Texas ranked No. 24 in Athlon’s top 25
What Athlon has to say
New coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t stepping into a complete rebuild. The Longhorns went 7-3 in 2020 with all three losses coming by eight points or less. A top-25 finish isn’t out of the question, especially if Sarkisian helps quarterback Casey Thompson build off a strong Alamo Bowl performance, and the new staff finds more ways to get the ball to running back Bijan Robinson.
There’s a good mix of experience and promising young talent up front and in the receiving corps. That trend continues on defense after this unit made progress by cutting its per-play average allowed from 6.1 to 5.2. Replacing edge rusher Joseph Ossai (16 TFL) is the biggest priority for the new staff. Non-conference dates against Louisiana and Arkansas (road) are on tap, along with road dates in Big 12 play versus Baylor, Iowa State, TCU and West Virginia.
Next, what Longhorns Wire says.