Tag: On3 Sports

Texas QB Quinn Ewers projected to be Heisman Trophy finalist

Can Quinn Ewers become the first UT Heisman trophy winner since Ricky Williams in 1998?

The last Texas Longhorn to win the Heisman Trophy was Ricky Williams back in 1998 with Vince Young (2005) and Colt McCoy (2008) both finishing runner-up for the award.

However, many people think the 26-year drought may be broken in 2024 as quarterback Quinn Ewers returns to the Forty Acres for his third year as a starter. With the Longhorns transitioning to the SEC and boasting one of the best-receiving cores in football, Ewers will certainly be at the center of the Heisman race. Coming out of high school, Ewers was widely regarded as one of the best quarterback prospects of all time and it still feels like there is another level to his game he is yet to tap into.

Going into this season, the Heisman Trophy is open for the taking as the top five finishers from 2023 all moved on to the NFL this off-season.

On3 Sport’s JD Pickell projected his Heisman finalists for 2024 which included Ewers, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. He also included honorable mentions of Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart, Missouri’s Luther Burden and Miami’s Cam Ward.

When the dust settles, Pickell actually projects that Quinn Ewers wins the Heisman Trophy in 2024 saying,

“I think Steve Sarkisian will go to even another level of this offense with him being his third year in the system. I love the weapons. I love the schedule. I think Quinn Ewers wins the Heisman Trophy.”

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JD PicKell discusses what happens if Texas wins it all in 2024

One college football analyst thinks a national title changes the conversation around Steve Sarkisian.

Steve Sarkisian has endured his fair share of outside criticism since taking over as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns. The doubt persisted last offseason.

College football analyst Tim Brando famously suggested Texas could duplicate Texas A&M’s 2022 season in which the Aggies went 5-7. Others doubted that Sarkisian would ever win 10 games in Austin.

Nearly a year later, those beliefs look as off base and premature as they sounded then. Texas won 12 games, won the Big 12, throttled Alabama on the road and made a College Football Playoff.

One college football analyst thinks the Longhorns can move even higher and into the top tier of the sport with one accomplishment in particular. On3 Sports’ JD PicKell voiced what winning a national title would mean for the Texas football program on his podcast, The Hard Count.

“If they win the national championship and do what I just said they could potentially do with how they would reload on the line of scrimmage defensively and how they could have those weapons translate, we talk about Sark as a great builder.

I think if Texas gets it done this upcoming season and wins it all, I think you put Texas in that Tier 1 category (with Georgia).”

PicKell believes the key to Texas winning a title begins with further development from its quarterback, Quinn Ewers.

“I think the first ingredient is Quinn Ewers staying healthy, something he hasn’t done just yet in Austin. And then you also see him take another massive step as QB1 in Austin. … (In 2023), he threw for 3,400-plus yards, 22 touchdowns, six picks, completed 69% of his passes.”

The On3 Sports college football analyst specified what a national title season looks like for Ewers.

“Now, if you’re going to make the jump to national title kind of quarterback, I think you probably have those numbers somewhere in the range of 3,700, 3,800 yards. I wanna see probably 35 touchdowns. And I wanna see somewhere in the range of five interceptions or less. Keep that completion percentage number about where it is.”

For Ewers, that would mean a 13 touchdown increase from his 2023 campaign. With his four top receiving targets in Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Jordan Whittington all departing, that leaves a high bar for the Longhorns signal caller to reach.

It’s uncertain if Ewers can elevate his game to that level with minimal chemistry between he and his top receiving targets for 2024. If he can, Texas is primed for a title run.

On3 Sports asks their biggest question for Texas football in 2024

We look at On3’s biggest question for Texas football in 2024.

The Texas Longhorns, like every other football team, have questions heading into the spring. They just might not have as many questions as others.

On3 Sports identified a big one in their questions for every SEC team. They ask if Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers will click with his new receiver corps.

Jesse Simonton had the following to say of the Longhorns’ challenge of translating talent to offensive fit for several productive transfer players.

