Tag: Late Kick Live

College football analyst Josh Pate: Texas now has depth of talent in 2023

Pate makes the case that Texas has talent without the holes it used to have.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Texas football is loaded with talent. To those outside the program, the perception is the team always has talent but doesn’t produce. That’s not the full picture for the program.

Texas has always had talent. Albeit, the roster has always had gaps, particularly on the offensive line and at various other positions. One college football analyst argues the team doesn’t have those glaring weaknesses anymore.

College football analyst Josh Pate discussed Texas as a more complete team for the 2023 season.

I think (Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian) has a very talented roster. And not the same kind of shallow talent that Texas had before he got there. They’ve built from the inside out. They have also hit the portal really well.

By building from the inside out, Pate means Texas has addressed talent in the trenches that has been absent from the last two coaching regimes.

Five starting offensive linemen return of the 10 returning offensive starters. Paired with the elite talent on the outside, the Longhorns should put it all together offensively in Sarkisian’s third season in Austin.

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Opinion: Texas shouldn’t have to dig that deep for its offseason motto

The Alabama game will determine how successful the offseason was for Texas.

The Texas Longhorns have plenty of fuel as they enter spring practice ahead of the 2023 season. They owe their second scheduled opponent payback.

Texas gets a grudge match with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2023. The game will be deeply personal.

Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner took the Longhorns off what looked to be an upward trajectory last season. He did so by knocking out Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers before the freshman could finish what had the makings of the upset of the year.

At the time of the injury, Ewers was 9-for-12 for 134 yards with the Longhorns on the verge of a 10-10 tie. Alabama delivered the knockout blow.

From there the game became an ugly defensive battle in which the Tide escaped with a 20-19 win. Now, Texas will look to get a win of its own on the road.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian needs to get a win in Tuscaloosa this season. It’s not too early to impress that point on his team. Stated or unstated, it must become the focus of the offseason. Beat Alabama.

Last offseason, I opined Oklahoma would be the most important game of the year. And while Red River will always bear significance, this year’s Alabama game will have colossal implications the Sooners can’t yet generate.

We’ll judge the offseason success based on how well Sarkisian prepares his team for the Tide. Should he earn an upset win, it could change the entire perception of Texas inside and outside the program. Preparation starts this spring.

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