Texas is fresh off of a season that saw them go 8-5, and while that isn’t the equivalent of them being the national power they should be, it was a step in the right direction.
The biggest positive to take away from the 2022 season was the fact that the Longhorns improved when their roster relied on quite a few younger guys. Now, heading into the 2023 season Texas’ roster ranks No. 19 in the country in returning production according to ESPN, with their offense at No. 3. Theoretically this means that the offense will be able to build off the experience they got last year and take a major leap in 2023 as Texas wins to win their first and likely final Big 12 Championship since 2009.
With all of the key players that Texas has returning on offense, 247Sports views two of them as being legitimate candidates for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Those two players are none other than quarterback Quinn Ewers who could be on a revenge tour after he fizzled last season following a strong early showing, and wide receiver Xavier Worthy who also had his fair share of letdowns. 247Sports‘ Cody Nagel expressed Ewers perhaps needed a year of football and adapting to Texas in order to succeed like many thought he would.
Speaking of Quinn Ewers, it is easy to criticize his underwhelming redshirt freshman season at Texas considering his elite five-star status coming out of high school. However, the former No. 1 overall prospect did reclassify to the 2021 cycle and transferred to the Longhorns after spending his first year of college at Ohio State. Perhaps now that Ewers is firmly settled in Austin he can rise to the level of expectation. He did flash at times throughout the 2022 season, finishing with 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns against six interceptions in 10 games.
It’s hard to blame a receiver for struggling if the quarterback is also not playing his best, and while that was also the case there were some instances of Worthy leaving more to be desired. If Ewers plays better, it likely means that Worthy will also see an uptick in production according to Nagel.
A down year in 2022 could mean Xavier Worthy is primed for a monster bounce-back season at Texas in 2023. One of the top receivers in the Big 12 over the last two years, Worthy totaled 1,741 yards and 21 touchdowns on 122 receptions during his freshman and sophomore campaigns. The pieces are coming together in the Longhorns’ offensive scheme under head coach Steve Sarkisian. And another year of chemistry established with quarterback Quinn Ewers makes Worthy not only a candidate for Offensive Player of the Year in the conference, but a likely contender for the Biletnikoff Award.
In reality this duo should both be poised for bigger years, as Texas will have more weapons at Ewers’ disposal which will help Worthy get open more. The receiver room at Texas is viewed as one of the best in the country.
On the defensive side of the ball, Texas ranks as the No. 68 team in returning production. They specifically return a linebacker in Jaylan Ford who could end up being one of the best in the country. He was the lone Longhorn to be recognized as having a chance to win Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, and for Texas it might actually be shocking if he doesn’t. The hard hitting linebacker is always in the right place and will have a chance to lead this Texas defense to even more success.
A breakout season in 2022 followed by a decision to return to Texas in January has linebacker Jaylan Ford set up to be a defensive leader in the Big 12. He finished second in the conference with 119 total tackles last year and tied for third in interceptions with four. Ford also tied for 12th in tackles for loss with 10. His production as a junior was a big reason for the Longhorns’ defense showing significant improvements in Year 2 under coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.
If these three players have great years for Texas, there’s not a doubt in my mind that the Longhorns won’t be contending for a Big 12 Championship.