“The Longhorns will enter next season ranked in the Top 3 of most preseason polls, but aside from quarterback Quinn Ewers, Steve Sarkisian’s offense will be breaking in totally new personnel. NFL Combine stars Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell are gone. Same for tight end JT Sanders. Former 5-star Johntay Cook will see an increased role, while newcomers Isaiah Bond, Silas Bolden, Matthew Golden and tight end Amari Niblack must all be immersed within the offense. Does Ewers find a new go-to target? Can the group develop the requisite chemistry and timing to continue to be one of the most electric offenses in the country?”

Ewers’ ability to sync routes with new receivers will be worth monitoring in the upcoming season. While some viewed his lack of production with receiver Xavier Worthy as a red flag, detractors may not take into account how difficult it is to hit 4.21 second 40-yard dash speed in stride.

While it took time to consistently connect with Worthy on passes downfield, it took Ewers and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell all of one offseason to become one of the better duos in the Big 12. The question is, which players on the current roster will be Ewers’ top targets in 2024?

On3 Sports ranks Texas No. 4 in pre-spring Top 25 poll

The Longhorns are viewed as a team right behind Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon for 2024.

The transfer portal has transformed several rosters. Ohio State, Oregon and Texas are three of the biggest beneficiaries of the portal. They rank highly in one pre-spring Top 25.

On3 Sports’ Jesse Simonton ranks the Top 10 in the following order: Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State and Missouri.

Other notable rankings in the list include Oklahoma at No. 13, Florida State at No. 16, Miami at No. 18 and Texas A&M at No. 23.

There’s plenty of variance in many of the preseason prognostications. For the most part, we have no clue what Alabama and Michigan will look like after losing the majority of their starters and elite head coaches. Many are giving both teams benefit of the doubt, but they won’t resemble the teams that made the playoff last season.

Alabama and Michigan are just two of a handful of teams we can’t reliably project with certainty. Five teams, however, seem like near locks to have strong seasons: Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Ole Miss. Given what those teams return and what they brought in through the transfer portal 10 wins seems like a realistic expectation for all five programs.

Outside of the above five teams, it’s anyone’s guess what could happen. Utah and Kansas State both appear primed for a collision course to the Big 12 title game. Missouri returns enough players to win 10 games in the SEC. Everything else seems unclear.

The transfer portal has helped complete several starting lineups. While there will be some change after spring football with transfers we have a good idea of who will rank at the top of college football. Texas will look to live up to its high billing in 2024.

Oklahoma commit Kuol Atak is officially a top 50 prospect in latest On3 150 update

Oklahoma commit Kuol Atak is one of On3’s biggest risers in their top 150 2024 prospect update.

While the current Oklahoma Sooners look to cement themselves as an NCAA Tournament team, it’s never too early to look to the future. And the future for Oklahoma is a little brighter when you consider the Sooners have a top-flight recruit like power forward Kuol Atak on his way to Norman next year.

Kuol Atak, a four-star power forward from Haltom High School just north of Fort Worth, Texas, saw his hard work pay off. He was one of On3’s most significant risers in their latest update top 150 prospects for the class of 2024.

Atak is a long-distance threat the moment he walks into the gym. His shooting ability is his calling card, but he’s spent the last year of high school rounding out his game to be a more complete player, especially as a defender.

The high school season is still in full swing, and teams are pushing for state playoffs. On3’s last 2024 ranking update was in November, the beginning of senior year. Jamie Shaw of On3 has reevaluated the prospects and believes that Atak is one of the nation’s best 50 players. Atak moved up from No. 71 to No. 47 in the second-to-last update for this recruiting cycle.

The biggest hurdle for Atak will be adding size to his rail-thin frame. If he can do that, combined with his shooting skill, he can be a valuable piece of Oklahoma teams in the future.

On3 rates Atak higher than any other primary recruiting service, with no additional service having him ranked higher than 100 in their site rankings.

Atak has already signed and will join the Sooners this summer, along with three-star combo guard Dayton Forsythe.

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On3 Sports’ Shannon Terry predicts Texas beats ‘Bama by double digits

On3 Sports founder Shannon Terry says Texas defeats ‘Bama by 10 or more points.

Everybody has a strong take on the Week 2 matchup between Texas and Alabama. You might want to take the following take seriously. On3 Sports founder and CEO Shannon Terry has the Texas Longhorns defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide by 10 or more points.

