fall.

Sarkisian said the following of AD Mitchell’s progression within the Texas system this offseason.

“Naturally, he came into spring ball off of the national championship. There’s probably a little fatigue. That was a long season for them. He had the ankle thing from last season that kind of lingered. But I really saw the shift in about the middle of summer. He made a conscious effort to make the change in how he wanted to play and what we were asking of him. From about mid-early July? There’s been a shift in him that he’s been carrying here through training camp.”

Mitchell’s experience in Georgia in the last two national championship victories is valuable. His dominance in those games is even more significant. In his four playoff appearances, Mitchell has four touchdowns on eight receptions with an average of 18.6 yards per reception.

The Georgia transfer is set to break out for Texas. The season opener against Rice on Sept. 2 should reveal what Sarkisian has seen over the last month.

Offseason Update: Texas banged up but impressing 20 days out

The Longhorns sustained one injury of note but looked good in the team’s first scrimmage.

The Texas Longhorns’ first scrimmage took place Saturday morning. There were several newsworthy items for the team to address.

The list of noteworthy occurrences start with freshman quarterback Arch Manning, who seems to have hit another gear in his acclimation to facing college quality talent.

Not every Texas offensive player had a great day. Wide receiver Jordan Whittington appeared to sustain an upper body injury, which we’ll address later.

Context matters with injuries, though many outsiders will jump the gun as they did with Kelvin Banks’ injury last camp. That said, we don’t know the severity of Whittington’s injury, so we will not claim it is insignificant. It’s not yet reason for panic, however, and nothing yet changes in regard to expectations for the team and loaded receiver unit.

Here’s a look at some of the major takeaways from the scrimmage.

Texas’ Steve Sarkisian calls Xavier Worthy one of smartest on the team

Steve Sarkisian outlines Xavier Worthy’s importance to the 2023 squad.

Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy is polarizing. It’s not because Worthy seeks controversy or displays attention-seeking behavior. His 2022 struggles simply divide the fanbase on his ability to play.

Worthy is still a dominant player, and his impact is evident in several ways. If there were no Worthy in 2021, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers might not be wearing burnt orange right now. His first impression could have played a significant role in Ewers opting to leave for Austin.

The big time receiver broke onto the scene in a huge freshman campaign that saw him catch 62 passes for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. Despite his 2022 falloff, the upside is still present.

“He is one of one, two or three smartest guys on our offense. … We put a lot of burden on him to make plays because of lack of depth at that position early on in his career. … The moment you realize the burden on you, then you can press. .,, I think that’s where some of the mental work that he’s done will be very helpful for him.”

Worthy’s role will be different this year. He probably won’t be force fed downfield shots in 2023. What is likely is fellow wide receiver AD Mitchell could take the burden of being the primary Texas receiver. From there we could see Worthy flourish like he did in his freshman season with lower expectations.

Texas HC Steve Sarkisian discusses the turning point for the program

“At that point, you could feel a shift. Like no longer was it just me trying to say what we needed to be. The players started to speak it.”

Early in Steve Sarkisian’s time in Austin, Texas flipped a switch. The Longhorns head coach delved into the program’s turning point on the Late Kick with Josh Pate.

Sarkisian discussed the toll the 2021 season took on his team. At one point, former Texas running back Roschon Johnson had enough of losing. According to his coach, an impassioned speech turned the tide and bled into an improved football team the following season. He discussed what Johnson’s speech did for his confidence in the program.

“At that point, you could feel a shift. Like no longer was it just me trying to say what we needed to be. The players started to speak it.”

The Texas head coach claims his team has several leaders, perhaps as an outgrowth of Johnson’s emergence in 2021. Now, Longhorns players hold each other to the standard.

Last season, the team made a three-win improvement. The precedent is there for year-to-year growth. Texas looks to take the next step to a 10-win season.

Opinion: Why college football will still be great after realignment

Realignment can’t wreck the world’s greatest sport.

College football is in my estimation the greatest sport in the world. Recent moves will do nothing to change that.

It’s great for a number of reasons. The passion, competitive nature and fan involvement top that list. Despite all those positives many have responded to conference realignment with doom and gloom. Even so, it’s still college football and it’s still going to be the highlight of every Saturday in the fall.

Many view the fall of the Pac-12 as a catastrophe. The loss of major rivalries is cited as one of the worst consequences of the move. With all due respect to Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State, what great rivalry are we losing? For every rivalry lost there is seemingly an even greater rivalry gained.

In moving to the SEC, Texas reunites with two of its three biggest rivals in Texas A&M and Arkansas. Oklahoma adds A&M and Missouri to its premier games. In the Big 12, the Holy War between Utah and BYU is now a conference battle. Colorado joins its former Big 12 foes.

Through realignment we get Texas vs Georgia and Oklahoma vs Alabama on a consistent basis. We get USC vs Ohio State in conference play. As much animus as there is between Oregon and Washington and its in-state rivals, I am sure they would be more excited to play Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Ohio State with frequency.

