No. 19 Texas Longhorns
2020 Record: 5-3
Returning Starters: Offense No. 8, Defense No. 7
More Teams Alabama | Florida | LSU | Penn State | Texas | Iowa | Indiana | Miami | Wisconsin | USC | Oregon | North Carolina | Cincinnati | Iowa State | Notre Dame | Texas A&M | Georgia | Ohio State | Oklahoma | Clemson
Key Metrics and Personnel
- Head Coach — Steve Sarkisian
- Offensive Coordinator — Kyle Flood
- Defensive Coordinator — Pete Kwiatkowski
- Points/Game — 42.7 (5th) / 48.5 (2nd) — Alabama No. ’s with Sark
- Plays/Game — 73.8 (44th) / 70.8 (75th)
- Pass Rate — 49.86% (42nd) / 48.26 (58th)
- Yards/Att R — 5.3 (16th) / 5.0 (29th)
- Yards/Att P — 8.1 (32nd) / 11.0 (1st)
- Yards/Att Allowed R — 3.7 (27th)
- Yards Att Allowed P — 6.8 (32nd)
- Points Allowed/Game — 28.5 (60th)
- Vegas Win Total – 8, Over +105, Under -125
Notes
Steve Sarkisian gets another head coaching gig after rehabilitating his public image. He previously coached Washington and USC before coordinating offenses for the Falcons and Alabama. He brings over former Alabama assistant Kyle Flood to coordinate the offense. Sarkisian brought in Pete Kwiatkowski to coordinate the defense. Kwiatkowski has coordinated Washington’s defense since 2014.
Recruiting Class: No. 15
Five Star Recruits:
- Ja’Tavion Sanders — ATH — No. 12
Other Top Recruits:
- J.D. Coffey -S — No. 158
- Ishmael Ibraheem — CB — No. 199
- Jamier Johnson — CB — No. 265
- D.J. Harris Jr — EDGE — No. 267
- Jordan Thomas — DL — No. 293
- Terrence Cooks — LB — No. 304
- Morice Blackwell — LB — No. 345
- Jaden Alexis — WR — No. 350
- Jonathan Brooks — RB — No. 358
Transfers
- Keilan Robinson (RB — Alabama)
- Ben Davis (LB — Alabama)
- Devin Richardson (LB — New Mexico State)
- Ovie Oghoufo (LB — Notre Dame)
- Ray Thornton (OLB — LSU)
- Darion Dunn (CB — McNeese State)
Daily Fantasy Players to Watch
RB Bijan Robinson, WR Joshua Moore
Texas Longhorns Depth Chart
Offense: 8 Returning Starters
- QB: Casey Thompson, Hudson Card
- RB: Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson
- WR1: Troy Omeire, Xavier Worthy
- WR2: Jordan Whittington, Ja’Tavion Sanders
- WR3: Joshua Moore, Kelvontay Dixon
- TE: Cade Brewer, Jared Wiley
- LT: Christian Jones, Jaylen Garth
- LG: Denzel Okafor, Tyler Johnson
- C: Jake Majors, Rafiti Ghirmai
- RG: Junior Angilau, Isaiah Hookfin
- RT: Derek Kerstetter, Andrej Karic
Defense: 7 Returning Starters
- Edge: Jacoby Jones
- DT: Alfred Collins
- DT: Keondre Coburn
- Edge: Ray Thornton
- LB: DeMarvion Overshown
- LB: David Gbenda
- CB: D’Shawn Jamison
- CB: Josh Thompson
- CB-N Chris Adimora
- S: B.J. Foster
- S: Jerrin Thompson
Texas Longhorns Breakdown
Texas went 5-3 last year, losing to TCU, Oklahoma and Iowa State. They lost two TCU by 2 points, Oklahoma by 8 and Iowa State by 3. The season could have looked much different, however. Texas fumbled at the goal line against TCU; their battle against Oklahoma required four overtimes; they led Iowa State until 1:44 left in the game, only to miss the game-tying field goal. They return eight starters on offense and seven on defense.
