Tom Herman admits he holds his breath every time Andrew Beck takes a snap. Beck, well, he’s a little too busy to worry.

“It doesn’t do any good to think about it,” Beck said. “I’m not smart enough to think about too many things at once.”

“It” is the injury that forced Beck to redshirt 2017, become a fifth-year senior in 2018.

A little more than two weeks before the first game of 2017, Beck landed awkwardly on his foot. It fractured and forced him to make a difficult decision: Chase the NFL or apply for a fifth year of eligibility.

His dad reminded him of a childhood dream that sparked when he attended Mack Brown’s football camp at Texas. He’d always dreamed of playing for Texas, and you only get a few years to do so. Don’t let the world rob you of that dream, Chris Beck told his son.

So, he’s back, and Herman has one of the most valuable pieces of his roster intact for year two.

“He has a chance to be as good as there is, or as good as we’ve had around here in a while,” Herman said. “He’s got every intangible known to man. An unbelievable leader.”

Herman compared that part of Beck’s game to former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett and Houston linebacker Elandon Roberts, two of the players who fueled historic seasons under Herman. Most telling: even after his injury in 2017, the Longhorns voted Beck a team captain.

“He’s the most vocal leader we have on the team,” Herman said. “There’s some guys that try to, but it’s maybe the wrong thing at the wrong time that they say quite a bit where Andrew seems to have the right thing at the right time.”

With only 12 career catches, Beck’s far from a household name, but when Herman is talking NFL potential for players on his offense, the conversation starts with Beck.

“He’s got a lot more speed than people think, but he’s also got a lot more strength than people realize. He power cleaned 350 pounds from the floor. He’s an explosive, strong, powerful guy,” Herman said. “And he frickin’ loves football, man. Loves it.”

And the good news for Texas: he loves the Longhorns enough to come back for another year and be a foundation for Herman’s attempted burnt orange revival.