College football once named champions without deciding games on the field. You could watch two teams play in the championship and claim a title the next day. Now there’s a playoff with several representative teams.

Some would consider this season the end of our sport’s unique greatness. In reality, it’s only a bridge to more dominance on the biggest stage.

Heartland Sports: Texas, Oklahoma improved Big 12 by leaving

Heartland Sports asserts that because Oklahoma and Texas are leaving, the conference got better.

The Big 12 has solidified its spot in major college football. While that much is fair to say, some who cover the league are taking fanciful liberties.

For example, Bryan Clinton of Heartland Sports insinuates Texas and Oklahoma saved the conference by leaving the Big 12. That’s a stretch. Clinton’s thoughts on the two blue blood programs add perspective to why Heartland Sports is one of the lone holdouts to predicting Texas to win the conference.

Give the Big 12 its due credit. It has ensured its viability moving forward. Even so, let’s be clear about where the conference stands. College football’s third superconference now has three national championships from its 16 teams: Colorado (1990), TCU (1938) and BYU (1984). That’s an underwhelming set of accomplishments for the league.

The conference loses Oklahoma’s seven national titles along with Texas’ four national titles. Frankly, it falls well short of the Big Ten and SEC when it comes to winning games.

There will not be a TV network for only one program in the new Big 12, and the members will be treated like equals. Perhaps the problem is that they are equals.

Most of the remaining members still bring little prestige and value on their own. Together they form a collection of teams that bring little excitement to national audiences.

Is the Big 12 better without Oklahoma and Texas? Perhaps it all depends on your perspective. Its relevance in games that Colorado doesn’t play will be worth watching moving forward.

Social media reacts to the Big 12 adding Arizona, Arizona State and Utah

The Big 12 got even bigger on Friday.

The Pac-12 conference took a hit on Friday. The Big 12 continued to poach from the storied conference. The league kicked off the poaching not long ago by adding former Big 12 member Colorado. It continued by adding Arizona, Arizona State and Utah.

The move sends shock waves through the college football world and dramatically alters the landscape of the sport. Without getting into what the exodus means for the remaining Pac-12 teams, it’s a huge win for the Big 12 and for its new members.

Starting with Utah, it brings the team closer to the middle of the country and expands its reach. More than that, it provides the team its rivalry with bitter in-state rival, BYU.

As for Arizona and Arizona State, the move gives both teams a fresh start. The last decade has been for the most part forgettable on the gridiron for both squads. In addition, all three of the league’s newest members will have the opportunity to play in the fertile recruiting ground of Texas. Certainly, the top recruits in the state will continue to go to Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and other big name programs. Albeit, there are more than enough players in the state for secondary contenders to win.

Here’s a look at how social media views the massive moves from Friday.

Paul Wadlington, Randy Boone discuss Texas WR Isaiah Neyor’s impact

Imagine being able to alternate between receivers like AD Mitchell and Isaiah Neyor. Texas doesn’t have to imagine it.

Texas wide receiver Isaiah Neyor is back, and he’s attacking 2023 with a vengeance. The talented wideout once viewed as the piece to put last year’s offense over the top appears to be working his way back to form.

Paul Wadlington and former Texas Longhorns pitcher Randy Boone discussed what Neyor brings to the current squad. Boone led off the conversation.

“I think (Isaiah Neyor) changes the offense more than most people think.”

Neyor does change the offense. The most valuable way probably involves providing quarterback Quinn Ewers a downfield threat with consistent hands and good tracking ability. Put simply, the former Wyoming transfer who once averaged 20 yards per reception and caught 15 touchdown passes is going to put the Longhorns in the end zone.

Paul Wadlington went on to discuss Texas’ loaded receiver room.

“If you can roll Neyor, (AD) Mitchell, (Jordan) Whittington, (Xavier) Worthy in basically a constant rotation. You know, throw Johntay Cook in there, DeAndre Moore. And you just keep wearing on people … it’s exciting to think about the weapons.”

The team has an embarrassment of riches at receiver. Having two players like AD Mitchell and Isaiah Neyor with similar frame and skillset makes Texas exciting to watch in 2023. It should translate to better offensive play on the field.

Texas’ Kyle Flood believes he has eight OL with which he can win games

Don’t tell us about your starting five linemen. Tell us about your best eight. Texas has eight good ones.

Conference championship contenders need eight offensive linemen to realistically compete. Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood believes he has his eight. It’s part of what makes this roster more fortified against a late-season falloff than past Longhorns teams.

You need eight quality offensive linemen to safeguard against injury. Having a strong top five doesn’t matter all that much if one or two get injured. Due to the physical nature of the position and the inherent lack of balance in pass protection, it’s difficult to go a full season with five healthy linemen. Texas might not have to worry about that.

We feel strongly about the starting five and its ability after last season. The line is perhaps the best pass blocking unit in the conference. The backups are ready to make impact as well led by DJ Campbell, Cam Williams and Neto Umeozulu.

The 2022 offensive line class illustrates that one good offensive line class can transform the entire unit. Texas will look to maximize its collection of four- and five-star linemen to a 10-win season in 2023.