At quarterback Texas lost longtime starter Sam Ehlinger. He will be replaced by either Casey Thompson or Hudson Card. Thompson is a former four-star dual threat from 2018. Card is a former four-star dual threat from 2020. Card has 4.5 speed, but Thompson has the experience edge within the program. Thompson has a career 69% completion percentage in mop-up duty. Card should be the superior rusher.
At running back Texas returns Bijan Robinson after an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 season. Robinson rushed for 703 yards on 86 attempts (8.2 yards per carry). He also caught 15 passes for 196 yards and two more touchdowns. He only saw double-digit carries in 5 of 9 games and never received more than 16. Former dual-threat quarterback Roschon Johnson will provide depth. Texas also received Alabama transfer Keilan Robinson for more depth.
Receiver is a position in flux. Texas lost Brennan Eagles and Tarik Black to the draft. They also lost Jake Smith and Malcolm Epps to the transfer portal. They return their leading receiver Joshua Moore after he caught 30 passes for 472 yards and nine touchdowns. Jordan Whittington also returns. The third starting spot is up for grabs, but former four-star recruit Troy Omeire is the frontrunner after losing his freshman season to a torn ACL. For depth, it looks like freshman five-star Ja’Tavion Sanders is going to begin his career as a receiver/tight end hybrid. Al’Vonte Woodard, Kai Money, Marcus Washington and Kelvontay Dixon are experienced depth pieces. They also add four-star recruit Jaden Alexis to the mix.
Texas returns Cade Brewer at tight end, but he caught just 15 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Alabama used a lot of tight ends under Sarkisian last year, but they dabbled in four-wide sets the year prior with Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. Sarkisian will adapt his offense to his player personnel.
Texas lost Sam Cosmi on the offensive line but returns nine of their top 10 players in this unit. Derek Kerstetter, Jake Majors, Junior Angilau, Tyler Johnson and Denzel Okafor all have starting experience on the interior. Andrej Karic and Christian Jones also have experience at the tackle spots. Karic only has one start, so this unit could shift to get the best five on the field. Texas ranked 19th in pass blocking last year.
On defense Texas lost Joseph Ossai, Ta’Quon Graham, Reese Leitao, Juwan Mitchell (transfer), Chris Brown, Caden Sterns and Jalen Green. The defensive line lost a lot of talent. However, Ray Thonton and Ovie Oghoufo will bolster the edges after transferring from LSU and Notre Dame. Jacoby Jones has also played a bit. Alfred Collins started one game on the interior last year and will complement 13-game starter Keondre Coburn (Honorable Mention All-Big 12). Linebacker may be the weakest unit. DeMarvion Overshown was Honorable Mention All-Big-12, but David Gbenda only has one start. Ben Davis transfers in from Alabama to bolster the unit. At corner Josh Thompson and D’Shawn Jamison had three and nine starts last year. Nickelback Chris Adimora started 10 games as well. At safety B.J. Foster has 14 starts, and Jerrin Thompson has two. The secondary is quietly an experienced unit.
Texas 2021 Football Schedule
- Sept. 4 Louisiana Lafayette 4:30 p.m. Home
- Sept. 11 Arkansas 7:00 p.m. Away
- Sept. 18 Rice 8:00 p.m. Home
- Sept. 25 Texas Tech 1:00 p.m. Home
- Oct. 2 TCU 1:00 p.m. Away
- Oct. 9 Oklahoma 1:00 p.m. Neutral
- Oct. 16 Oklahoma State 1:00 p.m. Home
- Oct. 30 Baylor 1:00 p.m. Away
- Nov. 6 Iowa State 1:00 p.m. Away
- Nov. 13 Kansas 12:00 p.m. Home
- Nov. 20 West Virginia 12:00 p.m. Away
- Nov. 26 Kansas State 12:00 p.m. Home
Texas Football Betting Outlook
Texas plays Louisiana, Arkansas and Rice in non-conference play. In the Big 12 they face TCU, Baylor, Iowa State, West Virginia and Oklahoma on the road. They draw Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Kansas State at home.
Thanks for reading to the end of this article! If you appreciate this free content and want to see more of it every day, you can help us out by sharing this article on social media!
[CFBPAGE]
