With the season approaching for the major conferences in college football, media outlets will be putting out their picks to win the conference, qualify for the playoffs and of course the upset picks. ESPN Analyst Trevor Matich recently gave his sleeper pick for the 2020 college football season, the Texas Longhorns.
247Sports wrote about the Longhorns as a sleeper in which they talked about Matich’s comments.
ESPN college football analyst Trevor Matich, who appeared during a game-break at halftime of Saturday night’s Austin Peay-Central Arkansas season opener, revealed Texas as his sleeper team in 2020 for one primary reason — Longhorns’ starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
There’s no player in college football I have more confidence in as a leader or as a guy who can carry a team on his back than Sam Ehlinger,” Matich said during ESPN’s halftime break on Saturday night. “He’s back for his senior season and I expect big things.”
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Brad Crawford went on to say the Longhorns have their most talented team under Tom Herman in Austin. Given that his confidence derives from the quarterback, shows you the impact that Ehlinger has had on this team. The senior quarterback is without a doubt the leader in the locker room.
Under new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, Ehlinger is expecting to carry the load for this team. Brennan Eagles, Jake Smith and Jordan Whittington are all expected to play larger roles in the offense. Losing Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay puts more pressure on Sam to succeed this coming season. However, he has plenty of help in the backfield with a trio of runners that will get their opportunity.
On the other side of the ball, the defense is expected to be much improved. Chris Ash is an “elite coach” according to former head coach Urban Meyer and he will have ample opportunities to prove it. Deploying a new pass rush that includes Joseph Ossai should generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
On the backside D’Shawn Jamison and Caden Sterns are the guys expected to take the ball away in 2020. Chris Adimora is your likley starter at nickel and big things are expected of him. As a whole, the secondary has plenty of depth including B.J. Foster who could play multiple spots in the defense. All in all the Longhorns look to be a much better team than some think in 2020.