247Sports named their one player who needs to step up in 2020. For the Longhorns it comes from the wide receivers group.
The Texas Longhorns return one of the most productive teams in the Big 12 in 2020. However, they do have plenty of questions especially on the offensive side of the ball. While they do have talent available, it remains unclear who will step up in 2020 for this football team. If the Longhorns do indeed make a run at the Big 12 title they will need a few players to step up on both sides of the ball. According to 247Sports, there is one player on offense who needs to step up the most.
247Sports writer Dean Straka states:
Texas fans saw what Eagles was capable of accomplishing during his sophomore year on the Forty Acres after only registering one catch as freshman in 2018, but 2020 will bring an entirely new set of expectations for the former four-star prospect. With Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson — the Longhorns’ leading two receivers from 2019 — both now graduated, Eagles finds himself standing as arguably the top target for Sam Ehlinger to work with in 2020 as the Longhorns look to rebound from an 8-5 finish that was far short of meeting expectations a year ago. Eagles’ most productive game of 2019 his best game of the season in Week 2 in a 45-38 loss to eventual national champion LSU (five catches for 116 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown strike). With new Texas offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich setting the expectation of around 45 points per game in order for the Longhorns to compete, prepare to see plenty of passes from Ehlinger headed in Eagles’ direction this fall.
Ehlinger has a tall task ahead of him this upcoming season, steer the Longhorns towards the top of the conference without his top two receiver of the past few season. Along with Eagles, Jordan Whittington, Jake Smith and newcomer Tarik Black are all expected to be in the mix. For the team to hit the level of expectation that Yurcich has laid out, they will all need to do their part.
Behind Ehlinger in the backfield Keaontay Ingram, Roschon Johnson and newcomer Bijan Robinson should help lighten the load. Ingram and Johnson are the known commodity, while Robinson is the wildcard. The best running back in Arizona high school history should be a mainstay on the offense for the next three seasons. If he is able to deliver what many think he can, the offense should be a lethal one.