Admittedly it is going to be an emotionally charged battle on both ends of the budding rivalry. Texas faithful hate Alabama and the feeling is mutual from the ‘Bama side. What is for certain is nobody has any clue what the Crimson Tide is rolling out against the Longhorns. While some view that as an advantage, it seems an indication that Alabama is still finding itself after losing starting quarterback Bryce Young.

We feel confident in the Longhorns. It’s not just how good we feel about the Texas roster or how the team played in the matchup with Alabama last season. Texas knows who it is this season. Alabama does not appear to have the same feeling about its team.

The Tide is set to roll out at least two quarterbacks to start the season. That’s not exactly a winning formula. You want your starting quarterback getting all the reps during game week. Will the Tide split those reps evenly between its three quarterbacks? It will be difficult to win that way.

Knowing your quarterback is essential to feeling confident in your team. Alabama has no clue who that is this season. And if the team plays two quarterbacks against Texas, it might have to figure out who leads a game-winning drive on the fly.

Texas knows all of its players’ roles. The team will look to make that advantage count in the big showdown on Sept. 9.

On3 Sports forecasts how Texas could fail to win Big 12

On3 Sports’ Jesse Simonton uncovers the Longhorns’ blind spots for 2023.

Every team has blind spots. On3 Sports’ Jesse Simonton exposed the Longhorns’ deficiencies heading into the 2023 season. He gave objective and fair analysis on how Texas could fail to reach expectations this season.

We have made our views on Texas clear as it heads toward its final season in the Big 12. The team has an overwhelming advantage over opposition when its wide receivers, offensive line, tight end and secondary take the field.

While we tend to stay away from the word failure, it’s hard to find another word for missing out on a 10-win season this year. The 2020 Longhorns squad was viewed as a favorite in the conference. Albeit the team had far less proven commodities and far more holes.

Here are three reasons Simonton gave for this year’s mostly complete squad falling below its lofty expectations.

Four Longhorns ranked inside On3 Sports’ top 100 players in college football

Jaylan Ford and Ja’Tavion Sanders did not make the cut.

On3 Sports has released its top 100 players as we reach the 100-day mark until the start of the college football season. Continue reading “Four Longhorns ranked inside On3 Sports’ top 100 players in college football”

On3 Sports ranks the top 10 offensive line units in college football

Texas has a top-five offensive line unit in college football.

On3 Sports continues its 2023 position groups rankings for the upcoming college football season.

After starting with the quarterback position last week, the newest list goes to the trenches, ranking the best offensive line units in the nation.

Texas checks in at No. 5 on the rankings. The Longhorns return all five starters from a season ago, headlined by freshman All-American Kelvin Banks Jr.

Depth is an area where Texas’ offensive line is as strong as it has been in quite some time. The two deep is full of a blend of quality experience and talent, putting the Longhorns in great shape up front.

The offensive line has been a weakness at Texas for what feels like forever. Inconsistency up front led to struggles in the Charlie Strong and Tom Herman era.

Steve Sarkisian prioritized beefing up the offensive line when he was hired three years ago. Texas signed the No. 1 ranked offensive line class in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Those players, along with the development of the older guys, have started to raise the expectations in Austin.

Here is a complete look at On3’s offensive line rankings ahead of the 2023 season.

On3 Sports ranks the top 10 QB units in college football for 2023

The quarterback rankings are headlined by USC, LSU and Texas. 

Week 0 of the 2023 college football season is just over 100 days away, but the excitement and anticipation for the new campaign are already building.

With spring ball wrapping up from programs all over the country, we can now get a feel for where teams stand from a roster standpoint. But, most importantly, we got a better look at the quarterback situations for some of the top schools in the sport.

On3 Sports put together a list of the top 10 quarterback units in college football for the 2023 season. The rankings are headlined by USC, LSU and Texas.

An important note to remember is the rankings factor in the entire quarterback room as a whole, rather than just a high-profile starter. This takes into account how each program is set to handle injuries and a glimpse of the future of the position.

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Here is a complete look at On3 Sports’ 10 best quarterback position groups entering 2023.