There’s a national title contender in Austin, Texas. The Texas football program has vaulted itself to the top of the college football world as it approaches 2024.
Several circumstances have gone right for the Longhorns, and they converged at just the right time. The first was a perfect hire. What followed was a confluence of events that has put the team at a significant advantage.
Texas’ good fortune began when it hired head coach Steve Sarkisian. The former Alabama offensive coordinator and USC head coach proved himself one of the brightest football minds at the college level.
Unlike his two predecessors at Texas, Sarkisian hired the best assistant coaching staff money could buy. From there, the Longhorns began developing players at a level the program hadn’t seen in several seasons.
Making the right hire was significant, but other factors have gone in Texas’ favor since the hire. The Longhorns are a more potent recruiting powerhouse than they used to be. The program hired one of the best recruiting and developmental staffs in the country, bolstered its presence through name, image and likeness licensing, capitalized on an exciting offense in recruiting and made the College Football Playoff.
Now Texas is the hot name in the transfer portal. The Longhorns aren’t above rewarding players with generous name, image and likeness deals while some programs withhold such deals. In Austin, as will be evident by the upcoming NFL draft, you can get developed and still make money off your name, image and likeness while in college.
We have seen Texas recruit well, but we haven’t seen anything like what the team is doing in the portal right now. Sarkisian and company have added six proven starting-caliber players: Alabama receiver Isaiah Bond, Houston receiver Matthew Golden, UTSA edge Trey Moore, Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba, Oregon State receiver Silas Bolden and Alabama tight end Amari Niblack.
The team also added high upside Alabama linebacker Kendrick Blackshire. It is on the verge of adding elite Washington cornerback Jabbar Muhammad.
Some made much of the Longhorns’ departing players. However, of the four 2023 playoff teams, Texas is in the best spot by far. The Longhorns are set to return 14 starters and add at least six more Power Five caliber starters in the portal.
No other College Football Playoff participant from the 2023 season is set to return more than seven starters. That includes the national title winning Michigan Wolverines who Texas is scheduled to face in Week 2 next season.
Alabama loses legendary head coach Nick Saban, leaving a void atop the SEC opposite Georgia. Michigan could also lose Jim Harbaugh to the NFL.
As for Texas, the Longhorns seem most focused on winning it all in 2024. They return statistically one of the 10 best quarterbacks in college football: Quinn Ewers. He will play behind a line that returns four 2023 starters and another starter from a season before.
There are several circumstances converging into a perfect storm for Texas to compete for a title next season. Sarkisian and company look to increase the likelihood of a title run with continued success over the offseason.
Returning starters (as of today) from last year's CFP teams.
Texas: 14
Alabama: 7
Michigan: 6
Washington: 3— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 17, 2024